Cooperative Learning Approach to Delivering Professional Modules to Bachelor and Master Students: TPU Experience

Abstract

Modern tendencies in engineering education set certain requirements on the competences to be obtained. To enable a future engineer to work at a highly competitive level and become an internationally recognized specialist, they must possess advanced English speaking and writing skills. At present most universities introduce educational programs that attract bright domestic and international students to ensure that they are in demand at the global market. The Strategic Program on Competitiveness Enhancement of National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University proposes that modules of professional training should be developed and delivered in English as a language of instruction so that the quality of teaching could be raised. To develop their own approaches to teaching, improve their language proficiency and develop courses and their elements in English, TPU teachers are to meet these challenging requirements and design course documentation and teaching aids, and engage modern teaching approaches in order to ensure high quality work with student groups which are often mixed in their abilities in both professional subjects and language proficiency levels. This paper addresses the course "Professional Training in English" which was developed upon completion of the joint program of TPU and the University of Southampton "Delivering through the Medium of English" and has successfully been delivered to bachelor students with the major "Oil and Gas Engineering" using the cooperative learning approach. The cooperative learning approach has proved to be one of the most successful in terms of teaching professional English to groups of students with mixed abilities

Project-based Learning Case of Master Students in Russian North

“…are all subjects of vivid scholarly discussions and critical scientific investigation [19,20]. Growing interest towards project work among university students of various academic fields and levels can be acknowledged [see [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. The authors have analysed more than 50 research publications and summarized the main directions of the international academic research on projectbased learning in higher education.…”

“…To reach the aim of the present study, a whole number of specific points addressed in international academic publications have been investigated. Among them there are problems of project management, types of projects, approaches to project work, stages of project implementation, evaluation of cooperative project work, students' competence development within project-based learning, knowledge transfer in project-based learning and other features of project method use in the educational space [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. The hermeneutical analysis of academic literature on the topic, critical reflection on shared professional experience of the authors as well as their professional discussions on the related issues of projectbased learning have resulted in:…”

Professional Motivation Development In Students Of Educational Psychology: Current State, Model, Programme

“…Thus, it was found that second-, third-and fourth-year students have a tendency towards a professional activity in the form of intellectual work (tendency towards an intellectual activity). However, it was found that while most second-year students base their labour-related behaviour on motives of self-affirmation, third-and fourth-year students are guided by motives of professional excellence (Red'ko et al, 2015;Reka et al, 2015;Saltymakov & Frantcuzskaia, 2015).…”

Make and match method supported by picture media to improve students' learning activity

“…According to [2], "The cooperative learning approach is easily combined with many other approaches to teaching and learning". Slavin's cooperative learning study suggests that cooperative learning enhances interaction among students by providing them with fun activities together and establishing their basis for sharing commonalities (group membership), as well as engaging them to work together to achieve goals together [3,4].…”