Computer-aided Training of Engineers: Challenges and Solutions

Irina Makarova, Rifat Khabibullin, Eduard Belyaev and Vadim Mavrin

Kazan Federal University, Naberezhnye Chelny, Russian Federation

Keywords: Engineering Education, Computer Technology, Automotive Industry, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality.

Abstract: The paper discusses the advantages of computer technologies and augmented virtual reality in training of

engineers, including the main areas of application and influence on the quality of education, and attaches an

example of training of engineers for the automobile industry. It is shown that using of systemic approach to

the educational process allows to improve the tuition quality of specialists for hi-tech industries. Such

engineers can easily adapt in business both due to acquired fundamental knowledge and skills.

1 INTRODUCTION

Among the problem of today are not only depletion

of natural resources and a critical state of

ecosystems but also changing of the occupational

patterns, with old trades slipping away and new ones

emerging. Professional education can cope with the

latter problem only in the framework of the systemic

strategy. The challenge arises from inconsistency of

the rapidly advancing economy, badly in need of as

rapid training of personnel capable of tackling

complex problems, and the inertia of the formal

education system. This is especially true of the

training of engineers, whose role is becoming

increasingly important in the globalizing economy

and advancing processes and technologies.

The contradiction can be overcome using the

systemic strategy that might integrate advanced

technologies and the experience in engineering

education accumulated in universities worldwide.

This strategy should ensure stability and continuous

updating for the educational system and enable it to

meet the requirements of the real economic sector.

The system of engineering education in the 21st

century should embrace the innovative principles,

methods and teaching technologies. The curricula

should also be anticipatory and re-shaped to be equal

to the modern technological advances.

According to educational standards, the

engineering competences are defined broader, as

applied to the entire kind of industry a specialist will

be engaged in. This gives rise to a contradiction

between the goals of education and business

demands for full-fledged engineers due to extending

scope of engineering activities. Moreover, the issue

of today is the necessity of “globalized”

competences.

Collaboration will promote the sustainability of

both educational and production systems. To

rationalize it, the models of competence profiles of

universities and companies should be coinciding, or

proximate.

Another problem at issue is increasing

unwillingness of young people to obtain engineering

education, especially when it implies subsequent

intellectual activity, such as designing of new

machines and technologies, which combines applied

research developments and research with

engineering and construction operations. To enhance

the motivation, it is proposed to introduce early

professional orientation, revealing and developing of

abilities and boost the engineering prestige.

2 COMPUTER-AIDED

TECHNOLOGIES IN THE

TRAINING OF ENGINEERS

2.1 Computer as a Teaching Medium

Nowadays, the educational system is expected to

prepare creative and initiative persons capable of

solving difficult problems by applying innovational

and flexible methods. This can be achieved if we

abandon the old reproductive approach and turn to a

creative one both in organization of educational

processes and in learning content and teaching

Makarova, I., Khabibullin, R., Belyaev, E. and Mavrin, V.

Computer-aided Training of Engineers: Challenges and Solutions.

In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2016) - Volume 1, pages 449-455

ISBN: 978-989-758-179-3

449

techniques. The concept of lifelong learning means

using the computer for self-study to obtain

knowledge and skills from educational contents and

distant learning systems. As considered by Daniel

Araya, a well-known expert in education policies and

information technologies, the global network

capitalism, that has ousted the industrial capitalism,

embodies a network model providing

democratization for the educational process,

developing globally horizontal linkage, which

enhances self-organization and interaction, the

features of education in the future (Araya, 2010).

John Seely Brown (Brown, 1999) claims that the

obligatory component of the system of education

must provide only the basic competences such as

reading and writing, arithmetic, and critical thinking.

The rest of the education (the “open component”) is

to be chosen by the students proceeding from a

wealth of opportunities offered (or to be offered in

the future) by the so-called educational social

networks – the distributed network platforms

promoting the creation and transfer of knowledge

and experience and accommodating the interests and

motivation of participants.

Some of the contradictions can be smoothed

down if a learning environment is formed using

computers. We mean, first, the contradiction between

the necessity of diminishing the training period and

increasing requirements placed on students’

competences, this under conditions of fast updating

of industrial technologies. The second contradiction

is that between the necessity to maintain a high level

of instructors’ competences and increasing teaching

loads caused by having to update learning contents.

These contradictions can be solved by creating a

unified informational educational environment,

desirably with business participation, which will

help to pool the efforts in study courses development

and launch communication between all interested

parties. This will improve feedback, create

individual educational paths for the learners, and

facilitate self-control and quality control. This will

modify the entire E-learning concept 2.0 of

“Motivation – goal – tools – realization”.

