The WHATs and HOWs of maturing computational and software engineering skills in Russian higher education institutions

ABSTRACT

Russian higher education institutions' tradition of teaching large-enrolled classes is impairing student striving for individual prominence, one-upmanship, and hopes for originality. Intending to converting these drawbacks into benefits, a Project-Centred Education Model (PCEM) has been introduced to deliver Computational Mathematics and Information Science courses. The model combines a Frontal Competitive Approach and a Project-Driven Learning (PDL) framework. The PDL framework has been developed by stating and solving three design problems: (i) enhance the diversity of project assignments on specific computation methods algorithmic approaches, (ii) balance similarity and dissimilarity of the project assignments, and (iii) develop a software assessment tool suitable for evaluating the technological maturity of students' project deliverables and thus reducing instructor's workload and possible overlook. The positive experience accumulated over 15 years shows that implementing the PCEM keeps students motivated to strive for success in rising to higher levels of their computational and software engineering skills.

Abbreviations: AMIS; Applied Mathematics and Information Science; ANOVA; Analysisof Variations; ASMAT; Academic Software Maturity Assessment Tool; ASP; Academic Software Product; CDIO; Conceive – Design – Implement – Operate; CEM; Conventional Education Model; CLA; Computational Linear Algebra; CMIS; Computational Mathematics and Information Science; CMM; Capability Maturity Model; FC; Flipped Courses; FCA; Frontal Competitive Approach; HCM; Halstead Complexity Metric; HEI; Higher Education Institution; HISM; Halstead Index of Software Maturity; IC; Inverted Classrooms; PBL; Problem-Based Learning; LP; Linear Programming; PCEM; Project-Centred Education Model; PDL; Project-DrivenLearning; PjBL; Project-Based Learning; PSP; Professional Software Product; RFC; Robust Filtering Computations; SCoLa-for-AMISS; Scientific Computing Laboratory for AMIS Study; STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering; and Mathematics

KEYWORDS:

• Active learning
• assessment of learning outcomes
• engineering education research
• mathematics education
• project organised learning

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr Alexandru Murgu, Professor of University of Cape Town, for sharing his vision of the contemporary higher education in today's globalization context (Murgu 2017), as well as for his most helpful input over the years.

We also give our utmost appreciation and gratitude to the respected anonymous reviewers for their involvement and detailed comments. We hope that our joint efforts have led to a number of critical improvements in this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Innokentiy Semushin is a professor in the Department of Information Technology, Ulyanovsk State University. He received his Diploma in Mathematical Computing and Candidate of Sciences (Ph.D. equivalent) in Automatic Control from St Petersburg State Electrotechnical Institute (Technical University LETI) and Doctor of Sciences in Control Systems from St Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (LIAP). His research interests are in the area of learning and teaching computational mathematics as applied to stochastic models, estimation, identification, and control.

Julia Tsyganova is an associate professor in the Department of Information Technology, Ulyanovsk State University. She received M.Sc. degree in applied mathematics and Ph.D. degree in mathematical cybernetics from Ulyanovsk State University. Her research focuses on mathematical modeling and parameter identification of discrete linear stochastic systems. Along with research work, she is active in teaching numerical methods and programming languages based on project-centred approach.

Vladimir Ugarov is an associate professor in the Department of Information Technology at Ulyanovsk State University. He received M.Sc. degree (1970) in electrical engineering from Ulyanovsk State Technical University and Ph.D. degree (2005) in mathematical modeling from Ulyanovsk State University. His research interests include computer models and software systems in project-centred learning.

Anastasia Afanasova received M.Sc. degree in information technology from Ulyanovsk State University and is currently working towards her Ph.D. degree focused on software development for project-centred learning in modern IT education.

Notes

1 A sample of completed Project#1 can be found by using a link placed in Semushin et al. (2014, 314). A short instruction follows. Click on https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B56qWLWvTkWUVk5UZk03czVNN0U&usp=sharing. You will get a Google Drive window. Select ‘Shared with me’ from the left-side menu. Select ‘NumMethods …’. Select ‘Download’. Open it. You will see the folder ‘NumMethods’. Open it. Possibly, you will see several images, delete them all, they are some private pictures by the project author (Ilia Kulichenko) and are beside the point. Then you will see the archive named ‘NumMetodLab.rar’ there. What is wanted is this archive. Open it. You will get the folder named ‘NumMetodLab’. Again, open it. You will get another folder named ‘NumMetodLab’. Open it. You will get several folders and files. Enter the folder named ‘bin’. You will see two folders: ‘Debug’ and ‘Release’. Open folder ‘Debug’. There, you will see many files. Click on file named ‘NumMetodLab.exe’. In your window, you will get Form1. This is your menu to select your scenario [it is made in Russian] from top downward: Solution of LSAE (Linear System of Algebraic Equations); Matrix Inversion; Computing Determinant.