International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET)

(IJM
Volume 9, Issue 12, December 2018,
201 pp. 71–82, Article ID: IJMET_09_12_009
Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/ijmet/issues.asp?JType=IJMET&VType=9&IType=12
ISSN Print: 0976-6340
6340 and ISSN Online: 0976-6359
0976

© IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed

INDIVIDUALIZED RESEARCH TRAINING OF

ENGINEERING STUDENTS
Oksana Olegovna Gorshkova
Tyumen Industrial
ndustrial University,
University 38, Volodarskogo ul., Tyumen, 625000,
625000 Russia

ABSTRACT
The specificity of engineering activity, the introduction of the competence-based
competence
approach, educational and professional standards into engineering education
drastically change ways of teaching students and determine the need for an
educational model focused on preparing undergraduates for research activities. The
problem under study iss relevant due to the existing discrepancy between social needs
for competent engineering personnel ready for research activities and the insufficient
development of theoretical and methodological aspects of a student's student research
training. This article aims to solve the problem of developing and implementing a
functional model of students' research training in the context of competence-oriented
competence
engineering education that defines the content of innovative didactics and ensures the
achievementt of objectives in the field of engineering education. The article presents
the research training of engineering students based on the implementation of the
functional model, determines the criteria and indicators of students' readiness for
research activities. The authors describe stages of the experiment they conducted.
conducted The
effectiveness of the functional model is proved by the experiment results.
results
Keywords: Research Training, Readiness For Research Activities, Engineering
Education, Functional Model.

Cite this Article: Oksana Olegovna Gorshkova, Individualized Research Training of

Engineering Students, International
International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and
Technology, 9(12), 2018, pp. 71–82.
http://www.iaeme.com/ijmet/issues.asp?JType=IJMET&VType=9&IType=12

1. INTRODUCTION
The rapid intellectualization of productive forces reflects the global trend of increasing the
share of research in different types of human activity. A modern professional should be able
to find and use new scientific data, conduct a survey, address all modern sources of
information, fully understand, theoretically substantiate and solve professional problems in an
independent, quick and efficient manner.
manner
Scientific-technical
technical progress changes the nature of the human operation and creates
favorable conditions
tions for the development
developm of their research competences es and the formation of a

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IJMET/index.asp 71 editor@iaeme.com
 Oksana Olegovna Gorshkova

person capable of combining research, project and business activities [1]. Institutions of
higher education are no longer required to simply introduce research methods into the
educational process but to focus on the formation and development of research activities.
Higher education should prepare students to act in unforeseen professional, organizational
and other problem situations [2]. The vital component of the innovative educational process is
a student's research activity that is accompanied by fundamental changes of university
requirements, the adoption of qualitative criteria for evaluating educational effectiveness, the
enhanced role of self-education in a person's competence-based development.
The ability to analyze problems and find a technically adequate solution to them is
essential for professional success and career growth of a modern engineer. An engineer's
activity relates to the invention, creation of projects, designing and forecasting of operational
perspectives, technical calculation and patent research, therefore research training of
engineering students is crucial.

2. METHODS
Theoretical (the study, analysis and synthesis of the pedagogical, social, engineering and
economic literature on the problem under consideration; the analysis of the research subject;
the modelling of the educational process; the generalization of research results); empirical
(the study of regulatory documents, observation, interviews, testing, self-assessment,
documentation analysis, the study of human artifacts, pedagogical design); experimental
(pedagogical experiment, the statistical analysis of results).

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1. The potential of Federal State Educational Standards of Higher Education in
the formation of a student's readiness for research activity
Bringing innovative transformations into engineering education, Federal Educational
Standards of Higher Education contribute to its student-centered development and determine
mandatory components of research training of engineering students:
• The self-development orientation of education that expands academic freedoms of an
engineering university in forming its own content of education (interdisciplinary integration)
and organizing an innovative educational environment;
• The systemic interrelation of general and professional competences that implies a transition
from knowledge orientation to methods of activity in determining the content of education;
• The introduction of the activity-based approach to balance the mastery of academic disciplines
and the development of practical skills in research activities;
• Strengthening the responsibility of universities for molding a student's personality, their
spiritual, moral and intellectual potential, readiness for active professional (including research)
activities;
• The consideration of international trends in the development of higher education: the system
of credits, layered learning, the increased mobility of students and teachers, experience
exchange;
• The use of active and interactive learning technologies that provide a high level of creativity
and independence;
• The mastering of new educational technologies, methods, organizational forms and evaluation
tools by teaching staff;

