Patriotic education as part of history classes for students of engineering universities

Patriotic education is an important and integral part of the learning process for students. This paper proposes patriotic education technologies tested at the Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering when teaching history as part of the Fakel project (Torchlight). In this project, students record the accounts of the Great Patriotic War veterans, study family archives and Internet-based databases to collect and summarize the details of the war events. This technology helps better engage students in studying and writing historical reports to cover the events of personal importance from their family history. This improves understanding of history and historical research skills; it instills love and respect for the country and for the people, while the participants also become civic-minded as a result. The Project has involved more than a thousand students over ten years, which is a sign of success and students’ great interest in it.