THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ INNOVATIVE THINKING BY THE MEANS OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Пак В.В.¹, Мельникова Т.Н.², Федин С.В.³, Жданович С.А.⁴

¹Ассистент; ²старший преподаватель; ³студент; ⁴студент, Томский политехнический университет

«Работа выполнена за счет средств субсидии в рамках реализации Программы повышения конкурентоспособности ТПУ»

РАЗВИТИЕ ИННОВАЦИОННОГО МЫШЛЕНИЯ СТУДЕНТОВ ТЕХНИЧЕСКОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА ПОСРЕДСТВОМ ПРОЕКТНОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ

Аннотация

В статье представлены примеры организации проектной деятельности студентов. Показаны возможности развития инновационного мышления студентов в минигруппах.

Ключевые слова: инновационное мышление, проектная деятельность. 

Pak V.V.¹, Melnikova T.N.², Fedin S.³, Zdanovich S.A.⁴

¹Teaching assistant; ²teacher; ³student; ⁴student, Tomsk Polytechnic University

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ INNOVATIVE THINKING BY THE MEANS OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Abstract

This article presents examples of students’ project activities. It shows the possibilities of developing innovative thinking in mini-groups of students.

Keywords: innovative thinking, project activities.

As the production in the hi-tech sphere develops, it needs more and more engineers who can develop new and optimize developed innovations as well as promote their production and be able to manage the process of production itself. Nowadays, undergraduate students demanded to be able to assess market prospects, organize research work, producing and promoting the innovation. Students who have the listed skills would have the innovative thinking by definition of A.P. Usoltsev and T.N. Shamalo given in [1]. Thus, developing of innovative thinking in students should be one of the priorities of technical education.

Physics the way it is taught in technical university is the main basis needed to continue broadening the knowledge of special subjects. The traditional process of teaching Physics includes lections, laboratory classes and practical exercises with the analysis and solution of problems. This standard model firstly presupposes transferring teacher’s knowledge to student. Laboratory work is performed according with the methodological guidelines detailing the progress of work. Students deal with the standard problems in details on a practical training. They independently solve problems similar to those that were discussed in the classroom. This approach does not encourage students’ activity and the development of innovative, creative thinking. We create mini-groups of students to implement the new model. The process of communication in groups stimulates exchange of knowledge and opinions [2]. Students willingly learn from each other and receive support in problematic situations. Every group member is responsible for the work done, not only to themselves and the teacher, but also to the collective of mini-group. Innovations are always connected with brain work and creation, therefore this type of thinking allows students to gain emotional experience of considering and understanding each other’s moral values.  The process consists of the formation of ideas, which are based on the typical problems of the analysis of problem situations, finding solutions, creating an experimental model and implementation of this model in practice. These are the main steps of students’ cooperate work [3].

In this work students constructed entertaining and demonstrative installations that illustrate some of the electromagnetic phenomena. These developments may serve to visualize the material taught at the university. In view of the fact that the installations are simple and the experiment itself takes short time, these works are perfect as a demonstration accompanying the lectures.

In this work students presented a brief historical survey, revealed the theoretical foundations of the examined physical phenomena by collecting knowledge obtained from different fields in the classroom, on their own and through the Internet, have made the experimental model and constructed the installations for carrying out the experiments [4].

One of the works presented is "Glowing cucumbers" where the passage of an electric current in the electrolyte solutions were observed.

Electrolytes are substances chemically decomposed during the passage of electric current through them. Such substances include many metals in the molten state and their alloys as well as aqueous solutions of acids, salts and bases.

In this experiment, the electrolyte is an aqueous solution of sodium chloride (NaCl) in a cucumber. The equation of the dissociation of salt into ions is the following:

Positive and negative ions are formed in the solution, therefore it conducts electricity. We need a power source, electrical wires, a pickled cucumber and a fresh cucumber, copper wire and a non-conductive stand under a cucumber for the experiment. Two segments of thick copper wire were connected by wires through a source. A cucumber was pierced by copper wire from the two sides; leaving space between the wires is required. The same was done with a pickled cucumber. With the closure of the chain, there is a bright glow from the inside of a pickled cucumber where the wires are situated. Glow accompanied by a loud hissing sound and smoke output, which has a pungent odor. Students may be asked to measure the current flowing in the "cucumber".

Another experiment is based on both the mechanical and magnetic phenomena. The first steal bead having an initial velocity has a certain impulse. When approaching the magnet, the change in magnetic potential energy contributes to changing the kinetic energy of the steel ball, and hence its speed. According to the law of conservation of momentum:

Extreme ball overcomes the force of the magnet and flies at a higher speed than the initial velocity of the ball running the reaction. Then the process is repeated cyclically.

This leads to the fact that the last ball of the system has a velocity much higher than the speed of the first bead.

You will need duct tape, steel balls, an aluminum profile and magnets for the experiment. Magnets are fixed on the aluminum profile with the tape at a certain distance from each other. Then two steel balls are placed on one side of the each magnet. We bring the steel ball to the first magnet from the opposite side of the two balls already installed. If you give the first ball initial velocity, you would observe a sharp increase of the subsequent balls velocity. This experiment is more demonstrative than calculable, but it is possible to offer the students to calculate the efficiency of the installation or the kinetic energy of the balls.

A survey conducted among students showed that all students feel the need to give demonstrations of the lecture material. Development of demonstrations for the lectures material by students is a striking example of innovative thinking.

References

1. P. Usoltsev The concept of innovative thinking / A.P. Usoltsev, T.N. Shamalo// Teacher education in Russia. –2014. –№1. – p. 94–98.
2. V. Pak Implementation of problem-oriented system of teaching physics at the technical universities / V.V. Pak // High technology, research, education, finance. — St. Petersburg: Publishing of Polytechnic University, 2013 . — p. 31-33.
3. M. Zelichenko, V.V. Larionov, V.V. Pak Joint activities of students in practical classes of physics: the formation of the physical ideas at the project level // Bulletin of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University. 2012. Part 2. P.. 147–151.
4. V. Larionov / Organization of research project work of students of technical universities and special school students, V.V. Larionov, V.V. Pak// Teaching of natural sciences, mathematics and computer science in the university and school: Materials of VI Russian scientific and practical conference with international participation, Tomsk, 28-29 Oct. 2013. - Tomsk: TGPU, 2013 - C. 114-115.