Obukhova Y.D.

SHEI “National Mining University”, Ukraine

Information support and computer modeling of curricula

Let us consider the process of curriculum development as the process of development of innovation in general. The heterogeneity of participants in innovative processes and the diversity of their functions make the task of informational support of educational activities complex and multifaceted. Therefore, the most important condition for its successful solution is a clear understanding of the structure and content of its sub-tasks.

In the most general view two components can be distinguished in this problem:

1. Actually information support of innovative activity. The participants of innovation processes must have the necessary information resources to effectively solve the problems facing them. These resources is kind of "raw material" from which, through adequate processing, it is possible to obtain new data and knowledge necessary for the justified choice and implementation of current solutions on managing innovation processes. Such basic information resources include:

· various databases containing information on participants in innovation processes and innovation resources;

· web resources for innovations, providing convenient hypermedia remote access to data;

· telecommunication resources, that provide abstraction from the territorial binding of subjects and innovation resources.

2. Methodological support of innovation activity, which is an arsenal of various methods and tools of targeted processing of "raw" data. Methodological support is mainly made up of decision support methods and tools, as well as automation tools for individual elements of innovation processes:

· decision support methods and tools;

· forecasting models and methods;

· logistics methods;

· methods and tools of automation of various elements of innovative processes (automated search of partners for the implementation of educational projects, methods of integrating semantically diverse information resources, etc.).

In accordance with this the problem of information support of innovations includes several aspects:

· creation of information resources of innovations – databases and other resources related to innovation;

· creation of tools of information support of innovative management, primarily decision support tools based on modeling of innovation processes;

· creation of an information infrastructure of innovation that provides the formation of problem-oriented groups of information resources designed to support a single innovation structure within the framework of an innovative project.

Computer modeling of innovative educational processes allows us to examine the behavior of the educational system, which is the environment for the development of educational programs, from the inside. It is necessary to have an integral and comprehensive understanding of the environment for the development of innovation to ensure effective management of educational processes. In order to understand and explain why specific changes in the behavior of the system occur, a comprehensive, justified approach to modeling is required, the final result of which must be an understanding of the essence of the dynamics of the system under study. This is the key paradigm of decision support systems (DSS) based on simulation (computer) modeling, namely, to provide a better understanding of the most significant properties of the problem area through an iterative process of model development and analysis.

One of aspects of informational support for curricula is the methodological support for assessing their effectiveness. A recognized approach for obtaining such assessments is to simulate the response of the education system to disturbances in the form of creating and developing new educational projects within its framework. Two groups of methods of such modeling can be distinguished. The first is made up of analytical mathematical models of various classes, the second is represented by methods one way or another based on the use of expert knowledge. A successful highly effective compromise of these groups of methods is system dynamics.

There are three main advantages and consequently the scope of modeling using the system dynamics method:

· complex, poorly formalized situations in which analytical methods can not be used, or they are so complex and time-consuming that dynamic modeling provides an easier way to solve the problem;

· modeling the behavior of systems in situations that have not previously occurred. In this case the simulation serves to pre-test new strategies of controlling the system before conducting an experiment on a real object;

· modeling situations, the observation of which is complicated by the long duration of their development or vice versa, when it is necessary to monitor the development of the situation by accelerating or slowing down the phenomena during the simulation.

Thus, we can state a great potential in the applying of the method and technologies of system dynamics to the problem of modeling the development of curricula in educational systems characterized by complexity, novelty of situations and a long duration of development.