One more contradiction consists between the

young people’s desire of quick results and high

requirements to the graduates’ competence alongside

with growing rivalry on the labor market, which

requires long learning. Motivation for learning can

be enhanced by using the systems of revealing of

learning capacities to develop them, while

promoting the role of an engineer in the modern

world. We mean such systems as STEM (science -

technology – engineering – mathematics) and

STEAM (science - technology – engineering – art -

mathematics), which help to form the basis of

engineering education and research activity.

Moreover, difficulties arise when creating a unified

system of learning management systems (LMS) for

partner organizations (universities and business)

(Ribón et al., 2015).

2.2 Computer as a Means of

Communication

Capacity for communication is one of the most

important human competences, especially for

engineers; therefore virtual platforms cannot replace

an actual teacher-to-student or student-to student

interaction. Moreover, many of the skills and

competences, needed to ensure a sustainable

development, can only be formed as a result of

participation in joint practical activities. It is clear

that the education of the future is inconceivable

without media literacy. For understanding of the

great body of daily incoming information it is not

enough to be able to think critically; the perception

of a media-literate individual is more adequate

because he\she can filter it.

So far, formal education has been unable to

provide a universal media literacy, which is

supposed to transform the media consumption to an

active and critical process helping people to look

through potential manipulation (in particular, on the

part of advertizing and PR) and understand the role

of the media in forming of their views of reality.

Global companies are in need of professionals

prepared to operate in bilingual situations. Second

language skills have become a significant personal

and professional characteristic of a specialist,

helping to find one’s bearings in the modern

information space. This requires updating of the

technology of language teaching for global-level

specialists.

2.3 Computer as a Virtual and

Augmented Reality

It is known that analysis and decision making rely

on adequately perceived information. Since

engineers have to deal with complex systems, their

training and further professional activities should

involve systems of virtual and augmented reality.

Analysis of personal and inter-personal

competences has revealed the necessity of the

foreign language skills component, of predominantly

English, which has spread due to markets

globalization and as the language of science

CSEDU 2016 - 8th International Conference on Computer Supported Education

450

(Tonkin, 2011). The issues of developing and

perfecting of bilingual skills are extensively

discussed in relation to training of engineers. Thus,

work (Holgate, 1992) has explored the need in

developing of bilingual communication skills of

engineers according to their professional activities.

The process of language teaching has been

essentially influenced by computer having the

advantages of informational capacity, intensification

of individual studies, enhancing of cognitive activity

and motivation, and creating of personally

meaningful communicative situations.

The authors of work (Wu et al., 2013) outline the

educational possibilities of recently developed

“augmented reality” (AR), alongside with the

problems it has brought in its wake. Thus, in work

(Kesim and Ozarslan, 2012) it is suggested that

educationists should collaborate with researchers to

develop extended interfaces of reality. Although the

key role of producing augmented realities is played

by soft- and hardware technologies and there are

engineers for designing them, the educational

technologies are seriously in need of specialists to

design learning activities for augmented reality.

It is shown (Martín-Gutiérrez, J. et. al, 2012;

Martín-Gutiérrez, J. et. al, 2015) that one of the AR

advantages consists in saving of instructors’ time on

repeat explanations because students can use them

for independent revision. Furthermore, the effect of

these technologies is twofold: facilitating the

teachers’ control of laboratory courses and

promoting the students’ motivation. Work (Webel et

al., 2013) describes an experiment of applying AR

for training of technicians in industrial maintenance

and assembling operations. The authors emphasize

the importance of drilling technicians in new skills

due to increasing complexity of maintenance

operations and demonstrate the superior

performance of AR tools compared to traditional

teaching techniques.

2.4 Computer as a Tool for Solving of

Professional Tasks

Informational competence, as part of professional

competence, incorporates a number of specific

issues corresponding to the level and content of

computerization of a professional environment of

which knowledge and experience a specialist must

be aware and in which they must be experienced.

Moreover, it is presumed that a specialist must be

able to extend his/her knowledge and skills both in

their professional areas and linked industries.

Forming of the informational component of

professional competence is achieved through a set of

disciplines, case studies, and practices imitating real

professional tasks.

Since employers nowadays require an IT

proficiency, all study courses should be geared to

give the students the skills of using both the software

products and mathematical models they are likely to

deal with when solving problem in their professional

activity. A competent specialist must be able to sort

out miscellaneous information, isolate the piece

he/she needs, analyze it and arrive at a proper

conclusion. Students must be given access to the

software tools specific for their industry and

workplace at all the stages of operating with

information: collecting, processing and analysis.