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 Individualized Research Training of Engineering Students

• Changing requirements for the quality of educational and methodological materials used in the
educational process and their modernization;
• The introduction of a student's research activity as a mandatory component of the basic
professional training program; the use of some research activities in the implementation of
graduate qualification works; the formation of scientific communities among students;
• The interaction with employers to expand the possibilities of education;
• The orientation of educational internship on the professional and practical training of students;
the performance of research tasks during internship;
• The development of elective courses and their introduction into the educational process;
• The development of effective evaluation tools and methods; and the system of independent
estimations of education quality [3].
While analyzing the existing educational standards, we have revealed some provisions
that are omitted in these documents but are necessary for the formation of a competitive
graduate: the mandatory compliance of Federal State Educational Standards with professional
standards; the consideration of integration processes; the inclusion of special courses focused
on the implementation of projects and cross-cutting research tasks into elective education;
collaboration with basic enterprises and the conclusion of agreements on the target
preparation of students; the introduction of virtual laboratory work providing access to unique
and closed processes, technologies and equipment into the educational process. It should be
noted that the current standards lack provisions on the development of students' self-
government, the formation of scientific communities and the obligation to use active and
interactive forms in the learning process, which is vital for teaching engineering students,
improving their creativity and readiness for research activity in modern conditions.
At the same time, we can conclude that the potential of Federal State Educational
Standards of Higher Education contributes to the development of student-centered education,
provides a technological organization of the educational process and aims to prepare students
for research activities.
The analysis of Federal State Educational Standards of Higher Education demonstrates
that the set of competences embodied in these documents represents a huge integrative
potential since they let move from objective differentiation to interdisciplinary integration and
characterize the level of formed competences. After considering features of modern
production, requirements for a graduate engineer, the structure and content of engineering and
research activity, we have concluded that the competences described in Federal State
Educational Standards of Higher Education do not take into account that an engineer should
have value orientations of research activities, understand their nature and significance in the
general structure of engineering work for the effective implementation of research. An
engineer should be able to effectively use the formed generalized orienting points of research
activity when conducting an interdisciplinary study. These experts should be prepared to
fulfill a creative survey and contribute to the successful solution of production problems. It is
necessary to expand the set of competences that encourage the effective preparation of
students for research activities and introduce additional specialized competences:
• An engineer's ability to understand the nature and value of research activities in the general
structure of engineering activities, its importance for professional self-realization, importance
of having a system of value orientations common to research activities and being motivated to
conduct research activities (Specialized Competence 1);
• Readiness to effectively use the formed generalized orienting points of research activity when
conducting an interdisciplinary study (Specialized Competence 2);

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 Oksana Olegovna Gorshkova

• Creativity in the engineering profession based on one's mental and practical reflection
(Specialized Competence 3) [4].
Thus, the preparation for research activities is the basis for forming a system of general
cultural, general professional and specialized professional competences which meet modern
requirements for the quality of engineering education, namely, the preparation of a
competitive graduate. The introduction of Federal State Educational Standards of Higher
Education into engineering education requires the transformation of its entire system and the
revision of its didactic materials.
The analysis of professional standards, engineering activities, the complex of general
cultural and professional competences has proved that all components of an engineer's activity
are research-oriented. Their labor functions together with the necessary skills have a research
element (orientation) and determine the need to prepare engineering students.

3.2. The methodological foundation of preparing engineering students for

research activities
We solve the problem of preparing engineering students for research activities from the
viewpoint of the competence-based approach. It interacts with traditional approaches
(axiological, values-motivational, synergistic, integrative, activity-based, contextual), makes
fundamental changes of the learning process (strengthens the practical and instrumental
orientation of engineering education) and creates optimal conditions for preparing students for
research activities [5]. Specifying the competence-based approach and being used along with
it, methodological principles (continuity, integration, unified educational system, practice
orientation, the intensification of education, creativity and activity, reflexivity) represent the
methodological basis of a new concept. The competence-based approach and methodological
principles require revising the objectives, content and methods of teaching engineering
students, which is possible if the management system of universities changes, in particular,
the quality management of education focused on preparing students for research activities.

