COMPUTER-AIDED EDUCATION IN MECHATRONICS WITH A “WINDOW INTO THE COMPUTER”

The design of mechatronic systems requires extensive knowledge from various disciplines that has to be mastered, applied, and cross-linked. In the various softwares employed, knowledge is formalised and saved for reuse. Academic education has to teach students how to work with software systems while taking into account the theoretical contents and methods and using examples that have a strong relation to research. The research projects serve as innovation pools where new concepts and innovative ideas are developed and realized. An example taken from the lecture course on simulation technology will illustrate the way the students are imparted knowledge on methods of generating and analyzing the equations describing mechatronic systems and also the manner in which they acquire the ability to perform simulations and assess the results.