Procedural aspect of interdisciplinary integration in technical university

Дальневосточный федеральный университет, Владивосток, Россия

Представлены концептуальные основания проектирования междисциплинарной образовательной технологии в системе инженерной подготовки. Отмечена системообразующая роль курса теоретической механики в общей структуре инженерных дисциплин механического профиля, формирующих знаниевую компоненту большинства инженерных специализаций. Показана ведущая роль физического знания в организации целостной модели фундаментальных основ теоретической механики, описана процедура совершенствования презентации научного и предметного знания теоретической механики. Представлен алгоритм проектирования информационной целостности дисциплин механического профиля на базе комплексной реализации методологических и структурно-содержательных основ научной теории механики. Предложенная технология конструирования междисциплинарного взаимодействия включена в педагогическую практику Дальневосточного федерального университета.

Ключевые слова: модернизация образования, научная теория механики, дисциплины механического цикла, механическая картина мира, междисциплинарная интегративная технология.

Abstract

Procedural aspect of interdisciplinary integration in technical university

Научная статья

Shtager E.V. *

Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

The conceptual basis of design of interdisciplinary educational technology in the system of engineering training is presented. The system-forming role of theoretical mechanics course in the general structure of engineering disciplines of mechanical profile forming the knowledge component of most engineering specializations is noted. The leading role of physical knowledge in the organization of a holistic model of fundamental foundations of theoretical mechanics is shown, the procedure of improvement of presentation of scientific and subject knowledge of theoretical mechanics is described. The algorithm of design of information integrity of disciplines of mechanical profile on the basis of complex implementation of methodological and structural-content bases of scientific theory of mechanics is presented. The proposed technology for designing interdisciplinary interaction is included in the pedagogical practice of the Far East Federal University.

Keywords: modernization of education, scientific theory of the mechanic, disciplines of a mechanical cycle, mechanical picture of the world, cross-disciplinary integrative technology.

Introduction

One of the distinctive features of the conception of the education improvement, which is declared by normative documents as a priority direction of the higher technical education development, is the introduction of the innovating element into the practice of the education system. The questions of the innovation engineering education are widely discussed in our country and in the world. The improvement of the engineering education is considered essential in view of changes in the abstract and applied sciences, technological and social public development, operation improvement, world economy globalisation and education internalisation [1].

The traditional domestic policy of education practice the idea of innovation not enough, mostly due to inclusion of Russia to the Bologna process. However, the education as a social and cultural institution is always a reflection of the government public policy, so in this case it is not constructive to dispute the truth of choice of this educational direction.

The pedagogical society should point its efforts for collection last remains of the best traditions of the Russian technical education, which could be lost in the heat of regular reforms of the higher school. The ideologist of the modern association of all fields of knowledge into a single holistic picture of the world is the director of the NIC Kurchatov Institute M.V. Kovalchuk, who speaks about the need to transition in the educational environment to the principles of interdisciplinary, which are becoming a new form of science and education [2].

In whole, the task of organization entirety education system in technical institution is rather multipronged. The problem of providing succession and system in teaching common professional and special subjects during technical course, which are the base of professional engineer training, is very important in the education system. At the same time in subject structure of engineering training such subject matters which studying is intended to provide formation of a fundamental kernel of knowledge for a number of the directions of the equipment and technology are allocated. The «Theoretical mechanics» organizing scientific base of all disciplines of a mechanical cycle - resistance of materials, the theory of mechanisms and cars, details of cars and a basis of designing, hydraulics belongs to such disciplines. In this regard development and inclusion in educational process of complete model of basic knowledge of the theoretical mechanics allowing forming a professional and activity kernel of mechanics during studying of all disciplines of a mechanical cycle is of particular importance.

The article describes methodological and organisation-methodical basis of a new cross-disciplinary integrative technology of training of the principal subjects of mechanical cycle , which contributes to the wholeness of the students' sense of the world situation, organization their thinking system, and which is directed to positive motivation of students, thus performing the main ideas of developing teaching.

First of all it is necessary to describe the system of methodical and structural innovations of subject Theoretical mechanics training, which is essential to distinguish the formation of system of the mechanics in the engineering training structure.

1.Improvement of the Theoretical mechanics course in the educational process

Most subjects of the technical course have in their ground basic scientific theories, mainly physical theories. Scientific and educating physics knowledge, which has the highest level of natural-scientific systematization and is organized within the single scientific methodology, could and should regulate the organization and development process of all engineering subjects [3], [4]. For disciplines of a mechanical cycle the scientific theory of mechanics forming the subject content of discipline «Theoretical mechanics» acts as the fundamental physical theory. So, the success of this task solution of organization the entirety-system technology of teaching the mechanical subjects will be extensively determined with the compliance of quality and organization level of educating process in «Theoretical mechanics» to its principal role in the system of scientific knowledge and its formation of system in the engineering training structure. That's why, the first aspect of the teaching process wholeness in a technical higher school should be connected with improvement of Theoretical mechanics training, which perform the above pointed principles.

One of the most important aspects of improvement the Theoretical mechanics course content in a technical higher school is the strengthening of its ideology nature. We have accomplished the reforming of the traditional working program of the Theoretical mechanics course to provide the following:

· entirety of the course basing on integration of all its sections around principal methodological conceptions, laws and principals;

· approximation to modern principals of structure formation of scientific knowledge, which is rest on inner logic of physics science development;

· strong presentation of the most substantial laws and principals.

