Педагогические науки /2.Проблемы подготовки специалистов

N.O. Jamankulova

Almaty University of Power Engineering & Telecommunications

ICT-enabled learning in engineering education

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and connectivity have been described as indicators for development [1]. The last time has seen the penetration and rapid advancement of ICTs into everyday life, which has important implications for education. ICTs are increasingly becoming a main part of the learning and teaching in education. ICTs are revolutionizing education by removing distance from education and making knowledge more accessible to all.

In 2010, UNESCO published a comprehensive report on engineering and development. This report was devoted to using ICT in engineering education and to the ways for new engineering education. The report spells out the great importance of engineering for human society in addressing and solving global issues, such as poverty, safe and clean energy, climate change, clean drinking water and many others. It is estimated in the report the number of needs in new engineers and technicians in future 5 years. For example, in North America, and the European Union, there is also a great shortage of engineers for the next 5 years in the order of millions [2].

These labour shortage problems could be traced to the shortage of graduating engineering students and the quality gap between engineering education and the skill requirements of labour markets.

ICTs have the potential to revamp engineering education. ICTs are a series of instruments that transform the way human collectively produce and consume information on a global scale. While many teachers and students are already utilizing some of its capabilities, school and government agencies must design appropriate resource allocation policies to better capture these revolutionary opportunities.

ICTs have already significantly altered the way content knowledge is disseminated. Beside popular video- lecture websites, Open Universities, individuals have also become a major contributing source of lecture content. This globalized content pool could offer students many formats and styles of explanation that cannot be covered by traditional lecture-hall based teaching methods. Online, interactive content enables students to learn and to review content on their own pace. Students can repeat any portion of the lectures and exercises when needed. ICTs help to multiply the influence of high quality educational content on a global scale.

The government of Kazakhstan adopts the state programs to support engineering education and increases the investment in vocational education and training. The shortage of qualified engineering work force is creating social and economical crisis. It is necessary to reform existing engineering and technology education. This problem is also actual in Kazakhstan.

The president of Kazakhstan had suggested creating New University on a global level in Astana, in the new capital of the country. Modern educational buildings and laboratories were constructed. New university of Astana will work in partnership with famous world scientifically educational centers. These are universities of London, Harward, and Carnegie, Wisconsin - Madison, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Singapore, and National laboratory of Berkeley. In view of their experience we form our New University. Now the base of the Kazakhstan science is strengthened.

By 2014 the volume of budgetary funds on a science will increase up to a level of one percent of gross national product. In Kazakhstan, five national laboratories of the open type equipped on the world standards were constructed and now any innovator can come and finish his researches. 15 laboratories of an engineering structure operate at leading high schools of the country.

Opening of New university of Astana with its advanced base and huge opportunities will increase scientific potential of Kazakhstan. It is necessary for modernization of economy, increase of competitiveness of Kazakhstan.

According to programs of Kazakhstan development of energy savings technologies, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications makes an active work to raise the research quality, engineering education and vocational education and training [3].

The science laboratory of power supply and renewable energy sources with the remote function experiment was created. In this laboratory used technologies of deleted experiments. The connection of research modules to the global network Internet will give an opportunity in solving tasks by carrying out of real experiments on real devices in condition of individual means of distance guidance experiment.

The realization of laboratory practical works during the study courses of bachelor and master programs, gives assistance in organization of students’ science research works, to obtain the knowledge of laboratory competence, to have deeper understanding of the main physical, technical factors related to energy.

Learning engineering skills in this ICT-based fashion, students not only would acquire up- to-date engineering knowledge, they will also learn to cooperate with each other and build new infrastructures with many people on the Internet.

ICT- enabled engineering culture may engage students in the engineering process of industrial strength products or services. The future of engineering education should further embrace these ICT-enabled learning opportunities.

References

1. UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE). The Use of ICTs in Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Moscow, 2003.

2. UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE). ICTs for new engineering education. Moscow, 2011.

3. Jamankulova N.O. Educational computer technologies in engineering training. New information technologies in education. Materials of the 7th Almaty International scientifically-practical conference. Almaty, September 16, 2006, p. 128.