METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO IMPROVING PROGRAM-DIDACTIC SUPPORT FOR TEACHING PROGRAMMING TO FUTURE ENGINEERS

Abstract

The aim of the study is to develop and test methodological approaches to improving program-didactic support for teaching programming to future engineers within a digital educational environment. The paper clarifies the structure of programming competence, which includes cognitive, motivational, activity-based, and reflective components.
The methodology is based on the integration of programming with engineering disciplines, the use of digital tools (Python, MathCad, Excel, Word), the combination of traditional and e-learning formats, as well as the implementation of the ITTS educational portal and an electronic textbook. Experimental verification was carried out in several engineering universities, where the performance indicators of control and experimental groups were compared.
The results of statistical analysis showed that the effectiveness in the experimental groups increased: by 1.15 times in the cognitive component, by 1.14 times in the motivational component, by 1.15 times in the activity-based component, and also by 1.15 times in the reflective component. The average values in the experimental groups ranged from 4.05 to 4.16 compared to 3.53–3.65 in the control groups. The empirical values of Student’s t-test significantly exceeded the critical ones, which confirms the reliability of the differences.
The conclusions of the study indicate that the proposed methodology ensures the growth of competence in programming among engineering students, contributes to the development of algorithmic thinking, research activity, and readiness for professional work in the context of the digital economy.