Educational Agro- Industrial Cluster as an Efficient Form for Advanced Multilevel Agricultural Education Aimed at Innovative Agrarian Practices

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages: 823-827

J. Environ. Treat. Tech.

ISSN: 2309-1185

Journal weblink: http://www.jett.dormaj.com

Educational Agro- Industrial Cluster as an

Efficient Form for Advanced Multilevel

Agricultural Education Aimed at Innovative

Agrarian Practices

Andrey V. Gaag , Anatoly A. Medentsev , Anna R. Demchenko , Natalya E. Kasatkina ,

Tatyana A. Kostyukova , Irina Y. Malkova , Natalya V. Kharina

¹Tomsk Agricultural Institute (Branch), Novosibirsk Agricultural University, Tomsk, Russia

Regional Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Education, National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia

Interuniversity Department of pedagogy and psychology, Kemerovo State University, Kemerovo, Russia

Faculty of Psychology, National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia

Tomsk Agricultural Institute (Branch), Novosibirsk Agricultural University, Tomsk, Russia

Abstract

The article considers a new model of professional agricultural education for developing learners’ innovative potential within a

multilevel education system. Before developing this new model we made a thorough cultural-historical analysis of educational

concepts underlying educational activities of a German classical university (the paradigm of autonomy) and an American university

(

a heteronomous paradigm). The research allowed to determine the methodological approach to the development of an educational

agricultural cluster. It was done by active participation of Tomsk Agricultural Institute. The study of the problem allows us together

with agribusiness, institutions of secondary vocational education, and rural comprehensive secondary schools to propose a range of

integration measures. All above mentioned institutions also took an active part in the formation of the educational agro-industrial

cluster. We then determined the strategy of the cluster development and specified the functions of Tomsk Agricultural Institute to

coordinate the work of all structural departments responsible for professional training of specialists interested in innovative activities

in the agricultural sector.

Keywords: educational paradigms, proactive advanced training, agricultural IT-school, institutions of secondary vocational

education, agricultural institute of higher education, innovative agricultural plant, integration, innovative potential of learners

Numerous scientific studies concerned with the

Introduction

development of agricultural production in the Russian

Federation and the analysis of regional agricultural activity in

Tomsk Region demonstrate the possibility to reach strategic

aims only by active implementation of innovative strategies.

It is necessary to emphasize that innovative development of

the farming industry in a region can be achieved only by the

priority development of the innovative potential of people

involved in agriculture. Therefore, the foundation of

educational systems majoring in agriculture and aimed at

training learners who are inspired by innovative activities is

very urgent. This requires the creation of new conditions and

the development of new educational technologies ensuring

The State program for Agricultural Development and

Regulation of Agricultural Products, Commodities and Food

_M_a_r_k_e_t_s_a_p_p_r_o_v_e_d_b_y_d_e_c_i_s_i_o_n_N₇₁₇_f_r_o_m₁₄th of July 2012

of the Government of the Russian Federation determines the

strategic aims of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian

Federation over a period of 2019-2024.The strategic aims of

the state programme are to:

ensure food security of the Russian Federation

taking into account economic and territorial accessibility for

the production of an agro-industrial complex;

−

expand the capacity of agricultural export.

‘

growing’ learners whose motivation to innovative activities

is dominating (17, 5, 13). Traditional educational systems

including agricultural training are too conservative. On the

one hand conservatism is quite positive quality since it

demonstrates concern for people and care for their future (26,

Corresponding author: Andrey V. Gaag, Tomsk

Agricultural Institute (Branch), Novosibirsk Agricultural

University, Tomsk, Russia. E-mail: gaag85@mail.ru.

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages: 823-827

0). On the other hand conservatism hinders training students

First of all there is a lack of correspondence between the

goals and objectives of scientific educational practice,

innovative development of agricultural production and rural

areas.

with unique abilities and progressive ideas able to compete

on the fast changing labour market, make decisions under

pressure and act independently (6). Therefore, one of the

main tasks is to determine the methodological approach to

agricultural professional training to affect learners’

development and help them to become increasingly skillful,

consistent, and committed in their use of an innovation in

agriculture.