2.5 Computer as a Tool of Assessing

the Quality of Engineer’s Training

Notwithstanding the fact that human capital is now

recognized as one of the key objectives and

prerequisites for successful development, the

investment to education is still insufficient. National

educational systems are concerned about

commercialization and formalization of education.

Common problems for many countries are the

multiple-choice test-based control of knowledge and

inferior tuition at many higher school

establishments. Formal indices fail to give an idea of

how successful an educational system is in shaping

of a new type of individuals adapted to new

conditions.

Nonetheless, students can perform self-assessing

when working at the teaching complexes of existing

training and assessing systems. Teachers can use

computer testing systems for current control of

assimilation of an educational module. Such systems

afford to assess the level of students’ preparation,

determine his rating position in the group. Besides,

the teacher can check the time spent by each student

on learning a module and correct the study courses

accordingly.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Stages of Creating a System of

Engineer Training for High-tech

Productions

The automobile industry is faced with the necessity

of enhancing the efficiency and environmental

safety of transport facilities, developing of power-

Computer-aided Training of Engineers: Challenges and Solutions

451

efficient vehicles, and reducing the negative impact

on the environment during vehicles manufacture,

operation, servicing, and disposal. The automotive

engineer must also possess the skills in creating of

digital models of a car, its manufacture, servicing

and of intelligent transportation systems.

Table 1: Questionnaire surveys of engineers from partner

companies.

Groups

compe-

tences

The competence

Functions of

the business

1* 2** 3***

The technical

Fundamental knowledge 90 30

Engineering knowledge 90 30

Application IT for the decision

of professional problems

70 50

Understanding of problems of

life cycle of a product

90 40

The personal

Creative and critical thinking 80 40

The initiative 90 85

Ability to constant perfection 90 90

Ability to end in itself and

planning of the career

95 94

The professional

Engineering thinking 98 50

Ability to the decision of

professional problems

95 95

System thinking 95 40

Ability to search and the

information analysis

95 85

Awareness in engineering

tendencies

98 60

Interpersonal and

communicative

Ability to work in collective 80 90

Knowledge of methods of

business communications

90 75

Communications in foreign

languages

90 70

Ability to successful work in the

organization

95 95

*Designing and manufacture of vehicle’s and intellectual systems

of the vehicle

**Management in transport and logistical systems

*** The organization of transport processes and safety of

transport systems

Here we present our experience of collaboration

with PTC KAMAZ on training of engineers for its

Engineering and Technological Centers, and also

with companies involved in logistics, servicing,

managing of transport systems and transport safety.

Given the scope of reasons for updating the

engineering education and the multitude of

instructor’s manuals and technical aids for their

realization, we started by putting straight the goals

and means. We systematized the tasks to be solved

by engineers at their workplaces. First, specialists of

partner companies were interviewed to reveal the

competences of university graduates most

meaningful for their performance and career, and

also which software and technical solutions are

applied in practice. The survey findings were

processed and systematized in respective categories

(Table 1).

In order to harmonize the professional and

educational standards, the questionnaire was split

into a general technical block, offering the study

courses common for engineers and ensuring all

stages of the automobile life cycle, and the

professional block, comprised by the study courses

unique for a workplace.

At the next stage, we developed an integrated

curricular of degree courses including the key

competences meeting the professional standards of

the automobile industry. The courses, aimed at

forming the essential competences revealed, were

included into the educational curricula for engineers

for different companies and kinds of professional

activity (Table 2). The peculiarity of this training

system consists in the fact that students are gradually

integrated into the professional environment, doing

professional practical work in freshman classes and

proceeding, if recommended by recruiting

department, to work in engineer positions in

different factory departments by combining work

and study.

In this case they get access to informational

resources of the enterprise and can use the teaching

content of corporate university at professional

software while doing projects. In other words,

disciplines of block one are studied at university and

those of block two – in real production environment,

for which purpose are created university-based

subdepartments. This allows to split the separate

management in two LMS.

At the second stage of creating the teaching

system, we developed a learning content, selected a

way for effective realization of the study process,

and equipped the multimedia classrooms. The third

stage consisted in testing the performance of the

system proposed. For this, we formed experimental

study groups to be taught with the aid of the

developed methods and technologies.

For instance, with students majoring in car

design (automobile- and engine construction)

emphasis was laid on designing of intelligent car

systems, such as anti-lock braking and crash

avoidance systems, active suspension, etc. These

students studied 3D modeling, engineering analysis

and imitation modeling using the Siemens PLM

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452

Table 2: Learning courses in curriculum.

