Engineering Education: Problems of Modernization in the Context of a Competence Approach

Abstract

The complex issues of engineering education in a modern university are highlighted in this study from the perspective of the implementation of a competence-based approach. It is worth noting that the development of future basic professional competencies for engineers within a university context requires updating the content of higher education in transition areas with emphasis on results. There is also an opinion that today many characteristics of engineering education need to be improved. However, education in engineering, despite many developments, still falls short of the level of economic, scientific, technical, social, and cultural targets that are required for it to be effective. A defined set of problems for training future engineers in the context of the competency approach are therefore identified here: fundamentalization of the content of engineering education and improving its intellectualization; the formation and development of student engineering creativity; the development of ecological thinking; a humanization of the content of engineering education, and; professional skills and personal self-development for future engineers. These related problems require innovative approaches and solutions to the development of the content and organization of educational process in the preparation of the future engineers at university. The aim of the study is to determine the basic professional competencies of the future engineer and, on this basis, to identify and characterize the fundamental directions and ways of modernizing the content of engineering and technical education in higher education. The research is based on a survey of students and teachers of engineering specialties of M. Auezov South Kazakhstan State University, analysis of study programs and academic planning documentation of universities, theoretical analysis of references on the issues of engineering education, pedagogical modeling of the content of engineering education based on a competency-based approach.