10 years Basic

On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, the online conference "10 Years BASIC - Review and Perspectives" took place at TU Ilmenau. 68 participants took the opportunity to talk with project participants and former BASIC students about results from ten years of project work within the innovative teaching model "Basic Engineering School".

The project "BASIC - Basic Engineering School - New forms of teaching and learning in engineering education - especially in the introductory phase of studies " was funded from January 2012 to March 2021 by the "Program for better study conditions and more quality in teaching - Teaching Quality Pact" by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Each year, up to 60 students in mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, mechatronics, electrical engineering and information technology, and biomedical engineering could be admitted to the model group of the Basic Engineering School - a total of around 500 students.

"The holistically designed measures within the BASIC project have significantly supported the further development of teaching culture and teaching design at the TU Ilmenau," says project manager Sabine Fincke. "Activating and motivating forms of learning have been more strongly integrated into the introductory phase of engineering studies. Positive experiences in the expanded use of these teaching methods were made, for example, in the engineering-specific increase in competence. In particular, it was also possible to take greater account of the individual needs of students in the introductory study phase and to promote interdisciplinary work."

One of the special features of the BASIC teaching model is that students complete an interdisciplinary practical project within the first year of study. This can be the construction of a model of a solar plant, a wind turbine or an autonomous vehicle. In addition to the design of the mechanics, the development of a circuit for control and power supply and the programming of the control system must be mastered. The designed components must be manufactured, printed circuit boards assembled and soldered, and various program codes created. This requires well-coordinated, planned cooperation among the four to five students per project group and promotes an understanding of the technical fundamentals in engineering studies. "The presentation of the interdisciplinary practical projects was a very special milestone in the studies for the BASIC students every year and impressively illustrates the effects and impacts of the BASIC teaching model," says Sabine Fincke. "All students at the TU Ilmenau have benefited from new and didactically redesigned learning and support offerings in the basic subjects, as well as newly created offerings to support interdisciplinary competence development."

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Contact: Sabine Fincke

Project Management BASIC Engineering School

Tel.: 03677 69-4554, e-mail: basic@tu-ilmenau.de