3.3. The process of research training of engineering students

The research training of students realizes the following basic principles: the program-oriented
approach to management (systematic monitoring of students' readiness for research activities);
the organization of a development environment at higher educational institutions providing
for motivation, interaction and joint activity of all actors united by learning environment; the
integration of education and research at all levels of the educational process; the revised
content of engineering education, the development of practice-oriented methods, special
forms and means of students' activities; the consideration of employers' requirements and
professional standards based on the partnership with basic enterprises; a student's involvement
into the co-managing of education quality during their self-organization and research training;
the criteriality and diagnosability of results [4].
We have concluded that the development of an educational environment in an engineering
university is the mandatory condition for creating innovative didactics focused on preparing
students for research activities. We also took into account employers' requirements for the
preparation of a graduate characterized by an individual and productive engineering style. We
considered a development environment as competence-oriented space creating optimal
conditions for education in an engineering university in the process of preparing students for
research activities, namely, providing targeted, meaningful, operational, effective and
resource aspects.

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 Individualized Research Training of Engineering Students

We have also determined that the creation of a development educational environment

requires:
• A student's targeted orientation to research and development;
• The integration of education and research at all levels of the educational process;
• The transformation of educational content, development of new methodological materials and
improvement of the existing ones; the change of educational organizational and technological
foundations (the development of practice-oriented methods, special forms and means of
extracurricular activities; information technologies; the system of tasks and projects,
traditional and interactive forms and methods; a student's self-monitoring and self-
assessment);
• The organization of interactions and joint activities of all actors (teachers, university staff,
representatives of basic enterprises, students) united by a common educational environment
(in the process of theoretical, industrial and practical training, independent and research
work);
• The formation of partnership among universities, scientific organizations and enterprises.
Engineering universities use the resource model of the network implementation of the basic
professional training program and conclude agreements on complex cooperation with partner
enterprises on its basis. This system enables the targeted distribution of graduates, involves
representatives of enterprises in the process of research training (the development and
adjustment of the basic professional training program, internship programs, assessment tools,
research tasks, the defense of research, course projects, graduate qualification works);
internship; field laboratory and practical work; internship for teachers; the monitoring of
graduates' demand and the analysis of their activities, etc.);
• The provision of the personal and professional student's development, their involvement in the
co-managing of education quality during their self-organization and preparation for research
activities (increasing the share of independent work and renouncing reproductive methods).
Students master the modern culture of self-organization in the educational process and self-
regulation of preparing for research activities.
We have proved that there is no universal student's preparation for research activities,
which is due to their personal abilities, individual characteristics and the level of training. We
identified the basic level (necessary for all students according to the requirements of
educational standards) and the highest level (for students oriented to research activities)
(Figure 1).

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 Oksana Olegovna Gorshkova

Federal State Educational

Requirements of employers Professional standards Specifics of modern production
Standard of Higher Education

RESEARCH TRAINING

The basic level of readiness for research activities The high level of readiness for research activities

Production jobs at research institutions, scientific-

Production job research design institutions, engineering offices

Conventional thinking Unconventional thinking

The ability to solve research problems in the The ability to fulfill fundamental, application,
course of engineering activities theoretical and experimental tasks

Figure 1. Levels of preparation for research activities

A student's preparation required the individual approach: the most talented students
worked with personal consultants and learned in accordance with individual paths. Students
actively participated in the work of initiative groups (group and individual projects), contests
and conferences ("New Technologies of Fuel-and-Energy Companies", research contests
entitled "CIS", "The Golden Future of Ugra", etc.) [4].
The research training in an engineering university realizes the functional model of
preparing students for research activities that is the basis of innovative didactics and includes
targeted, motivational, informative, activity-based, control and performance components.
Leaders of the working group coordinated structural university units and teaching staff
and formed a team of associates for implementing the functional model. In the course of
interactions, they approved the common strategy and principles of preparing students for
research activities. In particular, they organized advanced training courses (additional
education centers), seminars, individual consultations and round-table discussions.
While developing substantial components of education, the team has:
• Structured the content of education;
• Implemented the interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary integration of disciplines, which
unified teachers of different disciplines, adjusted the content of programs, lectures, laboratory
work and internship;
• Coordinated the sequence and methods of solving general research and cross-cutting research
tasks. Students mastered the methods of research activity gradually and systematically,
acquired individual research experience, analyzed the indicative basis of any given actions.
The pedagogical management encouraged communication, active cooperation of students and
provided them with pedagogical support in order to form sustainable motivation for research
activities;
• Determined the possibilities of basic disciplines and made possible changes to their content
(special workshops "Methods for solving non-standard research problems of engineering",