The name of discipline from the

curriculum

Groups of

competences

The technical

The personal

The

rofessional

Interpersonal

and

communicative

Learning courses in the designing of the vehicle

intelligent systems

System of the automated designing

and modeling of manufactures UG

Designing and calculation of

intellectual systems of the vehicle

Microprocessors in automobile

branch

Durability and safety of designs and

electronic systems

Techniques and systems of

engineering calculations and the

engineering analysis

Test of vehicles. The bench

equipment and techniques of tests

Learning courses in the safety of transport

systems

Ecology on motor transport

Bases of safety of transport systems

Communication and information

support of transport process

Program complexes for safety of

transport systems

Systems of satellite positioning of

transport systems

Bases of the theory of reliability and

diagnostics

Hardware systems of active safety

of transport systems

Standards of safety of transport

systems

Learning courses in the organization of transport

process

Systems of the automated designing

in the organization of transport

processes

The theory of transport processes

and systems

Maintenance service and transport

repair

Modeling of transport processes

Methods of optimization of

transport streams

Quality maintenance on transport

Geoinformation technology on

transport

Automatics and telemechanics on

transport

software complexes. The students majoring in

automobile electronic systems, were trained in

developing of intelligent electronic management

systems with a focus on engineering analysis and

construction of functional schemes using the

Siemens NX, e-Series software complexes.

As for the students of machine-building

technologies intending to work in technological

centers of auto-manufacturing companies, they

studied the Siemens PLM programs: Plant

Simulation and Tecnomatix (with Jack and Human

Performance modules). These programs are used by

manufacturers to perfect the technological processes

on virtual mannequins. They also contain tools for

solving of ergonomic tasks. Students, majoring in

logistics and operation of automotive transport,

studied the theory of management of transport

vehicles and transportation flows, methods of

logistics optimization, telematic systems, and GIS

using the MiniTab, PTV Vision (VISSIM, VISUM),

ArcGIS, and MapInfo software.

3.2 Examples of the System’s

Implementation

By participating in real projects, the students got a

better idea of requirements imposed on modern

vehicles and developed them by employing new

design technologies.

The ITS area most in need of a use engineers in

different activity lines is that of transport systems

control because it is here that the greatest scope of

tasks is solved. The engineers, creating programs for

intelligent onboard systems, study the synthetic

vision systems and pattern recognition techniques

The issues of transportation planning and

simulation are dealt with in different companies.

There are companies creating the infrastructure,

building and reconstructing the street-road networks,

determining the location of sites for public transport

stops, petrol filling and service centers. Others are

involved in planning of traffic along the street-road

networks and of traffic control with the purpose of

enhancing its safety and effectiveness.

Engineers in these companies must know how to

obtain adequate information and operate with great

data volumes, analyze them and make strategic and

operative decisions. Training for these positions

envisages instruction in the systems theory,

intelligent control systems, statistical data analysis,

the theory of experiment planning, and methods of

optimization.

Constructing of public transport routes requires

exploring the consumer demand for transportation

Computer-aided Training of Engineers: Challenges and Solutions

453

both within and outside the city. Engineers

employed in companies dealing with passenger

transportation must be aware of demand analysis

techniques, principles of rational constructing of

routes, methods of bus fleet management, and

ecology-minded driving. This is taught at such

courses as statistical data analysis, theory of

experiment planning, methods of optimization,

technosphere safety, systems modeling, management

of passenger transportation, and of transport flows.

The engineers involved in logistics processes and

cargo delivery must know the means and methods of

cargo shipment planning and managing of motor

vehicle fleets, methods of building logistical chains

accounting for interaction of different kinds of

transport.

These aspects are studied by doing such courses

as statistical data analysis, methods of planning and

forecasting, theory of constraint, systems analysis

methods, theory of experiment planning,

management in logistical systems, and the theory of

transport flows.

The students solve real problems which help

them to understand the problems of the industry and

professional tasks already during their study time.

This approach facilitates professional adaptation.

Survey results of the employers after the

introduction of above described method shows that

the degree of satisfaction with the quality of students

training increases (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Dynamics of satisfaction with the quality of

students training.

4 CONCLUSIONS

In our opinion, developing of a high-quality study

content in the simulation environment later to be

used at real workplaces will improve both the

quality of engineer training and the learning process

management in realization of the “life-long

learning” concept.

Here are the advantages of the proposed system

over the traditional methods:

 For business, it gives the advantage of shorter

time spent on a graduate adaptation in real-work

environment, a higher level of graduates’

training, and new-coming employees with

already developed business-relevant

competences.

 For the student, it promises higher interest in

academic disciplines, a possibility to become

involved in real problem solving, and personal

competitive advantages at the labor market.

 For the education system it means higher

occupational prestige for engineers, a possibility

of closer contact with business and higher quality

of education.

Moreover, interaction with business will give an

opportunity for the teachers to learn new

technologies and apply them in teaching of students.

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