Abstract:
The design of curricula in the context of the dynamics of educational standards is shifting from a static set of disciplines to system modeling. This approach should take into account multilevel relationships and the logic of forming cross–cutting competencies. The purpose of the research is to create and test methodological tools for the analysis of educational programs of universities based on network analysis methods. The curriculum is formalized in the form of an undirected graph, where the vertices are disciplines, and the edges are connections through common competencies. The work uses a multidimensional network analysis, including the calculation of centrality measures (degree, betweenness, closeness, eigenvector) and key topological metrics: density, modularity, diameter, and clustering coefficient. The empirical base was made up of data from the curricula of three universities in Omsk. The analysis revealed significant structural and topological differences in the architecture of educational programs due to their departmental affiliation and target training models. Network metrics make it possible to quantify the interdisciplinary connectivity and modularity of programs, which is not available for traditional approaches. The results obtained confirm the high diagnostic potential of network analysis for sound optimization of curricula and verification of compliance with professional competencies.