Regulations on Independent Work of Students
at the National Aerospace University
«Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
Approved:
by the Academic Council
of the National Aerospace University
«Kharkiv Aviation Institute»
Minutes No. 1 dated September 26, 2012
1. General Provisions
1.1. These regulations are drawn up on the basis of the Laws of Ukraine «On Education», «On Higher Education», the Regulations on the Credit-Module System of Educational Process Organization, and the Statute of the University.
The introduction of the latest learning technologies, the development of scientific, methodological, and material support for the educational process, and the gradual integration of the domestic education system into the European and world systems have necessitated and enabled a phased reduction of classroom hours and an increase in hours allocated for the independent work of students.
1.2. The training of highly qualified specialists who are competitive in the labor market, as well as capable of competent, responsible, and effective activity in their specialty, is impossible without increasing the role of independent work of students, aimed at stimulating their professional growth and nurturing their creative activity.
1.3. Independent work of a student (IWS) is an integral component of specialist training at the university. IWS is one of the forms of mastering educational material outside the scope of mandatory classroom sessions. It is aimed at consolidating the theoretical knowledge acquired by students during their studies, deepening it, and acquiring and improving practical skills and abilities relevant to the specialty and field of study.
1.4. These Regulations define the requirements and conditions necessary for organizing the independent educational and scientific work of students, and are aimed at solving the following tasks: creating conditions for implementing a unified approach of instructors to organizing students' independent work; fostering skills of independent educational, research, and practical work in students, as well as developing and deepening students' professional scientific and practical interests; forming professional qualities, knowledge, skills, and abilities of future specialists, as well as creating conditions for the harmonious development of the student's personality.
2. Organizational and Methodological Support of Students' Independent Work
2.1. The study time allocated for the independent work of a student is regulated by the working curriculum and must constitute no less than 1/3 and no more than 2/3 of the total volume of study time allocated for the study of an individual academic discipline.
2.2. The main goal of the student's independent work is the formation of their cognitive activity, mastering the primary skills and abilities of working with educational materials, deepening and expanding already acquired knowledge, increasing the level of students' self-organization, etc.
2.3. The main tasks of students' independent work are the full mastery of the core educational program and the consistent development of skills for effective independent professional (practical and scientific-theoretical) activity at the level of world standards.
2.4. The content of the student's independent work is determined by the syllabus of the specific discipline, tasks, and recommendations of the instructor.
2.5. Independent work of students covers: preparation for classroom sessions (lectures, practical, seminar, laboratory sessions, etc.); completion of tasks in the academic discipline during the semester; work on individual topics of academic disciplines in accordance with the educational-thematic plans; preparation for internships and execution of tasks provided by internships; preparation for all types of control tests, including term, module, and comprehensive control works; preparation for the final state attestation, including the execution of the final qualification work of a bachelor, specialist, and master; work in student scientific circles, seminars, etc.; participation in the work of elective courses, special seminars, etc.; participation in the scientific and scientific-methodological work of departments and faculties; participation in scientific and scientific-practical conferences, seminars, competitions, etc.
3. Organization of Independent Work of Students
3.1. The organization of independent work of students is carried out by the departments, which develop the necessary documentation regulating the independent activity of students.
3.2. An increase in the share of students' independent work and a reduction in the classroom workload of instructors entails a corresponding increase in the number of academic hours allocated for checking students' knowledge (control of independent work), ongoing group and individual consultations, individual work, and the development of scientific-methodological and educational materials.
3.3. Within the framework of preparing students for independent educational and research work and with the aim of forming primary skills of independent work in the first year, it is advisable to initiate elective classes on the topic «Organization and Support of Student Independent Work».
3.4. The organization and control of the progress, content, and results of educational independent work are carried out in accordance with the schedules for monitoring students' independent work, which are developed and approved by the departments.
3.5. On their own initiative, departments may conduct student educational, scientific, and scientific-practical events (olympiads, conferences, competitions, symposia, etc.).
3.6. The organization of a student's independent work is directed toward mastering skills and abilities in:
- organizing independent educational activity;
- independent work in the library with catalogs;
- working with educational, educational-methodological, scientific, and popular science literature;
- taking notes from literary sources;
- working with reference literature;
- processing statistical information;
- PC operation and Internet usage;
- writing reports, essays, presentations on course problems, and preparing fixed speeches;
- executing term papers, bachelor's, diploma, and master's theses;
- conducting experimental research stipulated by certain topics and sections of course disciplines;
- applying acquired knowledge to solve practical problems.
4. Content and Types of Students' Independent Work
4.1. Independent educational and research work, as a component of the educational process, is performed by students under the guidance of the instructor who conducts classroom work with this study group. Instructors of the departments develop methodological recommendations with clearly drafted plans, a list of literature, and a brief (thesis) presentation of theoretical material for students to complete independent work tasks.
4.2 The university provides for the execution of the following types of independent work:
- working with textbooks, study guides, and didactic materials;
- solving problems;
- performing exercises;
- writing essays (abstracts);
- independent observations;
- laboratory works;
- research and experimental activity;
- design (construction);
- modeling;
- execution of descriptive works, home assignments, practical works, control works, creative projects, etc.
4.3. Individual assignments contribute to the in-depth study of theoretical material by the student, the consolidation and generalization of acquired knowledge, and the formation of skills to use knowledge for the comprehensive solution of relevant professional tasks. The types, deadlines for completion, and defense of individual assignments in specific academic disciplines are determined by their working syllabi and class schedules. Individual assignments are performed by students independently, with the provision of necessary consultations by the instructor. The availability of positive grades obtained by the student for the performance of independent individual assignments is a prerequisite for admission to the semester control in the given discipline.
