Abstract:

Project-based learning is more than 100 years old. It is both a way to master education content in students’ self-study activities and the means of developing students' creativity, independence and innovative ability. Project education is a modern strategy for the development of science and education at universities, were project method acquires a new quality, combining project education with professional project activities. However, as our initial research showed, a significant proportion of academic staff does not participate in project activities, and sometimes does not have project literacy. The solution to this problem at the university is the introduction of a multifaceted model of preparing the academic staff for project activities. The purpose of this article is to present one component of the model, aimed at preparing future academic staff for project activities in education. The core of the practical implementation of the model is the development of education technology projects by doctoral students helping future specialists to master new labor activities presented in professional standards.

Pedagogical and instructional design is a transferring skill and one of the leading competencies of academic staff. Doctoral students, to be academic staff, should be proficient in educational design. The proposed model of their project skills development contributes to three components of the education process: the development of theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of pedagogical design; of individual project management competencies and teamwork competencies; doctoral students’ acquisition of personal experience in pedagogical design and their involvement in projects. The assumption was put and tested that the implementation of such a model in doctoral students’ teaching is an effective way to prepare them for education design and project-based learning. The practical implementation of the model was an education design task for 98 doctorial students from 65 areas of study. The task was given on the course “Theory and methods of professional education”. The process and results of doctoral students\s training for project activities were studied by means of documentation (discipline program and project documents) analysis, observation, survey methods. The results were interpreted as readiness for project activities being a four-coordinate characteristic (design knowledge and skills; pedagogical design knowledge and skills; project management knowledge and skills; team working skills). It was assessed according to both: doctoral students’ readiness for project activities criteria and ready project quality characteristics. It was proved that the doctoral students' readiness for project activities has substantially increased in the process of education project-based learning.

Keywords:

Project-based learning, pedagogical design, instructionaldesign, project management, teamwork, graduate students, university teachers.