One of the most efficient innovative ways to develop the

agricultural sector of Tomsk Region is to unite efforts of

agricultural business, state, agricultural scientific and

educational community and to use them for rapid

implementation of modern agricultural technologies.

At present our specialists are able not only to use the

activity-related potential but also “to chip off” some certain

forms of activity for carrying out their technification. We can

say that purposeful artificial work with this activity has been

mastered at the level of a social system as well as at the level

of a certain region. This creates favorable conditions for

transferring any activity including agricultural and

transforming the provincial stagnation into a certain cultural

level through man’s ability to spiritual self-determination.

To be successful in the purposeful artificial

Methodology

To solve the problem with the vocational training of

specialists focused on innovative agrarian practices, we

carried out a cultural and historical analysis of educational

concepts. After thorough analysis of the existing concepts, we

determined two major features of educational vocational

institutions and came up to the conclusion that two

educational paradigms correspond to them.

The first paradigm is known as “autonomous

education”. German university designed and created on the

basis of H. Wolf’s ideas is a classic example of the

implementation and realization of this conceptual scheme.

Learners, according to the idea of this paradigm, should be

isolated and separated from modern life. All their attention

should be paid to the accumulation of educational traditions

and the development of historical perspectives through the

development of skills necessary for comparison person’s

ideas with gained ideas and then formulate the most common

universal way of thinking and understanding (1).

“

implantation” of controversial complexes of activities and

realize the expected benefits of innovations it is necessary to

choose new forms and ways of thinking and develop new

ways and forms to get acts of thinking and activities together

(

7). There is a new tendency when specialists involved in

development of educational systems aimed at getting acts of

thinking and activities together appeal to the cluster

approach. This allows ensuring systemic development of its

components including “education”, “technology, and

“

production”. Cluster approach to agricultural professional

education can be used as the basis for preparing learners to

innovative activity in agriculture and developing new

projects. Environmental approach is also very important for

vocational training and collaboration between specialists and

employers (7, 4, 14).

The second paradigm is known as “heteronomy of

education”. According to this conceptual scheme, education

is developed to satisfy needs and interests of different fields

including agriculture. American university is the example of

this paradigm implementation and reflects J. Dewey’s ideas

that each university is established to train smart, intelligent

and critically thinking specialists able to work in different

fields of science, technology, industrial production,

agriculture and etc. (7).

Leading educational vocational institutions follow both

paradigms. It means that by establishing an agrarian

educational institution aimed at innovative agricultural

practices it is necessary to use both paradigms and training

should be autonomous and heteronomous. The agrarian

vocational education should, therefore, be autonomous and

independent of the current, momentary state of things in

agriculture. On the other hand it should be dependent on the

current reality in the agricultural sector and specialists must

to be able to take some certain steps for innovative

development of the agriculture in the region.

The experimental educational platform founded by

Tomsk Agricultural Institute and limited liability company

“

Siberian milk” in Yagodny (a residential settlement in

Asynovsky district) is used to gain some experience of

tackling problems with agricultural vocational training.

Cluster approach was chosen as leading. There is everything

for the development of students’ innovative potential. There

are several interactive classrooms and four laboratories on

two floors. These laboratories deal with the artificial

insemination of cattle, research of microclimate, estimation

and analysis of fodder and milk quality. All rooms are

equipped with systems of videoconferencing, laptops, board

monitors and video cameras used to demonstrate all the

processes at the cattle farm in the real-time mode (feeding,

cleaning, robotic milking, artificial insemination and etc.).

Students master their primary skills of milking and diagnosis

of diseases on a special trainer-simulator made by Lely and

De Laval. VR-headsets that are at learners’ disposal in the

computer-assisted instruction center allow them to “visit” the

Results and Discussion

Research on innovative changes in the agricultural sector

in Tomsk Region has shown that the main constraint to

achieve set objectives is in the deficiency of competent rural

workers, professional agrarians and their low mobility at all

levels of work organization.

