Priority Goals and Organization of Engineering Training at Russian Universities

Abstract

The present paper analyzes and discusses of the best practices offered by the Russian universities in the field of organization of practice-based training in engineering specializations. Based on the integrated approach to forming professional competences and generic skills in university engineering graduates, the professional portfolio of a university engineering graduate is viewed as the three in one set of competences including those in research, engineering and development entrepreneurship. Based on the review of documentation, reports, information databases, including the analysis of the statistical findings, the authors discuss the main global trends in the development of engineering education and training and offer the solutions to tackle the priority objectives in organizational field of university performance, teaching and learning processes organization and teaching aids development. The article discusses the educational practices of the six leading Russian engineering universities from the standpoint of the implemented teaching and learning formats, correspondent teaching aids development and the organizational solutions. The authors dwell on the example of Tomsk polytechnic university (TPU) in providing practice-based training to university students in physics, the critical organizational solutions in teaching and learning as well as approaches to teaching aids development that enable to shape the professional portfolio of a future engineer from the viewpoint of professional competences and generic skills enhancement. The discussed TPU experience in the field of practice-based training in physics is realized in compliance with the complex, integrative approach to forming the trinity of research, engineering, and entrepreneurship competences in a university engineering graduate. The designed system of practice-based engineering training implemented at TPU can be successfully extrapolated to the bachelor, master and PhD degree training of engineering students.

Keywords

• engineering training
• professional competences
• professional portfolio
• generic skills
• practice-based training
• project-based training