Supporting self-directed learning, promoting digital skills and ensuring academic success: These are the aims of a new project at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was successful with its fellowship application "LernSMART - e-assessments to promote self-directed learning processes in engineering with reference to the structured analysis and processing of complex tasks" . The project proposal was developed in the Department of Technical Thermodynamics in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and is now being funded by the "Digital Higher Education Saxony" cooperation project.
This cross-university tandem fellowship project between Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Technical Thermodynamics, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Meinert) and Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Chair of Technical Thermodynamics, Dr.-Ing. Rhena Wulf) aims to systematically develop the teaching of both tandem partners, test and implement innovative methods using digital tools and promote the transfer of knowledge.
The background to this is the challenge that the typical calculation tasks in basic engineering modules are sometimes rated as difficult by many students, although the mathematical demands are often manageable. Theoretical understanding and methodical allocation of the processes cause the greatest problems. The aim of the project is to develop supplementary e-learning courses to support students in the analysis of more complex tasks and the development of solutions derived from them. The central pillars are problem analyses, which cannot be solved numerically. Instead, preliminary considerations are to be made, on the basis of which tasks can be classified and approaches derived. The format helps to support self-directed learning, promote digital skills and ensure academic success.
The project fits in with the many innovative measures of the Technical Thermodynamics Saxony working group. This specialist working group, in which all professorships of this discipline at Saxon universities and universities of applied sciences are currently represented, has been working for many years on the implementation of effective teaching-learning formats and e-learning offers. Supported by the Digital Higher Education project, the transfer is to be carried out within this fellowship as part of the specialist working group and will then be available as an example for future transfer projects.
In order to promote digital higher education, the cooperation project "Digital Higher Education in Saxony " was launched by the E-Learning Working Group of the Saxon Rectors' Conference (LRK) and the Saxon Center for Higher Education Didactics. For the sub-project "Fellowships for digitized higher education", all university members were able to submit applications for funding projects in the field of digitally supported teaching and learning. After appropriate assessment, funding recommendations were made for 2021 and 2022.