This social phenomenon is caused by low workforce

activity, poor work organization with the right distribution

and coordination of work tasks and low efficiency of the

majority of institutions dealing with the agricultural sector.

best farms in the world.

We managed to integrate

educational and industrial processes. It is necessary to

emphasize that this integrated education system unlike the

traditional one is focused mainly on learners’ needs in a real

production environment. The educational environment of the

integrated education opens new horizons to learners’

cooperation and interaction with a full range of objects on the

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages: 823-827

basis of

didactic principle “learn when working” and

agricultural complex of Tomsk Region. E-learning on

bachelors’ programs will be competitive since it has links

with agricultural production and life activity of rural

settlements. It will also allow young people with bachelor’s

degree to get university education without leaving their

families and places.

A special attention by training within the applied

bachelor’s degree program should be paid to the development

of the active stand in life because students involved in this

training will take part in developing their own learning

algorithm, be responsible for their own education and able to

carry out their own search for knowledge and its acquirement

(21). They also should be able to put their skills into practice.

The transition to autonomous self-guided learning is one of

the distinctive features of training specialists with higher

agricultural education in the system of applied bachelor’s

degree (10).

A foundation of an agrarian IT-school will help to solve

the problem with lifelong agrarian education. An agrarian IT-

school is a good idea for remote agricultural enterprises. The

municipal transport network is as a rule underdeveloped in

the majority of rural areas. Poor transport service and low

logistics together with low material and financial income of

citizens living near these remote agricultural enterprises make

it difficult for learners (who live in the country and have a

clear idea of a country lifestyle) to get to special educational

resources (circles, studios, elective courses and etc.) (15).

Therefore children who live in villages do believe that the

life that is on TV screen with a lot of goods and stylish

people is not affordable for them. In spite of being very

young they know about deprivation and poverty of rural

population who suffer from social and cultural inequality.

That is why so many village pupils dream of getting

secondary education and want to live and work in the future

anywhere else but not in the village.

What is the parents’ attitude to the desire of their children

to migrate? The majority of village parents like millions of

other parents are concerned with their own dreams that will

come true through their own children. They hope that their

daughters and sons will be more successful than they are.

These dreams of a better life encourage parents to use all

their energy for making their children move to towns and

cities where the perspectives of career promotion are higher.

But in the desire of children’s career promotion the

parents often forget that each ladder has ups and downs.

There is no secret that the majority of children who leave

their villages don’t become successful and don’t get an

astonishing career promotion. There is a very good and well-

known proverb “Dry bread at home is better than roast meat

abroad” and there is a grain of truth in that.

enables them to enhance their knowledge through activity

(

search, research, simulation, design and etc.) (Psychological

and pedagogical support, 2007, 19). Practice-oriented

learning within this integrated model allows learners to take

the extended learning environment not only as the place for

getting education and developing their professional career but

also as the environment for their life activity and problem

solution (11, 8).

The first outcomes at the experimental educational

platform of Tomsk Agricultural Institute have confirmed the

efficiency of the developed educational model (improvement

in the quality of skills, increase in practical experience and

etc.). On the other hand, it has shown a lack of learners’

readiness to new forms of communication and teamwork with

the participants of different ages. Learners are also not fully

ready to take responsibility; they do not always demonstrate

their leadership qualities and don’t often have a clear idea of

a country lifestyle.

The conclusion made above and the results of observation

call for a clear need for increasing the number and

membership of participants taking part in the experiment.

There is an idea to include some agricultural colleges and

agrarian special purpose classes in the structure of

educational and industrial agrarian clusters.

Agricultural institutions of secondary vocational

education are “forgeries” for training personnel for the

agrarian sector. Some experts claim that our vocational

institutions are too determined by the main vocational

educational program and they do not always ensure the

required practical experience. That is why the process of

adaptation of graduating students to the country lifestyle and

industrial environment is not very smooth. The contradiction

between the determined system of vocational training and

stochastic nature of the agrarian production environment is

one of the reasons for difficulties in adaptation. There is a

necessity to make the process of vocational training in the

system of secondary vocational education more open to the

external environment for better learners’ identification with

their agricultural specialty and country lifestyle through the

prism of internalization of different institutions like college -

agricultural industry-village area (12, 18, 23).

