Keyword: «technical university»

The subject of analysis in this article is the position and role of social– humanitarian disciplines in a technical university. The authors pay attention to the fact that these disciplines play an important role in the scientist global-view and in the formation of general cultural competences. It is emphasized that the most important competencies are: to work in a team, to bear conscious and legal responsibility, readiness for self– development.

The relevance of the problem under study is due to the need to improve the quality of foreign language teaching in technical universities. The aim of the study is to justify the expediency of holding a student scientific and practical conference as an interactive form of organizing extracurricular independent work in teaching foreign languages to students of technical universities. The analysis of the long-term experience of the Department of Foreign Languages of the Rostov State Transport University in organizing student scientific conferences has been carried out, positive aspects and difficulties in their preparation have been identified. The leading approaches in conducting the research were theoretical methods of studying, analyzing, comparing and systematizing scientific material, as well as the method of collecting, analyzing and interpreting scientific documentation. As a result of the study, it was found that student conferences, being part of the students’ research work, are implemented on the basis of an interdisciplinary approach, which consists in mastering oral and written speech, improving listening and writing skills in a foreign language, as well as acquiring professional knowledge in their major. In addition, scientific student conferences are classified as interactive forms or teaching methods that are based on the active involvement of students in the learning process through social interaction. The role of participants in the educational process is changing, the emphasis is on cooperation, the exchange of ideas and experience, the teacher acts as a consultant. It is found that the introduction of humanitarian knowledge, principles and methods in teaching natural science disciplines indicates the humanitarization of education. The theoretical significance of the presented article lies in the further development of ideas on the organization of scientific research work of students at the university. The practical significance is due to the possibility of applying the findings and recommendations of the study in the educational process of technical universities.

In the context of globalization and the digitalization of education, proficiency in English is a key skill for students in engineering fields. It provides not only access to up-to-date scientific and technical information but also enables successful professional communication. However, the use of authentic materials in the learning process, such as scientific articles, technical documentation, and professional podcasts, is associated with a number of challenges. The effectiveness of learning and student motivation can decrease due to the complexity of vocabulary, grammatical structures, and cultural contexts, which often exceed the capabilities of students with varying levels of language proficiency. The aim of this study is to explore and implement innovative methods for adapting authentic materials using artificial intelligence in teaching English at technical universities. The authors analyze the potential of modern technologies, including language complexity analysis, the use of generative neural networks to automate text simplification, create contextual exercises, personalize learning tasks, and visualize complex professional concepts. The study presents practical approaches to applying GPT-based tools that allow adapting educational texts to students’ language proficiency levels. The use of these technologies promotes individualized learning by considering the unique needs of each student, thereby increasing engagement and motivation to learn a foreign language. The results of an experiment conducted at the Russian University of Transport confirm the effectiveness of materials adapted with AI tools. Significant improvement in academic performance and communication skills was observed in groups where these technologies were applied. The study emphasizes that the integration of artificial intelligence into the educational process does not replace the role of the teacher but serves as a powerful auxiliary tool that optimizes the preparation of educational materials and supports the development of professionally oriented competences. The theoretical significance of this work lies in expanding the understanding of the capabilities of artificial intelligence tools in the linguodidactics of engineering disciplines, while the practical significance is found in the development and testing of innovative teaching methods that contribute to improving the quality of specialist training in the context of modern digital education.

An urgent issue in modern higher education, particularly when teaching English in a technical university, is the contradiction between the need for systematic monitoring of language skills development and the ineffectiveness of traditional assessment methods. These methods take up a significant amount of academic time and prevent the adaptation of the educational process to the individual needs of students. The aim of this study is to explore a dynamic approach to resolving contradictions: to evaluate the development of English language proficiency levels of technical university students based on their entrance and final tests in order to enhance the effectiveness of monitoring language acquisition. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: 1) To analyze the theoretical aspects of testing as an assessment tool. 2) To describe the stages and specifics of the entrance and final testing at the Russian University of Transport (MIIT). 3) To analyze the results of the entrance and final testing of 1st-year students of the Foreign Language Department of RUT (MIIT). 4) To evaluate the effectiveness of the applied testing format and to identify promising areas for its improvement. The testing results demonstrate the effectiveness of the applied format and its compliance with its purpose. The use of systematic entrance and final tests allows us to effectively monitor the dynamics of the development of English language proficiency among technical university students. This helps us to tailor educational materials to individual student needs, and as a result, increase the effectiveness of their learning. Based on a detailed analysis of the testing results, areas for further development were identified, in particular, the need to adjust the teaching methods for level B1. The theoretical significance of this research is the analysis of contemporary methods used to assess students in technical universities when learning English, as well as identifying the most effective methods for monitoring the progress of learning materials. The practical significance of this work lies in the analysis of the results from two years of testing, which shows a positive trend towards students' progress from A1 and A2 levels to higher levels, as well as a noticeable increase in their language proficiency. Additionally, the study demonstrates the transition of some students from the entry-level A0 to higher proficiency levels.