Method of Designing Cognitive Map for Optimization of Vocational Guidance of Higher Educational Institution

Abstract

The article considers the problem of optimizing the behavior of a complex system in which the observed factors (indicators, variables) are not controllable and vice versa. It is noted that such a situation takes place when optimizing the vocational guidance activity of the university aimed at increasing the number of applicants for the bachelor’s degree of education, since the university can only influence its activities, and the choice of a particular university and its priority during the introductory company is done by the applicant himself. A new method for designing a cognitive map with the provision of cognitive consonances between controllable and observable vertices is proposed, which makes it possible to identify the weights of the arcs of such a map with the maximum use of all available information based on the results of polls of freshmen both for the arcs of observed vertices and arcs of controllable and other vertices. According to the fundamental idea of the method, each observed indicator is put in correspondence controlled. The indicators are interconnected by a complex of arcs, the direction and weight of which are determined by expert estimates and analytically. The working capacity of the developed method is shown on the example of constructing a cognitive map for the task of optimizing the vocational guidance activity of the university. The efficiency of the method is confirmed by the fact that the constructed cognitive map proved to be stable, that is, it can indeed be used for cognitive modeling tasks. The analysis of the vertices and descriptions and values of the weights made it possible to formulate a set of recommendations on the priority activity of the university. Its activities should be aimed at optimizing the main indicators related to strengthening the human and material and technical potential of the educational institution, international activities, cooperation with employers and employment of graduates, working with schoolchildren, graduates and informing about their activities in the media and social networks, etc.