The current agro-industrial complex of Tomsk Region

suffers from a lack of agrarian specialists with university

degree able to analyze, predict and simulate the processes of

agricultural production ensuring food security of the Russian

Federation and increasing the export potential on the

innovative basis. Therefore there is a plan to open the

department of applied bachelor’s degree program in the

institutions of secondary vocational education that will enter

into the structure of an educational and industrial cluster.

General and professional competences will be developed

through a module-competence approach using innovative

educational technologies, forms and training aids (4).

How to stop, to slow down this spontaneous outflow of

active and gifted young people who are able to change the

current village lifestyle for better?

From our point of view one of the key reasons for this

population migration is in the loss of rural traditions.

Moreover such ignorant attitude to traditions is accompanied

by village school unification and the tendency to copy urban

general education institutions. Nonconstructivity of such

attitude admitted L.N. Tolstoy, outstanding Russian author,

Tomsk Agricultural Institute has already begun to create

a center of distance e-learning using such learning platforms

as Moodle, Timvi, Emblaze-Vcon and etc. as its. The purpose

of this center (together with colleges that enter into the

structure of the agricultural educational and industrial cluster)

is to fill up the missing gap in specialists’ training for

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages: 823-827

thinker and teacher. He stated that the best school in Paris

would never be the best in a Russian village (22).

features of the course content. Thus, these agrarian based

courses are important parts of “Technology”. They allow

students to put their biological knowledge into practice

within school syllabus and acquire skills for transforming this

knowledge into activity through combining theory and

practice. Regulations of Federal State Education Standards

(paragraphs 1.2.5.15. and 2.2.2.15) are the legislative

framework for putting profession-oriented courses conducted

at agrarian IT-school into educational practices of rural

comprehensive schools (16, 9).

As a result, there is an unfavorable trend with the

recruitment of school-leavers in agricultural colleges when

among young people who study at these colleges are those

who are not aware of a village life and their future profession.

We observe a negative tendency when graduating students

after completing their agricultural education don’t want to

work within their specialty. Moreover, they want to stay in

towns and cities. This tendency is conditioned by social and

cultural reality of rural life which differs considerably from

urban. One of the distinctive features of social life in a village

is that social interaction, upbringing and learning are in the

same place.

Rural population revival should be the aim of primary

importance, since only people who live in the rural

environment possess knowledge (practical experience,

context information, core values and etc.) that helps them to

survive there. The process of acquiring this nonformalized

knowledge necessary for existence in a rural community

depends mainly on the family and school attitude. But if these

two subjects of an educational system want to be successful

in their training and upbringing mission they should rethink

the importance of purposeful work in families and schools.

Both school and family should understand that

educational process is better within the entire social and

cultural environment and must not be limited by school walls

Further development of agrarian IT-school will ensure:

−

initial profession-oriented training on the basis of

village schools in Tomsk Region;

the foundation of methodical councils for Biology

and Information teachers;

−

the development of learners’ portfolios;

the certification of graduating students attending

profession-oriented classes.

All above mentioned enables the training of highly

motivated school leavers for agrarian professional and

educational institutions (2).

Conclusion

The development strategy of the establishing educational

agro-industrial cluster aims at enhancing efficiency of the

quality management system with focus on the State Standard

requirements ISO 9001-2011 and recommendations of

ENQA, EFQUEL international agencies. The quality

management system includes a list of local acts and some

tools for monitoring and quality control of the educational

process and learning outcomes.

A special module called “Portfolio” will be introduced

and then used as an automated system to assess training

outcomes. This system is viewed as the inner quality

management system and is developed within the project

(

17). We can make a conclusion that the notion “village

school” means not only its geographical position but also a

unique social and cultural reality. The perception of an eared

field or bee cap can evoke aesthetic emotional experience and

understanding by a village teenager, i.e. the quality to

perceive the world which is very important for person’s

successful learning and finding his feet.

