Systematic Approach And Student Competencies Formation When Studying Statistics

Abstract

In the present paper, a process of forming of student's professional competences during the «General theory of statistic» learning is considered in the form of a management system with a formal description of its elements and connections. Today when a sphere of higher education is subjected to particular transformations. Educational standards are changed, competent approach and interactive learning forms which demand the unification of learning activity and estimation procedures are implemented the system approach actuality for an educational process organization of higher educational establishment is confirmed with modern reality. Through the implementation such methods of scientific research as analysis and synthesis as well as modelling and analogies there was confirmed a principled possibility for a forming of student's professional competences during the «General theory of statistic» learning in frames of the system approach, its workability was also confirmed. The article deals with the experience of forming students' competencies in connection with changes in educational standards.

Keywords: Disciplineprofessional competence

Introduction

The system approach is a branch of a scientific cognition methodology where the object is considered as a system, i.e., a complex of communications relation. Such an approach is used in all processes where it is possible to mark out an object and a subject of the management as well as direct and reverse communications between them. In that case, the process of competence mastering by a student during the learning of any discipline in the higher educational establishment (including the General theory of statistic) can be observed from the position of the system approach (Figure 1 ) (Dobrynyna & Trusova, 2017; Efremova, 2015).

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Marked system elements: manageable subsystem (student – the object of management), managing subsystem (professor – the subject of management) as well as direct (learning activity) and reverse (estimation procedures) connections between them form the whole system of process organization for competence mastering by a student during the General theory of statistic learning which is in this paper in detail considered.

Problem Statement

The upcoming transformation of educational activities is carried out in accordance with the requirements of new educational standards. Therefore, it is necessary to take preventive measures to increase the universality and adaptability of educational and assessment procedures in academic disciplines, in particular, the general theory of statistics. Such measures allow, among other things, bringing the discipline to a new interactive level, facilitate the implementation of distance learning technologies. As a result, the quality of training bachelors will increase, and the depth of their professional competence will develop. This result can be achieved by presenting the organization of the process of mastering the student competencies when studying the general theory of statistics from the standpoint of a systems approach (Shilova, 2017).

Research Questions

System views of the student competences process formation in the study of the General theory of statistics need to identify and to describe in detail the direct and inverse relations between the elements of such a management system. That is, the issue is considering the organization of the classroom and independent work, contra current and interim assessment of students during the discipline learning.

Purpose of the Study

The article aimed to the identification and describing the direct and feedback elements of the students' professional competence system formation, to scientifically substantiating the principal possibility of professional competences formation by students while studying the discipline "General theory of statistics" with the system approach.

Research Methods

Representation of the professional competencies formation process by a student in the study of the General theory of statistics as a management system is possible using universal scientific methods of modelling and analogies, analysis and synthesis.

Findings

The system organization of in-class and unsupervised training of a student during the «General theory of statistic» learning

A teaching of the «General theory of statistic» discipline (hereinafter a discipline) in FGBOU VO «PGU» is regulated by the set of teaching methods which was developed by the higher educational establishment and placed in the electronic-information educational media according to FGOS VO in the field of training 38.03.01 «Economics». This set represents a system of normative documents regulating learning activity and estimated procedures about a discipline (Figure 2 ).

The discipline provides a Bachelor of Economics with general skills, analytical and also research training. This discipline is a basic part of mandatory curriculum disciplines, and it is necessary for a forming of general professional (GPC-2) and professional (PC-6) competencies defined by FGOS VO (Figure 3 ).

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The labour intensity of the discipline learning activity is 5 credits or 180 hours, including in-class training – 54 hours and unsupervised training – 126 hours (Table 1 ; Figure 4 ).

A student's in-class training is supposed to consist of lectures and lab researches. Discipline lectures act as methodological function giving a school for lab researches. Lab researches consolidate student's knowledge received during lectures. A student's unsupervised training is supposed to consist of a term paper execution, a preparation for in-class training and exam.

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A term paper execution is supposed to consist of the project preparation and the performance of an interview by its main sections.

Every student does his project individually. The project assumes the performance of calculation and analytical procedures and then making up an explanation note based on its results. During the interview, a professor asks a qualifying question about calculations, conclusions and recommendations given by a student in his explanation note for a project. Questions submitted to the discussion correspond to estimation positions of the term paper.

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A student's preparation for an in-class training is supposed to consist of calculation and graphic works and preparation for an interview based on its results.

Calculation and graphic works are performed according to target themes of discipline and assume execution of calculation procedures, tables making and graphs forming. Results of calculation and graphic works are formed by a student in the form of electronic reports. Every work should be defended by a student in the form of the interview where a professor asks qualifying questions about calculations, conclusions and recommendations given by a student in frames of theoretical and conceptual set about the work issue.

During the lab research on every single theme of the discipline, a student makes thematic tests using the computer system «Ellekta», which was developed by FGBOU VO «PGU» and placed in university electronic-information educational media (Koshevoi, 2005; Koshevoi et al., 2019). A goal of the thematic testing is to train a student for a final test in a control point as well as for an exam.

A student's training for an exam is supposed to consist of training for a final test. A student should work out lecture materials. The study recommended methodological and periodical literature; make an Internet-resources search.

A student submits the results of his unsupervised training on in-class training, where a professor estimates it during the current check and intermediate inspection according to a score-reference system adopted in FGBOU VO «PGU».

Conclusion

In this paper, the ability of process organization of student's competence mastering during the general theory of statistic learning was scientifically proved from the system approach position. Elements and connections composed such a system was described in detail. In a further, it will help to FGBOU VO «PGU» to automate a learning activity and estimation procedures during the discipline learning, to bring it on a new interactive level, to increase the communication speed between a student and a professor, to improve a quality of a bachelor training through the increase of the competence mastering level (Chukhacheva, 2019). Besides, this system description of the competence mastering process is characterized by an absolute generality. Therefore, the described in the paper general learning and estimation processes could be implemented in the educational system of any discipline in a higher educational establishment. It is also important to note that the process of competence mastering by a student during the «General theory of statistic» learning is positioned like a managing system, so later during the transition to a new educational standard it would make the structure reformatting of the discipline easier.

References

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