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 Individualized Research Training of Engineering Students

"The culture of research", "Methods of mathematical statistics in engineering research",

"Creativity in the engineering profession", "Heuristic research methods", etc.);
• Altered the elective part of the curriculum and introduced the following specialized courses:
"Fundamentals of research methods", "Professional self-determination", "Fundamentals of the
engineer's research activities" that emphasized the educational process as a process of
productive cognition and mastering of research activities along with basic disciplines;
• Included tasks (developed together with representatives of enterprises) aimed at solving
production problems into internship programs and developed the corresponding
methodological materials;
• Altered discipline programs.
The system of motivators maintained the conscious acceptance and realization of research
goals, harmonized the interests of participants of the educational process and established
partnering relationships between teachers and students based on the adoption of common
objectives. During the educational process, special attention is paid to the understanding of
research experience (group discussions after internship, meetings with representatives of
enterprises, role-playing and business games, completed projects, etc., with an emphasis on
social and personal importance, goals and results of activities) that aims to immerse students
into the process of self-knowledge, self-observation, self- and mutual evaluation. We also
used diagnostic techniques to determine the role of students in the process of research
activities.
We have proved that interactive technologies ([6-8], etc.) contribute to enhancing
students' cognitive and research activities; ensuring a high level of problem tasks (students'
inclusion into the process of solving problem tasks [9, 10], etc.). The following forms are
used: discussion (dialogue, debates, the analysis of situations from practical experience, the
analysis of other situations, etc.); game (didactic and creative games, including business
(managerial), role-playing, organizational and activity games); training; interactive activity-
based ("the clash of different ideas", "the development of proposals", "imitating real
engineering activity", "the method of falsification"). The intensification of a student's research
activity relates to the formation of a new experience proceeding from its theoretical
understanding to application, with problem tasks included in the process.
To turn a usual lecture into a visual research process that demonstrates the dialectics of
cognition, including the identification of contradictions and search for ways to resolve them;
the selection and presentation of solutions that deserve attention; the forecasting of possible
risks caused by the solution of some research problem, the following tools are used: problem-
based lectures (a lecture-visualization, a paired lecture, a lecture with planned mistakes),
inverse lectures, lectures-disputes, etc. The problem-based presentation of lecture materials
contributes to the improvement of students' scientific thinking, the development of the
necessary methodological knowledge and the formation of research methods.
The preparation for research activities is based on a student's working practice which
imitates real research activities and professional situations. Laboratory work and internship
realize the principle of co-creation and joint research of students and teachers, classes are
formed according to the contextual type [11]. Students see the increasing complexity of tasks
(tasks of Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 with different points in the ranking) and experience
positive emotions when achieving success. Initially, laboratory work is carried out in
conformity with ready-made reference cards indicating methods for completing any given
task. Then students get the same reference cards that are partially filled, undergraduates
should complete the work on their own and present the result. While working with reference
cards, students learn to use minimized content and independently search for the necessary
information. This organization of classes forms a generalized way of conducting research

