Introducing first year non-experienced mechanical engineering students to an action-oriented approach of a 'machining license'

In response to increased dropout rates and as a result of repealing the compulsory pre-study internship for bachelor candidates in mechanical engineering, first year students receive the opportunity to gain their experiences and get a so-called 'machining license'. In the spirit of a holistic 'hands-on engineering'-approach, the students will run through the entire process - from idea to product - and experience various manufacturing processes in a mechanical workshop - the 'Technikum': a 500 square meter production facility at the Hochschule Ruhr West. The developed scenario has been derived from a cooperation with the TU Dortmund Universities' professorship for Engineering Didactics, where the course design was used for teaching woodcraft to adults.