Therefore, it is vital to establish modern centers of

extended education for learners of municipal schools located

in village settlements. A good idea to tackle global and

regional challenges is to found an IT-school enabling

knowledge acquisition about agriculture through information

technologies and modern means of communication. An extra

boost in this educational entity will receive:

“

Unified information management system”. Besides, some

local self-assessment systems of educational activities of

agricultural institutes, colleges, agrarian comprehensive

schools and agricultural enterprises are completed and

adapted. Moreover, we plan to develop some guidelines for

correct use of technologies for independent quality

assessment of specialists’ vocational qualifications at all

stages of their theoretical and practical training. It is

necessary to do it together with regional agrarian partners and

foreign learning centers.

A training center of expertise will be established in the

educational agro-industrial cluster. This center will

coordinate actions of all educational institutions and

employers involved in the development and expertise of

training and policy documentation (19).

To train smart, intelligent and critically thinking

specialists for agricultural needs of Tomsk Region within the

educational agro-industrial cluster, Tomsk Agricultural

Institute will function as headquarters for programming and

comprehension of new learning outcomes. Learners will take

part in comprehension of innovations adopted in different

sectors of agricultural production. At a certain point they will

become co-developers working together with scientists

involved in the development of “breakthrough” programs in

−

new approaches to occupational guidance for

schoolchildren at Tomsk Agricultural Institute;

the use of information technologies and modern

means of communication in the educational process;

vocation-related disciplines for reaching a desired

−

level of proficiency.

At present the following profession-oriented courses are

being developed by Tomsk Agricultural Institute for agrarian

IT-school:

) «Recreational agronomics»;

) «Landscape design»;

) «Vegetable growing»;

) «Cattle-raising»;

) «Bee keeping».

These courses include some projects allowing learners to

experiment, formulate their own explanations about some

facts, then develop a theory, confirm and advocate it, and

simulate real situations (the development of agrarian

technologies). This can be considered as characteristic

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages: 823-827

different areas of agricultural science, engineering,

biotechnology, management and etc. (3).

6. Cherdymova EI, Vorobyeva KI, Romashkova OV, Mashkin NA,

Grigoriev SM, Romanchenko LN, Karpenko MA, Bayanova AR.

Photo exhibition influence on student environmental

consciousness formation. Ekoloji. 2018;106:1271-1278.

Tomsk Agricultural Institute has begun to master the

function of a competence aggregator. It is responsible for

arranging the probation period for university, college and

agrarian IT school students at innovative plants. Tomsk

Agricultural Institute is busy with the development of

information banks where all urgent information on the

activity of universities, laboratories, plants, training centers

will be accumulated and all seasonal changes, the level of

competitiveness and students’ competence behavior will be

recorded (24).

Tomsk State Agricultural University has decided to

master a new function as a connector (conductor) aimed at

improving learners’ interest in innovative activity and

ensuring targeted specialists’ sustained and skillful use of

innovative technologies and practices. It is necessary to

create a flexible educational infrastructure that will be

determined by individual syllabuses aimed at acquisition of

key competences for creating innovations (leadership,

investment, marketing, scientific research, innovative

Davydov VV, Gromyko YuV. Education as means for practice

formation and its growth of social regional development. Russia.

010;1:41-54.

8. Dual education. Perspectives to put practice into vocational

education on the basis of dual teaching in Russia. Moscow:

IFRU. 2015.

Exemplary general educational program for the general

secondary education. Approved by resolution of the federal

educational and methodological association (protocol №1/15

from 08.4.2015 as amended by the 28.10.2015 Protocol.

Moscow: Government. 2015.

0. Faktorovich AA. Theory and practice of quality control of

education in a modern university. Rostov-on-Don: IPO PIYUFU.

2011.

11. Faktorovich AA. Dual teaching: new possibilities and new

requirements to the quality of programs. Professional education.

Capital. 2014;11:26-28.

2. Instructional

Guidelines.