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 Oksana Olegovna Gorshkova

activities among students. Field laboratory work contributes to the development of a student's
readiness for research activities [4].
While performing laboratory and practical tasks, students develop research skills, which is
also facilitated by the network form of interaction with representatives of basic enterprises;
the use of electronic (network) educational resources to observe the processes under study,
put forward hypotheses, collect research materials, model objects and processes, and find
optimal solutions. The functional model uses the Educon electronic system for supporting the
educational process (develops electronic academic and methodological complexes; virtual
laboratory and practical work, presentations on drilling mud preparation, technological
processes automation, oil-field equipment, etc.; excursions covering drilling processes, oil
production, well workover, the application of telemetry equipment, etc.; creates a system of
classroom and extracurricular tasks, the certification of students; provides access to
professionally relevant information (lectures, presentations), electronic library systems, open
educational resources; ensures communication between teachers and students (consultations,
reviews); encourages multimedia complexes (created by teachers and students for every
discipline). This differentiation increases the efficiency of the educational process by
expanding a student's virtual presence in enterprises and laboratories, as well as giving them
access to the remote observation of unique technological processes proceeding in real-time
mode.
Independent work ensures the assimilation of research experience and its content,
contributes to the student's self-realization, self-organization and self-development. A
significant role is assigned to a specially developed system of tasks made in the classroom
(laboratory and practical work), in the course of extracurricular activities (field laboratory
work, independent work) or through network interaction in the Educon system. Students
develop ways to solve research problems in the following stages: they initially use
informative and receptive methods; then students learn methods of practical activity and
repeatedly apply them in similar situations to improve skills and abilities. To acquire the
experience of the creative activity, students face new problems and turn their action into an
internal (mental) form.
In this case, particular attention is paid to the didactics of solving research tasks: setting a
problem, evaluating its specified conditions, determining the desired result, planning research
(search for ideas), selecting research methods, defining the structure of actions, verifying and
evaluating the results obtained (reflection).
The implementation of projects is among the effective means of developing a student's
readiness for research activities. In the framework of project activities, first-year and
sophomore students prepare basic-level projects to get essential knowledge, form general
cultural (the organization and self-organization of project activities, methods of working on a
project, the culture of presenting results, the presentation of the results obtained in accordance
with regulatory requirements), professional and specialized competences [5].
High-level projects (student research projects, course projects, graduate qualification
works) make students seek, analyze and systematize new information, and require more time
for their preparation, therefore they are performed out-of-class. To carry out such projects,
departments create special initiative groups ("Oil and gas engineering", "Automobile
economy", etc.). The implementation of creative tasks and projects is evaluated at
conferences, seminars and round-table discussions together with representatives of basic
enterprises. It is important to use complex research projects and cross-cutting research tasks
for preparing course papers and graduate qualification works (the topics of these research
projects relate to the research activity of certain departments and specific production

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 Individualized Research Training of Engineering Students

requests). Graduate qualification works accumulate all the research experience acquired by
students, which reflects the quality of such a scientific work [5].
While organizing and conducting an internship, teachers use tasks oriented at solving real
production problems, which help students to master research methods. The organization of
educational internship (first year) assumes the development of empirical research methods
(observation, conversation, the generalization of results, minute taking, etc.), analysis and
comparison operations. The first industrial placement (second year) includes the study of the
research engineering experience of enterprise employees, the development of measures to
implement internship programs and the solution of real research problems. The second
industrial placement (third year) implies the organized student's work on the research topic,
which teaches them to fulfill research tasks in a manufacturing environment. During the
internship, students perform certain tasks as agreed with their employers. The immersion into
practical assignments involves the implementation of research engineering activities. As a
result, 83% of the topics of students' graduate qualification works were associated with their
research conducted during the internship period.
This model was characterized by the creation of a student's portfolio that reflected the
dynamics of their development and presented the results of different activities. In general, a
student's portfolio is a tool for self-presentation, self-organization, self-development and
reflection.
The controlling and resulting component involves a teacher's control over the formation of
students' readiness for research activities and, if necessary, its adjustment, as well as a
student's self-control that gradually increases. As a result, a student's self-control becomes
more conscious and strong-willed, while their research activity grows more reasonable. To
conduct effective self-analysis, self-control and self-assessment of research activities and their
results, students should do as follows: learn criteria for the effectiveness of research activities,
methods of control and self-control (questionnaire, testing, ranking, self-assessment,
observation); form skills of analyzing and evaluating their own actions; get access to rating
indicators. The peculiarity of monitoring and evaluation in the above-mentioned model is as
follows: various forms of intermediate and current control (the Educon system); opportunities
to choose a suitable form of the final report on the results of activities; the use of pedagogical
diagnostics that can predict possible deviations and make the necessary changes.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model, it is necessary to select adequate
criteria and indicators. We have distinguished the following components of an engineering
student's readiness for research activities: cognitive, personal and activity-based. All the
criteria of readiness are assessed on a four-level scale where the highest level is typical of the
most gifted students. The combined assessment considers the different formation of each
criterion [12].

