The situation problem solving method in the practice of forming universal competencies of engineering students

The problem of high-quality education for engineering and IT students should be regularly reviewed and kept up-to-date in conditions of the current political and socio-economic situation. To meet the demands of the labor market, engineering and IT students should possess not only subject-specific competencies but also universal (non-subject) competencies that make it easier to navigate different life situations, to communicate effectively, to work in a team, to think critically, etc. Therefore, it becomes important to introduce practice-focused learning technologies and methods into the educational process in order to develop universal competencies. The purpose of the article is to summarize the pedagogical experience in integrating the situational problem solving method (case method) into the educational process and to identify its advantages and limitations. The study is based on the empirical experience of application of the situational problem solving method (case method) in the educational process at the Faculty of Innovative Technologies of Tomsk State University within the subject “Professional Communication in English”. In the paper, the authors rely on the principles of system-activity and competency-based approaches. The experimental use of the situational problem solving method (case method) in the process of teaching English for professional purposes proved not only the great interest of students in this type of creative work, but also the importance of using this method in the educational process. This method contributes to the development of students’ critical thinking, their ability to apply knowledge in new situations, and the development of students’ creativity and intellectual abilities. Presenting the results of solving cases in a foreign language is an important tool for the formation of communicative competence necessary for students in their future professional activities. However, the situational problem solving method has a number of limitations related mainly to the procedural issues of its application in the educational process. The authors conclude that the integration of the situational problem solving method into the educational process contributes to the development of universal competencies of engineering and IT students and can be applied as a type of pedagogical practice within the subjects of the existing educational programs without introduction of extra special courses for the development of such competencies.

competence-based approach, universal competencies, case method, situational problem solving method, students