FORMATION OF CREATIVE COMPETENCE OF FUTURE ENGINEERING SPECIALISTS THROUGH THE PRISM OF THEIR CREATIVE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Summary. Introduction. Modern society increasingly requires a new generation of specialists who are ready to demonstrate creative initiative, independence, mobility, and the ability to flexibly and creatively solve life and professional problems, make non-standard decisions, and adapt to the dynamic changes of the technological environment. Of particular importance is the study of the creative potential of future engineering specialists as an internal resource that determines the development of their creative competence.

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to reveal the process of developing creative competence based on creative potential among higher education students majoring in engineering.

Methods. Theoretical analysis of scientific sources on the topic, comparison, juxtaposition, and generalization of the collected material, as well as modeling methods, were used.

Results. The article analyzes scientific approaches to defining the essence of such concepts as “creativity”, “creative potential”, “creativeness” and “creative competence”, identifies their interrelation and their role in the professional training of engineers. Scholars’ views on modern methodological approaches to teaching students of technical universities are highlighted, particularly regarding the effectiveness of the competence-based approach in the educational process.

The author proposes their own definition of “creative competence of future engineering specialists” as an integrated professional and personal quality that combines the ability to think critically, generate new ideas, apply innovative approaches to solving technical problems, and effectively implement creative solutions in professional activities based on deep engineering knowledge, practical skills, and motivation for self-development.

It has been established that the creative competence of future technical university students is formed through the use of innovative teaching methods and technologies. The paper presents practical experience in applying these technologies at Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University and the State Educational Institution “Odesa Center for Vocational and Technical Education.” It is found that in the process of training future engineering specialists, in order to form creative competence, academic staff most often apply such innovative learning technologies as project-based learning, STEM technologies, game-based learning and gamification, problem-oriented and collaborative learning technologies, as well as information and communication technologies, including the use of virtual laboratories and simulations. The role of project-based learning in the education of future engineers at technical universities is revealed.

Originality. The scientific novelty of the research lies in clarifying the key concepts of “creativity,” “creative potential,” “creativeness,” “creative competence,” and “creative competence of future engineering specialists,” as well as in comparing and analyzing best practices in the use of innovative learning technologies in technical higher education institutions for the effective formation of creative competence in future engineers.

Conclusion. The formation of creative competence among future engineering specialists is an essential component of professional training since the development of creative thinking, the ability to generate new ideas, and to find non-standard technical solutions make graduates of technical universities competitive engineers in the modern labor market.