Научная статья на тему 'Modeling the continuous process of building information competency'

Modeling the continuous process of building information competency Текст научной статьи по специальности «Компьютерные и информационные науки»

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Текст научной работы на тему «Modeling the continuous process of building information competency»

MODELING THE CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF BUILDING INFORMATION COMPETENCY

E. V. Loskutova I. Y. Solskaya

As the rates of updating knowledge increase, information technology achieves a new level of application: both as an area of activity and as a condition for the implementation of any highly technological production process. Therefore, the development of information competency becomes an important task of learning and practice activities. There is an essential need for linking the learning process in higher and secondary educational institutions and providing a continuous system for professional on-job training and retraining at enterprises. Information competency is in fact a backbone factor in the development of the professional competency of a specialist, acting both as a tool of developing professional competency, and its component. However, many methodological problems related to building and developing information competency are still to be resolved.

Table 1

Results of comprehensive evaluation of the level of information training

• Level of proficiency (cognitive component)

Number of specialists involved in the survey Number of questions in the final test Ratio of correct answers to total number of test questions (respective mark) Average mark

182 30 90-100% (excellent) 75-89% (good) 60-74% (satisfactory) below 60% (poor)

Number of specialists 17 39 114 12

Percentage of specialists with respective mark 9.34% 21.43% 62.64% 6.59% 3.34

• Level of mastering (activity-related component)

Number of specialists involved in the survey Number of tasks for completion within a limited period of time Ratio of operations performed correctly to total number of operations within a predetermined period of time (respective mark) Average mark

176 45 90-100% (excellent) 75-89% (good) 60-74% (satisfactory) below 60% (poor)

Number of specialists 11 18 123 24

Percentage of specialists with respective mark 6.25% 10.23% 69.89% 13.63% 3.09

• Level of project-related and motivational component (developing component)

3.1 Implementation of individual and group practice-oriented projects

Number of specialists involved in the survey Number of projects implemented (involving a supervisor) Number of respective marks Average mark

excellent good satisfactory poor

123 41 8 19 11 3

Percentage of specialists with respective mark 19.51% 46.34% 26.83% 7.32% 3.78

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3.2 Expert evaluation of information technology knowledge by supervisors of graduation qualification works

Number of specialists involved in the survey Number of supervisors involved in the survey Number of respective marks Average mark

excellent good satisfactory poor

164 15 12 48 94 10

Percentage of specialists with 7.32% 29.27% 57.31% respective mark 6.1% 3.37

3.3 Self-evaluation according to a questionnaire-based survey

Number of specialists involved in the survey Number of respective marks Average mark

excellent good satisfactory poor

84 11 28 41 4

Percentage of specialists with respective mark 13.1% 33.33% 48.8% 4.77% 3.55

Since the process of building information competency has a multi-level hierarchical structure, it is reasonable to use relevant methods to investigate it. These are found in research on systemic analysis, data processing, and complex systems management by Y.M. Gorsky, L.A. Zade, M. Mesarovich, N.N. Moiseev, K. Negoitse, F.I. Peregudv, A.N. Pechnikov, N.M. Solomatin, I. Takahara, A.I. Eumov, D.M. Khomyakov, E.G. Yudin, etc. The study included an analysis of the current status of building information competency in specialists. The results of the comprehensive evaluation of the level of information competency shown in Table 1, have enabled us to conclude that the information competency of the overwhelming majority of modern specialists fails to meet the existing requirements, and that information competency cannot achieve a high level if only a few specialized information disciplines or courses are available.

The study has developed a functional model of building information competency (Fig. 1), which shows that the sequence of building and developing information competency can be defined as a stratified system with three strata. The central postulate in the stratified definition of a system S: X^Y offered by

M. Mesarovich1, is that a set of external stimuli X, and a set of responses Y, can be presented as Cartesian products. As a family of stimuli X in this system, we will take the main common tasks (defined as based on employers’ requirements), the solution of which ensures building a set of system responses Y, that define the specialists’ preparedness to solve the proposed common task, which altogether build a relevant level of information competency.

