INTEGRATION OF APPLIED COMPUTER MODELING AND INTERNET OF THINGS SYSTEMS DESIGN IN TRAINING ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Abstract

The article addresses the critical issue of the historical gap between the theoretical training of engineering students (often limited to applied computer modeling) and its practical implementation (specifically, the design of full-fledged Internet of Things – IoT systems). This significant disparity in the educational process directly contradicts the current requirements of Industry 4.0 and the necessity of preparing specialists capable of working effectively with Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). The authors substantiate the urgent need for a paradigmatic transition to CPS-Education, focused on developing the crosscutting competencies of a modern engineer. The central and key element of this new educational concept is the idea of the Digital Twin. It is this toolset that ensures a seamless, bidirectional convergence and integration of virtual and physical environments, allowing for the real-time modeling, monitoring, and optimization of actual physical processes. To bridge the identified gap and ensure the integrity of engineering training, the article proposes and details an original fivephase model of the integrated project lifecycle. This model represents a structured and sequential algorithm of work that covers all key stages – from the initial idealization and creation of a deterministic mathematical or computer model (Phase 1), through simulation and validation processes, up to empirical testing (real-world environment testing) and the physical implementation of the full-scale Cyber-Physical System (Phase 5). Special attention is paid to defining the organizational and pedagogical conditions necessary for the effective implementation of the proposed five-phase model into the educational process. A key condition is the creation of an integrated laboratory complex, which must be equipped with modern tools for working with IoT, virtual/augmented reality, and instruments for creating and utilizing Digital Twins. The results of the study possess high methodological value and can serve as a theoretical and practical basis for the reform of engineering educational programs, specifically for the development of the necessary cross-cutting professional competencies of a CPS-engineer, capable of designing, developing, and operating complex cyber-physical systems in the context of globalized digital manufacturing.