The results of the work on the integrated monitoring system and information technologies development providing the organization and statistical observation of the Russian higher professional education institutions´ faculty´s advanced vocational training and realization of continuing professional education programs by them are considered below. The work´s actuality is determined by the fact that nowadays the total faculty strength of all higher professional education institutions makes more than 220 thousand people; therefore in the advanced training system about 45000 places are distributed annually, that needs the creation of integrating information record, control and process optimization system. The most important purposeful problem of the specified information system is the computer-assisted creation and support of the integrated informative space in Russia in terms of continuing professional education.
In the system´s development phase the analysis, the type definition of relevant information for federal data base forming-up and the unification of information flows structural units were carried out. Nine main statistical reporting forms were developed and the parameters determining the statistical reporting outputs were offered: the organization type, reporting form (advanced training form), fiscal year, variable parameters, etc.
In the next phase the automation processes´ software support was developed:
- operational data collection from remote subjects;
- provided information monitoring;
- provision of operational statistical information;
- final reporting forms formation.
The information system bundled software is meant for the information accumulation unification and automation in the sphere of continuing professional education, and also for carrying out the monitoring for the purpose of coordination of extended institutions´ and higher education institutions departments´, implementing the continuing professional education programs, activities. The created software is designed for the formation of the integrated database on the sponsoring extended education activities institutions´ work and the provision of the following functions support:
- information storage in the common distributed database with the information integrity procedures provision;
- accumulation, storage and maintenance of structured information records;
- database updating from work stations concurrently with regard to the data integrity maintenance.
The "client-server" model (Fig. 1), in which the process performed in the client´s part is restricted by representation functions and the applied functions are realized in the software component of the application server, is used at the development. In its turn, the application server is supported by the gateway of exchange with database server, by its information objects. They are stored directly in the database and are performed on the computer-database server, where also the component functions, which controls the data access, i.e. the DBMS core. The "client-server" model advantage lies in the possibility of centralized, including the server-side remote administration, traffic reduction in the net; possibility of practically unrestricted SHC scaling and application entities absence in the client part, and therefore - no need of client-side renewal distribution.
Figure 1. "Client-server" model
The software was created on the basis of the information system maximum work accessibility demands and operator´s position minimum requirements. The operator should possess the user-defined knowledge of work in WWW, the experience of WWW browser use and work with interactive Web-sites. The operator´s work with the program is possible within the framework of any Internet-link.The possibility of carrying out the advanced training analysis by both higher professional education institutions and those of continuing professional education separately has been realized. The created information system allows analyzing the course of upgrading on different programs and projects, particularly on federal purpose-oriented programs, on the programs of Ministries and Agencies, international programs, etc. Besides, the information system allows analyzing the summarized information on all the programs of qualification upgrading integrally.
An important developed instrument of the monitoring is the operational statistical information enabling to evaluate the process and bring necessary corrections in. With the information system introduction a real opportunity to get and analyze the data from the organizations implementing the advanced training practically in real time will appear; it will be possible to put into effect the very operational control for the upgrading process.
Let us view briefly the variable parameters according to which one can get the statistical information. The following variable parameters types were chosen as the result of the carried out analysis:
- training trends;
- implications for different federal districts;
- listeners´ qualification;
- age categories;
- listeners´ occupational titles.
The information system enables to get the distribution of the listeners having passed the advanced training according to various training trends; federal districts; academic degrees and titles; age categories and official capacities. The created system enables to get and analyze 40 different distributions presented in the form of diagrams which can easily be shown as the corresponding tables. Their analysis allows providing the forecast of the most popular upgrading and the continuing education system development directions. The final data charts also enable to evaluate the efficiency of the professional advancement centers´ work by means of the findings and standards comparison.
In the course of the work execution necessary forms of intermediate and final statistical reporting were determined. The information about the performance of the tasks on the qualification and continuing professional education programs is presented in the form of enlarged direction groups or training speciality charts. At that, there is an opportunity to derive such charts separately for every region, city or the Russian Federation as a whole. All the information can be put in two tables integrating the data according to the specified levels. The data integration level can be given separately on the three levels: city, region and the Russian Federation as a whole. Besides the main output statistical forms the function of representation of complete information about the upgrading results and the extended education program carrying out separately on every institution reporting to the Education Federal Agency about its work in the specified direction was introduced into Federal Database maintenance application program.
The information about the extended education programs execution results is important enough for the analysis of the actual reeducation directions in the society and allows forecasting the most promising ones in the context of further development and main programs list change. The creation of educational activity monitoring information system in the sphere of the faculty´s advanced training enables:
- to form the necessary output statistical reporting including the forecasting of the most popular directions and specializations;
- to create the instruments of professional advancement centers´ work performance evaluation.
The solution of the above enumerated problems enabled to develop the innovation model of volume, training directions formation and work organization planning on scientific management and higher professional education institutions´ faculties´ reeducation and upgrading.
The article is admitted to the International Scientific Conference "Bologna Agreements problems and realization experience", Great Britain, 4-11th September, 2007, came to the editorial office on 09.11.07.