Effectiveness of an Integrative Competency-Based Approach on Masters Students in "Applied Informatics in Metallurgy" Programs

Abstract

Quality of any Master's program, which is as a component of two-level training, depends on Bachelor’s and Master’s programs cohesion in terms of content and methodology. At the same time, Master's programs target both Bachelors’ skills further development, and graduates’ proficiency further expansion through mastering integrative abilities, which in its turn contribute to job-related competency evolution as a whole. Integrative abilities include essential sets of interrelated competencies a specialist should have to perform in the workplace in an effective manner. The article raises an issue of integrative IT competencies, which should be developed with those Masters Students who pursue the "Applied Informatics in Metallurgy" program. Instructional measures to support teaching Masters Students in metallurgy include modified program content and sets of job related cases to help instructors enhance integrative content of learning by means of implementing active teaching methods, which allow forming integrated work methods and value attitude to profession among metallurgy Masters Students. A significant role of employers starts at an objective-setting stage, when they help educators determine competencies to be developed while teaching the program, and when they suggest burning questions to be investigated by Masters Students while doing their graduate research works. Such collaboration will definitely contribute to metallurgy industry development to the full