Abstract:

Since the opening of universities to vocationally qualified students, enrolment figures for this particular target group have been on the rise. In order to respond to the demand from special technical schools, a degree programme was set up at Aalen University which, under certain conditions, leads to a one-year shortening of the academic training. The following practical and discussion article uses two groups of students to examine whether the academic success and employability of students on the shortened programme differ significantly from those on the regular programme. The reasons for the differences identified are also discussed. Finally, it is shown that the shortening of the degree programme does not have any negative effects on the quality of the professional skills of students on the shortened degree programme.

The reduction in study time described here applies to graduates of state or state-recognised technical colleges specialising in mechanical (construction) engineering or mechatronics in the Mechatronics degree programme at Aalen University. Before the shortened degree programme was set up, modules totalling 65 ECTS were identified which, in terms of the skills to be taught, can be regarded as having been secured by previous attendance at the technical colleges at the start of the degree programme and are therefore not required for this specific target group. The remaining modules are offered jointly to students on the shortened and regular mechatronics degree programmes.

The study is based on a survey of two different cohorts: the cohort of the shortened five-semester programme and the cohort of the regular programme, which comprises a total of seven semesters. In addition, the average grades of the examinations completed by both groups were determined and compared with each other.

The average final grade of the students on the shortened degree programme is striking: 1.2. This is 0.7 grade points higher than the average (1.9) for students on the regular degree programme. This result is surprising, as it was not expected and is also not assumed a priori in current discussions. Similar differences can be seen in the subjects of maths and mechanics. This also makes it clear that the reservations of students with a vocational qualification against subjects such as engineering mathematics cannot be justified in more detail.

Keywords:

Education, technology education, mechatronical engineering, curriculum design, accreditation and quality in education, higher education, undergraduate education, STEM education experiences.