Get More Women Enthusiastic About Engineering With “machine House”

Successfully complete your studies! With this aim, many students start their time at colleges and universities. The reality, especially in engineering subjects, is different: Here, the dropout rate is above average compared to other subjects. A transfer project by VDMA and Kaiserslautern University would like to counteract this as part of the “Maschinenhaus” initiative.

Although practical relevance and regional relevance attract many students to his university, the number of freshmen in engineering should continue to increase. But it's not just about more students. “Above all, we want to inspire more young women to study technology. So far, less than a third of our students are female,”explains Prof. Dr. Thomas Reiner, Dean of the Department of Applied Engineering, who supports the project. The promotion of women for highly qualified engineering professions is an important concern of the university. Prof. Dr. Torsten Hielscher, Head of Industrial Engineering in the Department of Applied Engineering, takes over the university's internal coordination of the nacelle transfer project.

Higher quality of study and teaching

Another goal of the transfer project is to increase the quality of study and teaching. Hielscher: “Their careers are as varied as our students. We want to support the success of the study through individualized study courses and detailed advice."

The VDMA, the HIS Institute for University Development eV (HIS-HE) and the University of Kaiserslautern are therefore working together in the transfer project to improve the study situation. "We first analyze the current situation and then develop specific measures for more quality in study and teaching," explains Uwe Krüger from HIS-HE. The experts from VDMA and HIS-HE use interviews to interview those responsible for the course, teachers and students. They discuss with them about study goals, strategies for quality assurance and preventive measures against dropping out.

The VDMA has already collected tried and tested instruments and best practice examples from its studies and teaching in its nacelle toolbox. HS Kaiserslautern benefits from the experience of other universities. But she also has her own ideas: In the near future, the HS Kaiserslautern intends to further expand its cooperation with local companies in order to enable students to train more practically. In addition, stronger collaboration with schools should increase students' interest in the range of courses.

Content of the article:

• Page 1: Inspiring more women for engineering sciences with “Maschinenhaus”
• Page 2: Machine house for better study conditions

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