• the short duration of studies
  (In generally a regular course of studies consists of 8 semesters, including one "practical" semester at a company or at a foreign university and the diploma semester.),
• the teaching of "applied" knowledge and the training of practical skills instead of excellent theoretical knowledge,
• the learning in small groups of students (35-70 students in a lecture, 18-35 students in a seminar and less then 10 students in laboratories or projects)
• and, last but not least, the good and closed contact between the students and the teaching staff.

1. In only 6 semesters the students have to acquire basic knowledge and practical skills in multiple fields (mathematics, physics and informatics; mechanics, construction, materials, dynamics of machines and drives; electrical engineering and electronics; control, sensors, actuators and automation) and they have to understand, to feel the connection between these fields, the interdisciplinary and system character of robotics or mechatronics. Mechatronical engineers are generalists and specialists in one person.
2. In addition to the professional skills system engineers like mechatronical engineers have to be trained in project management, in team working, in foreign languages (at least they have to know English) and in special languages of different fields.

• mathematics (20%), computer sciences (10%), physics (7%), mechanics (15%), construction (10%), materials (10%), electrical engineering (7%), electronics (7%); foreign languages (5%), business management (5%) and mechatronics (5%) during the first 3 semester,
• mathematics (2%), computer sciences (6%), drives (4%), CAD (4%), dynamics of machines (4%), technical electronics (4%); micro controllers (4%), control (8%), sensors (2%), actuators (2%), measurement (4%), mechatronics (8%), projects (6%), specialisation (24%), soft skills (8%), laboratories (8%), special seminars (4%) during the second 3 semester (4th, 6th and 7th).

• the students of mechatronics have to acquire a specialisation in one or two fields, that means, that in the last two semesters they should choice related modules of specialisation which includes such forms as seminars and studies,
• new forms of teaching and learning like interdisciplinary projects - teams have to solve practical technical problems with limited resources - at different stages of the studies are possible to transport some ideas and a feeling for project management, team work, calculation of costs, interdependence of system components, necessity of planing and system optimisation in a short time without a great amount of lectures,
• the realised curricula are able to produce an engineer who can be employed as a specialist or as a system engineer and who is able to learn, to train himself in mechatronics and its disciplines.

Contents

• Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany
• Mechatronics at Fachhochschulen
• Main problems of designing the courses
• Analysis of some curricula - commons and differences
• Curriculum of an ideal Course
• New elements in Education
• Conclusion

City Brandenburg in the state Brandenburg

Specifies of Universities of Applied Sciences

• the short duration of studies
  (8 semesters, including one "practical" semester and the 1 diplome semester, 1 sem. = 16 weeks 26h.)
• the teaching of "applied" knowledge and the training of practical skills instead of excellent theoretical knowledge
• the learning in small grooups of students
  (35-70 st. in a lecture, 18-35 st. in a seminar and less then 10 students in laboratories or projects)
• the good and closed contact between the students and the teaching staff

Graduation

Mechatronics at Fachhochschulen

Mechatronics at FH Bochum

Classical Courses 8 semester with 1 practical and diploma semester

Co-operative Courses 10 semesters with 1 practical and diploma semester + profession at a company

International Courses 8 semester with 1 foreign and diploma semester + 2nd degree

Main problems of designing of courses

• basic knowledge and practical skills in multiple fields
  (mathematics, physics and informatics; mechanics, construction, materials, dynamics of machines and drives; electrical engineering and electronics; control, sensors, actuators and automation)
• understanding and feeling of the interdisciplinarity of mechatronics
  (robotic or mechatronic systems)

generalist

specialist

• project management
• team working
• foreign languages
• special languages

What is the problem ?

How to solve the problem ?

Quality ?
Duration ?
Amount of lectures ?
Specialisation ?
Practical skills

specialisation in 1 or 2 fields ? new forms of teaching and learning ? more projects and practical experiments ?

Basic Courses

Main Courses

Fachhochschule	Average	Average	FH Brandenburg	FH Merseburg	FH Bochum	FH Lippe	FH Aachen
	SWS	%	SWS	SWS	SWS	SWS	SWS
mathematics	2	2%	2
computer science	4	4%	4	4	8
drives	4	4%	3		10
CAD	4	4%	3	4		6	6
dynamics of machine	4	4%		7			6
technical electronics	4	4%	2	4	8
micro controlers	4	4%	2
control	8	8%	4	4	8	8	9
actors	2	2%		8	8
measurement	4	4%	2	5
mechatronics	4	4%	8	18	16		17
laboratories	8	8%	8			2
projects	6	6%	6	4			3
specialisation	24	25%	24			34	39
soft skills	8	8%	4	6	11	5	6
special seminars	4	4%	4	4	4		2
others			8	12	10	6	0
altogether	96	100%	84	85	91	61	0

Special Courses at FH Köln

(Prof. Dr.- Ing. Hermann Henrichfreise)

• Mechatronics 1/2
• Selected Topics from Mechatronics
• CAE-Tools in Mechatronics and Control Engineering
• Robotics
• Project Mechatronics, Controls

Robotics

(Bochum, Köln, Merseburg, Brandenburg,..)

Practical Mechatronics

(FH Brandenburg Laboratory of Artifical Intelligence)

Conclusions

• good proportions in the average
• a small dominance of mechanical enigeering and a small deficit of practical informatics
• specialisation in one or two fields, maybe in the last two semesters related modules of specialisation including seminars and studies
• new forms of teaching and learning like interdisciplinary projects at different stages of the studies
• teams have to solve practical technical problems with limited resources in team work
• transport some ideas and a feeling for project management, team work, calculation of costs, interdependence of system components, necessity of planing and system optimisation indirectly in a short time without a great amount of lectures
• the realised curricula are able to produce an engineer who can be employed as a specialist or as a system enigeer and who is able to learn, to train himself in mechatronics and its disciplines
• courses of mechatronics can be successfully introduced in Fachhochschulen as
• classical, co-operative and international courses
• post gradual master of science -courses