(386)DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN CZECH REPUBLIC AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST BOHEMIA

摘要

The shortage of design engineers and technicians is a frequently discussed topic nowadays, alsomatters relating to the unsatisfactory quality of graduates from technical fields is gaining more andmore consideration not only in the Czech Republic but also in other parts of the world. Therefore, theFaculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME)at the University of West Bohemia (UWB)asked itself thequestion, 'What should be done to reduce these problems?' The answer is simple. It is necessary tomodernize the education of mechanical engineers by the introduction of innovative learning projects,which should increase the quality of education and also enhance the practical contribution forstudents, who would then be in a better position on the labour market after graduation. A better levelof education is not the only purpose of this project. Another task is to make fields of study at FMEmore attractive for potential applicants. By introducing problems from engineering practice andexamples of real machines and devices from technical companies we want to show to students thatmechanical engineering is not a boring, outdated and dirty profession but, on the contrary, it is a fieldfull of modern automated machines and processes that facilitate our everyday life.The first part of this article gives a description of the development of technical education in the CzechRepublic and an explanation of all the important aspects that affected or still affect the education ofmechanical engineers in our country. Education is described before and after the collapse of theCommunist regime in 1989, then there is a description of the current state and also the expecteddirection which the education of technicians should take. Following the development of education inthe Czech Republic there are introduced innovative projects which are worked on by teams ofstudents with help from academics at FME and experts from industrial companies. These projects dealwith Project-Based Learning (PBL), which is intended to connect students more deeply in solvinginteresting problems that they might face in any industrial company. Problem solving of each projectincludes detailed research, tests, experiments and also theoretical preparation for specific problems.Via these projects students become involved in interesting practical topics during their studies,meaning they can easily broaden their theoretical knowledge and, what is more important, they alsogain crucial practical skills. Insufficient practical skills are often a weakness of graduates fromtechnical fields and via the innovative educational system at our Faculty, students should improve theirskills, thereby having a better position in the labour market.