1 See: Месарович М., Мако Д., Такахара И. Теория иерархических многоуровневых систем. М.: Мир, 1973.

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Stage 1

Develop the higher level of the model hierarchy (context diagram A0) to describe the goal of modeling, the viewpoint, limits and external links

Stage 2

Reconstruct the context diagram: adjust the objective function of the system based on its component processes, interactions between which are described by information flows (diagram A-0)

Deconstruct the functional blocks of diagram A-0, to provide a more detailed review of the processes comprising the system

Figure 1. Development stages of the information competency development model

Let us define the following sets:

a) a set of common tasks that define the level of information competency of a specialist in line with production requirements (external stimuli): X, 1 < i < n;

b) the results of final control that define the level of a component of information competency: Y, 1 < i < n, so that X = X1*.* Xn and Y = Y1*.* Yn.

This enables us to divide responses and input stimuli into components, i.e. each pair (X, Y), 1 < i < n, is attributed to a certain stratum (Fig. 2). The main idea is that a successful process of building information competency in a specialist is the implementation of three levels (strata) in practice, involving successful performance of professional tasks Xi.

The set of Yi consists of the responses of the i-th stratum - an appropriate level of information competency based on the results of the final control, and defined by whether a task set at the system input is solved correctly. Vi is a set of stimuli arising from strata and adjoining the i-th stratum of the higher levels of hierarchy, and W is a similar set for the lower levels of hierarchy.

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Figure 2. Three-level model of professional competence development

The implementation of tasks for each stratum implies that a relevant element of information competency (a specific competence) is mastered on the basis of the set requirements and relevant distributive impact from the stratum of a higher level. The outcome of the implementation is a built level of information competency which, in turn, defines the information impact on the higher stratum. Then S, 1 < i < n represents stratification of the system of building information competency S, since there are two mapping families:

1) h: Yi ^ W+1, 1 < i < n.

The result of control over the solution of common tasks that develop a certain set of knowledge, abilities and skills that define a level of information competency of a specialist Wi on the i-th stratum is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of the system of solving educational tasks on the next level of training.

2) с: Y; ^ V-1, 1 < i < n.

3) Based on the results of control over the level of information competency on the i-th stratum, the lower strata are interfered with in order to adjust methods, approaches and means of building information competency.

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The resulting mappings are such that for every element x of X and y=S(x):

1) уз = S3 (Хз , h2 (У2)),

2) У2 = S2 (Х2 , Сз (Уз) , hi (У1)),

3) yi = Si (xi, С2 (У2)).

Specialists deepen and expand their information-related knowledge and skills and integrate them into their professional practice at each stage of learning in the framework of the entire scope of disciplines, practical training and refresher courses. Every time, the level of information competency can be evaluated in accordance with the structure and content of knowledge and skills of a specialist, based on a certain level of production development1.

Figure 3. Algorithm for evaluating the level of information competency

To solve this task, we should define the structure of internal components of the “information competency” category and respective evaluation measures (Table 2). The identified basic types of action in working with information have been used to define the development path of building (evaluating) the level of information competency in accordance with its component composition1 2.

1 Лоскутова Е. В. Стратифицированное описание системы формирования информационной компетентности будущих экономистов // Научный журнал «Международный научно-исследовательский журнал». 2012. № 5 (5). PP. 100-103.

2 Лоскутова Е. В. Сольская И. Ю., Чичкалюк В. А. Формирование профессиональных компетенций в транспортном университете / под ред. И. Ю. Сольской. Иркутск: ИрГУПС, 2013. 172 p.

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Table 2

Information competency components and evaluation measures

Component Evaluation measure Description Evaluation method

Cognitive Level of proficiency reflects the degree of cognitive component in learning and practice activities, allows for evaluating the completeness of knowledge among learners ratio of correct answers to total number of test questions

Activity-related Level of mastering reflects the degree of development of abilities and skills in professional activity using information technology ratio of operations performed correctly in relation to total number of operations within a predetermined period of time

Motivational (developing) Implementation of individual and group practice-oriented projects qualitative assessment based on observations over the development and implementation, and on defence results

Expert evaluation of information technology knowledge by supervisors of graduation qualification works Expert evaluation based on results of preparation and defence of term papers and graduation qualification works

Self-evaluation according to a questionnaire-based survey Self-evaluation of motivation for the development of skills in obtaining, assessing and using information

The level of information competency should be evaluated on every stratum of building information competency in the framework of all disciplines, modules and practical training, using given criteria, and in each identified component in accordance with set evaluation measures. Components of information competency should be mastered across all cycles and sections of disciplines and practical training, thus creating vertical and horizontal links in the stratified system of building information competency by means of solving identified common tasks.

This approach can be used in practice thanks to the availability of advanced electronic learning management systems, such as Moodle, which provide the technology for evaluating the level of mastering of material by specialists.

Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translations Bureau

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