Abstract:

This paper describes a research project of the design and implementation of modular education model for effective virtual environment support of technical faculty students key competences improvement that involves intentions of the University of Zilina. The research works respond to the outputs of project supported by the Nation Cultural and Education Agency (Slovakia) as an arm that guides the mission for research support of the Ministry of Education. Improving the faculty education environment, particularly those that are engineering-performing includes requirements that are effectively adopted to assess targeted goals for 21st century technical graduates’ key competences. Underlying basis of the project, the continuous improvement of the education model addresses key students career-ready competences supporting the challenges faced by the education and industry area attempting to scale up educational innovations fulfilling targets such as improving teachers high-order competences and attending to the organizational context in which improvements are to be enacted. At the core of the project’s work in the period of 2016-2018 is an implementation process to bring to scale practices that have been shown to improve support of students´ mobility achievement in three core competences: activity, innovation, cooperation. This research focused upon qualitative synthesis methods to investigate faculty experiences with modular teaching/learning concept implementation. In particular, the study used virtual education environment and an interpretive approach to synthesize findings from 9 experimental pilot students groups conducted by 7 researchers involving teachers-practitioners to modules review, students´ learning outcomes portfolio assessments and interviews with 100 faculty students with modular teaching/learning experiences. In this article, the author identifies handful research results of innovative modular concept in virtual environment that can help to achieve a goal that all graduates from technical faculty are well-prepared for further long-life learning, successful careers, and flexible adaptation in the society. First, a modular education model is built to reflect the core elements of engineering education programs and practices that have been shown to be effective in students pilot groups engaged in perspective study programs (mechatronics, electronics, autotronics). Second, modules design-cycle testing is used to allow the modules to be revised in ways that adapt it to a particular engineering learning content in specific technical skills implementing support of activity, innovation and cooperation. Third, a project researchers and education practitioners partnership is employed that strives to both take advantage of and build faculty didactics knowledge management ownership and teachers expertise. The paper explains the theories that drive this technical faculty improvement model, reviews evidence of their effectiveness to date, and suggests what it will take to make them work well. The reasons for higher performances are complex and determined by synergy of multiple factors: personal, organizational, technological; these factors have very real consequences for education improvement. Finally, the article concludes with a set of recommendations for faculty management, teachers, industry representatives and researchers to enhance the evidence base and increase the knowledge of how faculties´ success outcomes can improve over time.

Keywords:

Engineering education, student’s mobility, modular concept, virtual environment, key competences, activity, innovation, cooperation.