3.4. The organization and results of the experiment conducted

The objective of the experiment was achieved twice: 1) during a four-year experiment on
testing model elements in the Surgut branch of Tyumen Industrial University, Surgut State
University and Surgut State Pedagogical University; 2) during the main experiment on
implementing a model for preparing engineering students for research activities. The total
number of participants involved in the experiment amounted to 1,520 people, including 1,390
students and 130 teachers. The main experiment was conducted in three stages: specifying,
forming and generalizing [12].
The specifying stage aimed to evaluate the readiness of first-year students and graduates
for research activities (at the beginning of the experiment). We used the following methods:
questionnaire, testing, ranking, the analysis of students' works, tasks, self-assessment,

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 Oksana Olegovna Gorshkova

observation, expert evaluations, etc. The experiment results were recorded in individual
sheets. The readiness of the graduates taken part in the experiment was low and reflected the
results of traditional vocational training at universities.
The forming stage was to prove the pedagogical expediency of introducing the functional
model of the student's preparation for research activities (experimental groups formed by
students of the Surgut branch of Tyumen State University). The control groups (students of
Surgut State University) were trained according to the traditional program. At the end of each
academic year, we conducted controlled testing to determine intermediate results.
The generalizing stage of the experiment aimed to assess the effectiveness of the
functional model by identifying the dynamic formation of students' readiness for research
activities (Table 1) and analyzing the results obtained.

Table 1 The dynamic formation of students' readiness for research activities at the forming stage
of the experiment, %
Personal components Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4
Motivational Expe- Control Expe- Control Expe- Control Expe- Control
riment group rimen- group rimen- group rimen- group
al tal tal tal
group group group group
Highest 0 0 3 0 3 1 3 1
High 0 0 27 2 37 3 45 9
Average 5 2 25 10 28 15 40 26
Low 53 38 30 58 29 61 10 54
Zero 42 60 15 30 3 20 2 10
Reflexive
Highest 0 0 3 0 3 1 3 1
High 0 0 27 2 37 3 45 9
Average 5 2 25 10 28 15 40 26
Low 53 38 30 58 29 61 10 54
Zero 42 60 15 30 3 20 2 10
Cognitive
Highest 0 0 3 0 3 1 3 1
High 1 0 25 4 38 7 50 19
Average 4 2 25 18 32 25 40 38
Low 52 36 30 48 24 50 7 40
Zero 43 62 17 30 3 17 0 2
Activity-based
Highest 0 0 3 0 3 1 3 1
High 0 0 26 1 42 1 49 9
Average 5 2 27 20 35 30 40 43
Low 55 28 29 39 15 48 7 44
Zero 40 70 15 40 5 20 1 3
At each stage of the experiment, we analyzed the results, compiled analytical tables and
histograms to track dynamic changes caused by the targeted impact on research training, as
well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the functional model under consideration. Changes in
the experimental groups were stable in all their components. Positive shifts in the control
groups meant that within the framework of traditional education students became more
prepared for research activities as they gained experience in academic and research work, but
the process was not intensive enough.

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 Individualized Research Training of Engineering Students

While comparing initial indicators and results of the combined assessment of readiness in
the experimental groups, we have revealed statistically important differences (Table 2).
However, changes in the control groups are not so significant.

Table 2 The combined assessment of readiness for research activities, %

The combined level of students' Experimental groups Control groups
readiness Initial Experimental Initial Experimental
indicators results indicators results
Not formed (Level 0) 95 1 94 6
Low (Level 0-1) 4 4 5 20
Below average (Level 2-3) 1 4 1 26
Average (Level 4-5) 0 40 0 32
Above average (Level 6-7) 0 31 0 10
High (Level 8-9) 0 20 0 6
χ2 172.8 79
The reliability of the above-mentioned results was confirmed by statistical analysis in
conformity with the criteria of mathematical statistics: Pearson's chi-square test. Due to the
implementation of the functional model, students of the experimental groups showed
statistically significant changes in the levels of their readiness for research activities. In
addition, these differences are crucial in comparison with the results of the control groups.

4. CONCLUSION
We have proved that the current development of engineering education faces the problem of
preparing students for research activities, requires new goals and objectives, as well as
conceptual foundations of educational activities. We also determined that engineering activity
has a research orientation since it enables engineers to interact with the world as actors and
change it.
Research training (as a mandatory component of Federal State Educational Standards of
Higher Education) guarantees a values-based attitude to research; the ability to identify
insufficient information and acquire new knowledge to solve research engineering problems
at the activity level; the ability to plan and conduct research, collect data, process them and
interpret results.
We have developed and implemented a new functional model of preparing engineering
students for research activity that is the basis of innovative didactics of an engineering
university. The results obtained during the experimental testing of the above-mentioned
functional model confirmed the assumption that its introduction contributes to the
development of creativity, motivation, values-based attitude to research, readiness for active
participation in innovative engineering processes, ability to develop new ideas, solve research
and production tasks, and come to non-standard solutions.

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