Higher engineering education: traditions, regular and forced innovations

This paper focuses on the study of the features of distance learning at a university in light of modern requirements for higher engineering education and the traditions of the education in Russia. Education in Russia has always been understood not only as learning but also as enlightenment when the lecturer's mission was not limited to teaching goals–it involved the moral and intellectual development of students. This research formulates and analyses a contradiction of the need to combine traditions of Russian education with a strengthening of the professional component of engineering education. The concept of «intelligence» is actualized as a desire for knowledge, humanism, selfless attitude to work and professionalism, high culture and moral qualities, developed sense of duty, social responsibility. Diversified personality development correlates with the concept of intelligence. In this regard, it is natural to turn to the transdisciplinary approach in the educational process in its expanded understanding as integration of not only the content and methods but also the forms of learning organization, as well as obligatory establishment of working contacts between lecturers of different disciplines. The paper formulates proposals for semi-formalized tests in force majeure conditions of distance learning. The authors of the paper conducted a questionnaire survey of students with different majors on the effectiveness of forced full distance learning caused by COVID-19 and analyzed its results. This provides the necessary grounds for predicting the possibilities and prospects of distance learning in the higher education.