Use of project-based learning and case technology in the course of Chemistry for training agricultural engineers

Abstract

The requirements for the level of theoretical and practical knowledge and skills of agricultural specialists are increasing every year. Chemical subjects form the basis of natural science education of future agricultural specialists. To improve the effectiveness of the educational process, the practice of teaching introduces many different teaching methods. The authors analyzed didactic opportunities of project-based learning and case technology in the context of methodological psychological and pedagogical concepts, in particular, the structure of activity and the logic of personality development. It is established that these methods used in the teaching of chemistry activate all the components of the structure of learning activity: cognitive, value-oriented, communicative, transformative, physical, and aesthetic. The article outlines the ways of using project-based learning and case technologies in the study of chemical subjects by agricultural engineering students. Given as an example is a case study on determining the quality of drinking water by titrimetric and potentiometric analysis methods and selection of a household filter for drinking water purification. The authors dwell on the methodology of performing tasks and define the criteria for evaluating the learning outcomes. Project-based learning and case technologies should meet a number of requirements, have a system of evaluation criteria, certain goals and practice-oriented task, which will enable and motivate students to solve practical problems in their future professional activities.