Formation of Spatial Imagination in the Future Mechanical Designers

Abstract

The events of the last year have even more clearly highlighted the problems and priorities in higher education, where during the last few decades the number of students who wanted to study in engineering specialties has decreased, and the attractiveness of engineering education in general has decreased. Modern industrial enterprises, Ukrainian agricultural engineering, medical equipment, modern Ukrainian army urgently require a significant number of engineering specialists, in particular, mechanics who could create, improve and repair modern, as a rule, rather complex equipment. Among the basic knowledge of future mechanical bachelors it is necessary to single out the presence of spatial imagination and spatial thinking, which allow creating new mechanical systems by producing new technical documentation in the form of assembly and working drawings. In the process of creating new objects, the designer solves two main tasks: the first is the formation of an imaginary spatial object based on flat drawings, the second is the production of flat drawings based on an imaginary three-dimensional object. This work is devoted to the consideration and analysis of the process of formation of spatial imagination and spatial thinking in the process of obtaining an engineering education by a student at the university. In particular, the disciplines provided by the curriculum, which help to develop spatial imagination and spatial thinking, are highlighted, and relevant tasks in the process of their complication are considered. It is proposed to stage the process of forming spatial imagination among students, in particular, it is necessary to determine the levels of mastery of spatial imagination and spatial thinking, which, together with the assessment of knowledge, skills and abilities from other general engineering and special subjects, will help form an opinion about the suitability of the future bachelor of mechanics to the creative profession of creating new technical systems.