4.4. Essays (abstracts) are types of individual assignments that involve solving specific practical educational problems using known as well as independently studied theoretical material. A component of such work may include software products and graphic material executed in accordance with current regulatory requirements and with the use of computer graphics. These types of individual assignments should contribute to deepening and expanding the theoretical knowledge of students on individual topics of the discipline, and develop skills for independent work with educational and scientific literature. Essays as a form of individual assignment are recommended for academic disciplines of the humanitarian and socio-economic cycles.
4.5. A term paper in an academic discipline involves the development of a set of documents: a calculation-explanatory or explanatory note, graphic, and illustrative material. It solves specific problems regarding the objects of a specialist's activity.
4.6. A qualification thesis is an independent creative work of a student designed to assess the level of scientific-theoretical and practical training of a specialist.
4.7. The time allocated for the independent work of a student in each specialty is determined by the working curriculum.
4.8. The types and content of the student's independent work for each specialty are determined by the syllabus of the discipline.
4.9. Departments may develop, in addition to the syllabi of the discipline, other methodological documents that will contribute to achieving high quality in the execution of students' independent work.
5. Methodological Support of Independent Work
5.1. The independent work of a student is provided by a system of educational and methodological materials intended for the study of a specific academic discipline: textbooks, study and methodological guides, lecture notes, and workshop manuals (including on electronic media), etc.
5.2. For the purpose of methodological support of students' independent work, scholars and instructors of the departments develop scientific and methodological manuals and issue them in printed and electronic formats as textbooks, collections of tests and situational tasks, and guides for the independent study of all course sections and individual complex topics. Methodological manuals must be developed taking into account the specifics of different types of independent work, and a system for evaluating the results of the performed independent work must be defined.
5.3. Methodological recommendations for the independent study of educational material must contain guidelines regarding the deadlines and volume of material mastery, indicating educational and scientific publications, questions for self-control, tests, control tasks, and examples of formatting independent written work.
5.4. Methodological guidelines for the execution of term papers and final theses define the topic, purpose, and course of research, and contain a list of recommended scientific and methodological literature.
5.5. The themes of term papers and final theses must correspond to the tasks of the academic discipline, be relevant, and be closely related to the solution of practical professional problems.
5.6. Requirements for formatting research results, the procedure for compliance with execution deadlines, and the defense of these types of independent work are regulated by relevant regulations.
5.7. Methodological recommendations for conducting educational and production internships are developed according to the working syllabi for each type of internship. The organization and conduct of educational and production internships are carried out under the guidance and control of the internship supervisor.
5.8. In order to meet the established requirements for the quality of educational literature, manuscripts must undergo a preliminary review procedure for publication recommendation: be discussed and approved at a meeting of the department and faculty (institute), approved by the educational and methodological commission of the university, and recommended for publication by the Academic Council of the university.
6. Material, Technical and Information Support of Conditions for Independent Work
For full-fledged and creative independent work in the study of academic disciplines and the implementation of research work of various levels of complexity, a material base with scientific and laboratory equipment, using modern information technologies, is required.
6.1. Conditions for performing student independent work are created by all subdivisions of the university (institutes, faculties, departments) using their material, informational, and technical base and equipment:
- classrooms for self-study;
- educational laboratories;
- computer classes with the possibility of working on the Internet;
- university library with reading rooms;
- educational and methodological rooms of institutes, faculties, and departments;
- scientific and creative laboratories, research centers.
6.2. Independent work of students is also conducted at internship bases during all types of educational and production internships at enterprises of various profiles and in educational institutions of the city and region.
6.3. When conducting laboratory and independent research work on technical or laboratory equipment, for the purpose of safe work performance, all students are familiarized with safety regulations, fire safety measures, personal hygiene rules, methods of providing first medical aid in case of accidents, etc.
6.4. When organizing students' independent work using complex systems of access to information (for example, computer databases), the possibility of obtaining advice from a specialist is provided.
7. Control of Independent Work
7.1. The results of students' independent work are evaluated by the instructor of the corresponding course, and in some cases by the department as a whole.
7.2. Forms of monitoring independent work are chosen by the instructor from the following options: an individual or collective project provided for by the syllabus of the discipline or individual modules that require the formation of students' practical skills and abilities; ongoing control based on the performance of practical or laboratory works; ongoing control of knowledge mastery based on the evaluation of an oral answer to questions, messages, reports, etc. (during practical or seminar sessions); solving situational tasks; a synopsis executed on a topic studied independently; testing, performance of a written control work; a rating system for evaluating students' knowledge; a report on the completion of an internship and fulfillment of tasks provided by the internship; a report on research work (its stages, parts, etc.); an article, theses of a speech, and other publications in a scientific, popular science, educational publication, etc., based on the results of independent educational and research work, published by decision of departments or academic councils of faculties.
8. Recommendations for Knowledge Evaluation Criteria of Students
8.1. When developing the criteria for the learning quality assessment system, it is necessary to take into account three main components:
Knowledge level:
- depth and durability of knowledge;
- level of thinking;
- ability to systematize knowledge on individual topics;
- ability to draw up an expanded outline of an answer;
- provide accurate formulations;
- properly use the conceptual apparatus;
- culture of answer (literacy, logic, and consistency of presentation);
- skills and techniques for performing practical tasks.
Independent work skills:
- ability to search for the required literature;
- orientation in the flow of information regarding the chosen specialty;
- record-keeping skills (drawing up a simple and expanded outline, a synopsis, an essay/abstract, a speech, as well as scientific research skills).
Ability to apply knowledge in practice:
- implementation in practical and seminar sessions;
- performance of individual assignments during internship.
These recommendations can be used when developing evaluation criteria for the independent work of students, taking into account the specifics of each academic discipline. The relevant criteria are approved by a decision of the department.