We make the principal accent in the reforming process of working program of the Theoretical mechanics course onto limited introduction in it of methodological and logical knowledge, which allow the «inward» connection of mechanics knowledge with methods of its learning during educating process. The introduction of the system of inter-subject invariants (basic philosophic and physic notions) and establishing correlation of them allow fulfilling the systematization of conceptual content of basic physical theory - scientific theory of the mechanic, which formulate the content of basic subjects of mechanical cycle. We present the conceptual structure of physical theory of mechanics in two correlated blocks: scientific paradigm of physical theory; scientific knowledge of physic theory. Each of these blocks has a complex structure, «moving» of which to each other organize the mechanical picture of the world [5].

The performing of scientific theory of the mechanic in the form of multilevel hierarchic conceptual structure allows organizing structural and logical picture of content of appropriate mechanics issues, which, in turn, organize the scientific knowledge of the subjects of mechanical cycle.

Our approach to the course content organization allows forming either total of knowledge in the teaching process or knowledge system with a structure, which is similar to a physics theories structure. The structure of each educating block involves adjusting lections, which consider the questions of formulation of students' entire sense of physical world situation and it's determine role in whole world situation. Besides, the lections consider organization principals of structural and logical picture of the studied mechanics scientific theory, which are further used in forming teaching content of appropriate subjects of the mechanical cycle [6].

2.Principal regulations of the cross-disciplinary educating technology

Developing the conceptual basis of the educating technology we have chosen the leading principle of the unity of methodological and methodical purposes in formation the educational strategy of teaching the basic subjects of mechanical cycle. The generality of methodological purposes in formation of educating courses appeared in the unificated approach to performing fundamental concept of subjects' knowledge, grounded on the interaction of common scientific, natural scientific and physical vision of the world. The inclusion of categorical apparatus of the concept into teaching practice allows interconnecting the subjects' contents of mechanics course basing on the single methodology, which reflects common principles of scientific knowledge organization and development, what, in turn, contributes to succession of students' knowledge understanding and improvement of world vision direction of education.

The generality of methodological purposes in formation of educating courses is accomplished in development of universal algorithm of formation “data models” of the subjects [7], [8]. The projecting process of the models consists of the following stages:

· organization of logical and didactic structure of educating discipline (methodological aspect);

· developing principles of modular structure formation of informative part of the subject (structural and substantial aspect);

· developing the proper didactic providing (professional and activity aspect).

The certain factor in formation of logical and didactic structure is determination the compliance of logical and conceptual courses structure of inner organization of scientific theory of the mechanic. In result of the accomplished work the structural and logical layouts of connection of main information elements of subjects were made up and the correction of traditional educating programs of mechanical cycle subjects took place.

Basing on the analysis of the structural and logical picture of studied mechanics scientific theory the content of teaching logical and conceptual modules of the subject is developed, the base of which consists of principal conceptual elements of the appropriate course issue.

Thus, the education course organizes in a row of modules, filled either with subjects' content or correlated educating elements (basic notions, principles, laws), which allow to show clearly the theoretical base of scientific knowledge of the course, clarify the peculiarity of its organization. The structure of each module is performed as a graphic layout, accenting the cause-effect relations and functional dependences between all conceptual elements of the studied subject.

In the process of the didactic provision development, which should be adequate to the suggested teaching technology, the concept of frames was introduced, adapted to the educating system [9], [10]. A new organization and methodical educating facility was introduced to the teaching process - the didactic frame (DF). Each DF consists of four slots (sections), which present the subject information for learning and which is characterized with different functional directions. The complex of subject-learning tasks with interdisciplinary nature and professional direction presents the peculiar importance in the frames structure. Besides, each didactic frame fulfils the functions of controlling the learning actions of students due to organizing inside each DF incoming, current and out coming control of knowledge.

During developing methodical and organization-technical basis of different forms of students' knowledge control the following tasks were solved: determine the totality of features under control, creation of didactic means of measuring knowledge levels, choice of rating scale of knowledge learning, developing the program of knowledge control. To control the learning process of all subjects of each student is rather difficult task, for their solutions we have automate the suggested control system.

The teacher can obtain the learning marks of students either from each class or from the whole educating course. Students can also calculate their current rate by themselves, and if they wish obtain additional task to increase their final rate. The essential condition of getting pre-term examination mark after the course ended is the reaching of the proper rate.

Thus, all the stages of the suggested layout of content projection and teaching process organization support the basic principle of unity of the scientific world vision, which is reached due to non-reparability of system links of physical knowledge and educating data of subjects. This way provides the informative and world-vision wholeness of the educating process of disciplines of the engineer training. The introducing to students the principles of organization the scientific educating course (complex of correlated modules), logical and direct performing of the training material in didactic frames, its unified presentation in each DF give us the opportunity to learn any subject either as a whole informative system, or in a single aspect of correlation with the basic natural-scientific knowledge.

Summary

The article describes the conceptual ways of development of the methodological and organization-methodical principles of reaching the entirety of the educating process in the technical higher school. There is a suggestion, that the provision of the educating process continuity should be directly connected with the development and application of the cross-disciplinary integrative educating technologies into the educating process. It is a prolonged process to apply all such technologies in teaching practice, and it is determined by impartial peculiarities of functioning of the higher technical institutions in Russia. During last years in the Far Eastern Federal University as a pedagogical experiment the author organized continuing educating process learning Theoretical mechanics and other basic subjects of mechanical course for a number of the directions of engineering training. Prolonged control of students allows to state the positive dynamics of learning process, developing the structural-functional component of thinking, abilities to self-organization and increase of students' motivation, who is studied within the above described organization-methodical education process. Besides, the suggested way of organization the subject learning in mechanical cycle solves the task of profession-directed education, what, in turn, determine the problem of specialist adaptation after Institution graduation.