Specifics of humanitarization of engineering education: analysis of engineering students' perceptions and requests

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the research is conditioned by the need to intensify the processes of humanitarization of engineering education due to the increasing importance of social aspects of technological innovations in the situation of aggravating challenges of the high-tech world. The purpose of the study is to analyze the perceptions and requests of engineering students regarding the significance and demand for humanitarian training in engineering education. Research methods. The empirical study was conducted on the basis of Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU). 218 students of engineering and IT specialties participated in the survey, questionnaire and associative experiment. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results of the study. The conducted research has shown that the overwhelming majority of respondents (80.5%) have a generally positive attitude towards the category and concept of humanization of engineering education, with the level of enquiry and interest of second year students (89%) being higher than that of first year students (69%). The associative method also reveals generally positive connotations to the image and idea of humanizing the educational process. The ethics course is seen as a separate subject or discipline by 21% of respondents, the majority of students (57%) regard it as an optional course and 11.5% of respondents consider it appropriate to include it as a separate module or thematic section in existing courses. The demand for the inclusion of new ethics courses and modules in the organization of engineering education has been identified. Conclusion. The obtained results can be used as a basis for adjusting training programmes for engineering and IT specialties. Considering the identified certain problematic aspects and shortcomings in students' humanitarian training, it is necessary to expand the segment of courses focused on mastering the tools of ethical regulation in future professional activity. Using the potential of humanities helps to improve the level of general cultural and personal competences and forms specialists of a new format confidently aspiring to the future.