Actuality of the peculiarities of the implementation of innovative learning technologies in the educational process is based on constantly increasing requirements to the quality of education in higher education institutions. Nowadays graduates must have not only knowledge and skills, but also developed imagination, thinking, high level of independence and be able to study throughout their lives. Thus, new competence and personal-activity approach to studies require the application of new educational technologies to train professionally mobile specialists under the modern conditions of European integration process in Ukraine.
Since gaming technology is a key concept in this research, we should firstly look at its meaning. In particular, in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Ukrainian language the word “technology” is defined as a set of knowledge, information about the sequence of separate production operations in the process of producing something; subject that teaches this knowledge and information; a set of methods to process or recycle materials, manufacture products, conduct various operations, etc. In philosophy, this term is interpreted as a means of achieving a certain goal, as a process of transformation of any activity, while manufacturability means a structural separation, order, appropriate organization of any process of social activity in contrast to natural processes.
The analysis of scientific literature shows that the term “game” is also interpreted differently. For example, according to the Great Explanatory Dictionary of the Ukrainian language, the studied concept is defined as an occupation subject to a set of rules and techniques, or is based on certain conditions, which reveals its procedural content. The versatility of gaming activities, which develops, educates, socializes and focuses on a specific goal, is to enrich a person with knowledge, skills, experience and is a process of acquiring knowledge, experience, taking into account the achievements and shortcomings of the past, obtaining skills to perform certain actions as well as developing personal qualities, features and abilities.
“Encyclopedia of Education” defines a game as a kind of creative human activity, which reproduces the ways of dealing with objects, relationships between people, norms of social life and cultural heritage of mankind in an imaginary form. Therefore, it can be stated that the main task of using games in human activity is learning.
Now let’s analyze in more details the range of approaches to this issue presented in the scientific literature. Thus, according to S.O. Dovbni, “a game is a certain manifestation of individual and collective game activity, which has a certain-historical, multi-species, creative and multifunctional character.” S.L. Rubinstein believes that a game is an expression of a certain attitude of a human to the surrounding reality. “The essence of a game is in reflecting and transforming reality. For the first time in the game, this same general human ability is formed for the first time in the game. Firstly, the need to influence the world is formed and revealed. This is the main, central and most general meaning of a game.” O.I. Fedorenko is convinced that a game helps to gain not only some experience of a specialist, but also social experience: skills of social interaction. Management of people, formed psychological orientation in the activity and attitude to it, the ability to manage and obey.
Thus, for all the variety of approaches to the essence of a game, it can be stated that all researchers recognize its high effectiveness for adult learning compared to traditional pedagogical methods, emphasizing its significant advantages.
One of the most effective modern pedagogical elements of forming the professional competence of a future police officer, necessary for the successful performance of future police activity, are practical classes in form of a quest, during which cadets have the opportunity to learn how to make correct decisions within their professional competence and master skills.
It should be noted that answering the questions and completing the tasks of the quest as part of a team, cadets not only learn, but also teach their peers, sharing experiences and knowledge. Joint actions help to absorb the unknown or forgotten information efficiently in the conditions of increased emotionality in course of teamwork as well as allows mobilizing and performing non-standard tasks.
In the structure of the practical lesson in the form of a quest at the first stage (organizational and preparatory) participants should be made acquainted with the rules, route and pre-developed criteria for assessing the quality of performance, both individual and group tasks at each station. In addition, according to the order of finishing, it is appropriate to give teams additional points, for example, the first – 5 points, the second – 4 points, the third – 3 points, the fourth – 2 points. At the initial stage, it is also advisable to conduct a survey among applicants for higher education to determine the characteristics of their subjective needs for new knowledge on the topic, as well as expectations by means of the “Expectation Tree”.
At the second stage (implementation) it is necessary to provide at least 4 locations, research tasks of different complexity levels (reproductive, reproductive-cognitive, cognitive and cognitive-creative), covering all educational material on the topic; suggest, for example, logical puzzles-keys to go to the next station upon the successful completion of the task.
Regarding the organization of the final stage of the quest, it should be noted that in the case of group tasks it is not always possible to identify and assess the individual contribution of a particular team member to the overall result. In this regard, we insist that the individual assessment of the level of mastering the thematic material requires cadets to perform control tasks.
One of the most resource-saving methods of control in terms of time limits and very effective for individual assessment, which preserves the general concept of business game elements within the quest, as well as the gradual correlation of theoretical knowledge with practical skills, is continuous entrance and exit rapid test. All points obtained, both as part of the team (including the order of completion) and personally (performance of input and output testing) are summed up, the arithmetic mean is calculated (rounded to an integer), which will be the assessment of a cadet for the quest on the topic of practical training.
When summarizing the lesson, it is also appropriate to analyze whether the expectations of cadets from completing the quest have been met (for example, by means of “Harvesting Knowledge” exercise).
It should be noted that conducting practical classes in the form of a quest according to the scenario, which integrates tasks based on typical job situations, will increase the positive motivation of applicants for higher education to study, because they not only learn, but also teach each other, share experiences and knowledge, acquire soft skills. In addition, common actions help to absorb the unknown or forgotten information efficiently in the conditions of increased emotionality in course of teamwork as well as allows mobilizing and performing non-standard tasks.
In particular, in order to increase the productivity of independent work, development of logical and creative thinking, stimulating cognitive motivation of cadets during distance learning, it is advisable to use information and communication technologies – web-quests, which are considered new, effective and promising technologies in media didactics.
In the course of distance learning quests in the form of a professional computer game deserve special attention. Software provides an opportunity to assess the correctness of the decisions of each participant at executing tasks. The most striking example of the implementation of a police quest is the educational information-and-technical platform of complex operational and tactical exercises “LINE 102”.
Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs was the first among other higher education institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to introduce it in the educational process for police disciplines in the form of a business game “Line 102”. This professionally-oriented business game is a comprehensive operational and tactical training. It is introduced as a kind of educational or extracurricular work with cadets and final year students. The information-and-technical platform has been implemented in all educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is hosted and supported by specialists of Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs.
Application of the educational-interactive complex “Line-102” creates unique conditions for the development of creative potential of cadets, connects the educational process with the practical component of the future profession at the applied level, reduces time for cadets to acquire practical skills, significantly increases their motivation to learn, forms emotional and psychological stability in future police officers, creates conditions for deepening into aspects of related legal and law enforcement activities at the educational stage, contributes to improving educational process in institutions with specific training conditions and forms the new police image.
Conducting practical classes using the capacities of the training grounds of the university gives cadets the opportunity to get closer to the real service situations, demonstrate the level of knowledge of theoretical material, identify shortcomings in the organization and conduct events, including filing operational and procedural documents.
Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs successfully uses quest technologies also to test theoretical knowledge, demonstrate acquired practical skills and abilities during the final tests in the form of exams, state certifications in academic disciplines, as well as practice defense. At the same time, the examination commissions include heads and experienced practitioners of the bodies and subdivisions of the National Police. In particular, with the help of quests conditional places of events with different pictures of criminal offenses as well as common service situations in the work of preventive police units are simulated. Thus, cadets can demonstrate acquired skills in terms of investigative teams, procedural and search actions and filing official documentation.
The experience of introducing quest-learning technologies as an advanced pedagogical segment in the process of training future specialists at Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs shows their effectiveness for training highly qualified professionally mobile specialists under modern conditions of European integration processes in Ukraine. In addition, in terms of distance learning, special attention should be paid to professional web-quests. In view of the above, we propose more active use of the experience of implementing quest technologies in the educational process of Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs by other educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Dean of the State and Law Theory and History Department
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