Competency-based automotive/mobility engineering education: Implementation of creative project in modular model

This paper describes a research project of the design and implementation of modular education model and creative project support of technical faculty automotive/mobility students key competences improvement that involves intentions of the University of Zilina, a science, education and research institution. Improving the faculty education environment, particularly those that are automotive/mobility engineering-performing includes requirements that are effectively adopted to assess targeted goals for 21st century technical graduates’ key competences. This work, obtaining automotive/mobility and academic area experts contributions by using project research findings, students´ outcomes and instructors´ feedback with the probability of adjusting module´s learning content and learning/teaching methods at the same time is aimed. This research focused upon qualitative synthesis methods to investigate faculty experiences with modular teaching/learning concept implementation. In particular, the study used an interpretive approach to synthesize findings from 7 experimental pilot student’s groups conducted by 12 researchers involving teachers-practitioners to learning content modules review, students´ learning outcomes portfolio assessments and interviews with 100 faculty students with modular teaching/learning experiences in the period of 2017-2019. In this article, the author identifies handful research results of innovative competency-based concept in modular education model that can help to achieve the goal that all graduates from technical faculty are well-prepared for further long-life learning, successful careers, and flexible adaptation in the society. First, a competency-based concept is built to reflect the core elements of engineering education programs and practices that have been shown to be effective in student’s pilot groups engaged in perspective study programs (electronics, autotronics). Second, modules design-cycle testing is used to allow the modules to be revised in ways that adapt it to a particular engineering learning content in specific technical skills implementing support of activity, innovation and cooperation. Third, a project researchers and education practitioner’s partnership in creative projects for individual students targeted to automotive/mobility is employed that strives to both take advantage of and build faculty didactics knowledge management ownership and teachers expertise.