Abstract:

Relevance:
Future specialists in “Light industry materials science” are trained to develop textile composites with new properties. Students study the compounds and coatings that can improve certain properties (water resistance, strength, fire resistance, etc.). However, they do not have enough experience in solving enterprises problems of mutually influencing properties prediction. Kazan National Research Technological University (KNRTU) is the coordinator of "Textile and Light Industry" technological platform in Russia. KNRTU and industry specialists carry out joint R&D including the prediction of textile composites properties. It is relevant to develop the students’ experiential learning through their participation in R&D projects within the university-light industry cooperation.

Objective is to form the graduates` experience in self-solution of enterprises problems within KNRTU-light industry cooperation.
Tasks:
(A) to summarize the world experience of students` participation in joint university-industry projects;
(B) to develop an organizational model for students` training with their participation in R&D for predicting the properties of composites;
(C) to present the results of students` self-scoring on their readiness to self-solve industrial problems.

Methodology:
(A) A retrospective analysis and generalization of the results of involving university students in solving the industrial problems were carried out.
Materials: scientific papers on the research problem.
(B) Logical-analytical methods and modeling were used to develop a model of cooperation between light industry enterprises and KNRTU students.
Materials: technological platform and enterprises data, the Master’s program in “Light industry materials science”.
(C) Empirical study was carried out - students’ self-scoring results (Likert scale responses) were obtained:
(1) before the implementation of R&D projects in students training;
(2) after students’ participation in R&D within the university-industry cooperation.
The Likert scale statements are: “I know the complex of properties of modern textile composites”, “I know how to change the properties of composites,” “I am able to predict the properties of materials by myself,” “I am ready to make new materials with specified properties by myself,” etc.

Results:
(A) The expediency of experiential learning when graduate students solve industrial problems has been studied.
(B) An organizational model of university-light industry enterprises cooperation was developed. The functions of the student's tutors (university tutor and enterprise tutor) were determined. The role of R&D in the Master`s program was shown.
(C) The histograms of students’ self-scoring results are obtained. Before implementing R&D projects, the most of students (64%) answered “strongly disagree” and “disagree” to the statements about their readiness to predict the properties of textile composites by themselves. After R&D implementation the majority of students (72%) answered “agree” and “strongly agree” on the same statements.

Conclusion:
The implementation of R&D projects by graduates within the university-industry cooperation is a form of experiential learning and contributes to the acquisition of actual experience. The research results will be useful to universities which are interested in students` participation in projects within university-industry cooperation.

Keywords:

University-industry cooperation, experiential learning, light industry enterprises, graduate students, R&D, organizational model, Likert scale