Sociocultural competence-oriented curriculum for engineering education in Russia

Abstract

Presently engineering education standards undergo vast changes due to the need in preparing "global" engineers. In the 21st century engineering education needs to adapt to the rapidly changing technical and sociocultural context. This need requires engineering education institutions to alter curricula on a regular basis. Universities tend to change curricula to meet the requirements of employers, industry and society because today engineers need to possess knowledge and practical skills not only in technical issues, but they also need to be competent in economics, ethics and social communication etc. Incorporating the competence and module-based approach along with accrediting engineering curricula also contribute to the transformation of higher engineering education in Russia. This matter is topical because today an engineer needs to acquire certain social and humanitarian qualities and skills specified by the requirements of Russian and international certification and accreditation organizations for engineering education. We suggest incorporating modules in humanities and social sciences into the structure of engineering curricula to make the process of forming sociocultural competence in Russian higher education institutions more efficient.