Instructional

guidelines

for

implementing the dual model for training qualified blue color

workers. Moscow: ACU. 2015.

competences,

competence

intended to innovation

3. Khusainova SV, Matveyeva LV, Ermilova LP, Yakushevskaya

KN, Kolomiychenko LV, Mashkin NA. Adaptive model of

psychological and pedagogical accompany of student

professional training. Espacios. 2018;39(05): 22.

implementation in the firm's operations and etc.). Tomsk

State Agricultural University as a connector can choose

economic, industrial, commercial, juridical educational

institutions for college, university and IT school students

4. Mashchenko ON. Social partnership as a social-pedagogical

phenomenon. Pedagogical education and science. 2011;1:47-50.

5. Novikov DA. Statistical methods in pedagogical study (typical

cases). Moscow: MZ-Press. 2004.

6. Order of the Ministry. Order of the Ministry of Education and

Science №1898 from 17.12.2010 (edited from 31.12.2015)

«About the approval of state educational standards of general

secondary education”. 2015.

(

supplying them financially) where they can master key

competences specified by their individual curriculum. This

ensures conscious desire for innovations (24).

Thus, all institutions of Tomsk educational agro-cultural

cluster carry out advanced training through mastering of

certain meta-professional skills (universality, creativity,

ability to teamwork, mobility and etc.) and some

17. Pakhno IV. Innovative activity and new formation of

personality: metasystemic approach. Psychology in economics

and management. 2015;7(1):25-35.

professionally

important

traits

(communicativeness,

purposefulness, responsibility, foresight and etc.) (25, 12).

The use of the personality-centered approach allows

graduating students of vocational institutions (a part of the

educational agro-industrial cluster) to take an active part in

projects aimed at the innovative development of agricultural

production. Young specialists possess some relevant abilities

and skills like self-evaluation, self-analysis, self-organization

and lifelong self-education.

8. Petukhova TP. University and school: educational cluster.

Higher education in Russia. 2010;7:113–121.

9. Toropov DA. Assurance of vocational education quality in

Germany. Moscow: Russian Academy of Education, Institute of

Pedagogics and Psychology of Vocational Education. 2005.

20. Velieva SV, Mashkin NA, Khairullina ER, Semenova TN,

Varlamova ME, Guseva TS, Dolgasheva MV. University student

professional

selfactualization:

Context

of personality

subjectivity. Espacios. 2018;39(20):12.

1. Vinogradova GA, Akhmadieva RS, Konovalova VM, Spirina

EV, Kalugina OA, Erdyneeva KG, Popova NN, Mashkin NA.

Releasers as factor of student ecological focus formation.

Ekoloji. 2018;27(106):1409-1415.

2. Works of graph LN. Tolstoy. Works of graph L.N. Tolstoy.

Volume 53. Part 4. Pedagogical articles, 12. Moscow. 1991.

3. Yakovleva IL. Some aspects of social partnership as an

important tool for the development of vocational education.

Bulletin of Moscow State Academy of business administration.

Series: Economics. 2011;4:31-38.

4. Yasvin VA. Educational environment: from simulation to

design. Moscow: Smisl. 2001.

5. Zimnyaya IA. Key competences – new paradigm of educational

outcomes. Higher education today. 2003;5:34-42.

6. Zinchenko YuP, Volodarskaya IA. Psychological and

pedagogical support for implementing innovative educational

programs. Moscow: Publishing House MSU. 2017.

References

Andreev AYu. Russian universities of XVIII century – the first

half of XIX century in the context of university history of

Europe. Moscow: Znack. 2009.

Aparts BS. School – recourse center of a scientific production

association profession. Vocational education. Capital:

–

(scientific research in education: pedagogics, psychology and

economics). 2008;11:3–7.

Baidenko VI. Outcome-based approach to the development of

professional standards of higher vocational education

(methodological and methodical issues: teaching aid. Moscow:

Research center of training quality of specialists. 2005.

Blinov VI. Practice-oriented vocational education. Professional

education. Capital. 2014;1:14-16.

Buresh OV, & Zhuk MA. The creation of educational scientific

industrial clusters as the strategy for competitive recovery of the

region. Higher Education in Russia. 2009;3:120–125.