Abstract:

The paper is aimed at effective flexible digital educational environment for technical and technological education at technical faculties concentrated on the support of development of key competences of graduates of technical faculties by means of massive technological support directed at synergy of components of knowledge base and its integration with competences of graduates of technical study fields in an actual working environment. The main aims of the paper are related to the setting up of educational environment, the integration of the content of education and the support of effective transfer of knowledge into the actual environment of the European working market challenges. The article also responds to the outputs of the National Project "Universities as engines of development of the Knowledge Society" in the context of massive amount of active researchers who work and use knowledge and technology base for this paper. Furthermore, the study suggested to that the conceptual solution of flexible education through the design and verification of the open „online“ educational modules essentially contributes to support the development of key competences of students in the specific field of technical science.

The paper also brings the results of the current national educational agency project research of effectiveness of the modular didactic cycle with new technologies, methods and forms in student-focused concept through the processing of experimental data of the electronics study program from the period of 2016-2017. The solution of the project is directed at the main component of the educational process – the content of education and its compatibility with the technological trends in the actual working environment. The results show that digitization of the learning content and flexibility of design of educational modules with multimedia components are dominant and indicate compatibility with the trends of flexible educational environment (eContent, eLearning, eMobile, Blended Learning, Connected Learning). In addition, the results of project illustrates that even the change can be difficult, success can be attained in the most heterogeneous diversification of university education and mobility of graduates of technical universities that will contribute to increase of educational efficiency and will encourage arrival of investments to innovative entrepreneur projects and, mainly, will help Slovak firms to succeed at EU and world market by strengthening of the dominant subject which produces values – the technical field graduate with the key competences for the 21st century needs.

Finally, the article brings a summary of the benefits and a proposal to expand the areas of utilization of project findings in other educational applications and to form forecasts to improve the key competencies of students of technical faculties through technology support and innovative educational concepts. The study suggested that the modular learning strategies employed in the study were useful to promote the student critical thinking.

Keywords:

Key competences, flexibility, mobility, technology, higher education didactics.