Abstract

The study success strategy of the HTW Dresden focuses on study orientation and the introductory phase of studies, in which about two thirds of students are drop-out. The concept of the project "MINT Grenzgänger" pursues a holistic view and therefore includes the entire course of the study in order to also take into account problems that arise later.

The object of the project is the development of a flexibly usable and adaptable modular system of modules for all participating courses of study and disciplines. This modules can then be used to design offers specifically tailored to the participant groups, e.g. experiments, workshops and project work.

A high degree of abstraction is characteristic for the basic modules. Here, the majority of basic knowledge is imparted, which means a lot of effort in preparation and follow-up as well as in the actual implementation. Moreover, many of the topics overlap within courses and subject areas.

In contrast, the special modules have a high degree of specialization. The main aim of these courses is to provide in-depth and interdisciplinary knowledge. The modules are designed for team and project work and are characterized by their high proportion of applied research.

In the course of the project, specific formats for all groups of participants and the required modules and contents are first designed. Subsequently, the modules are implemented in practice, assigned to the formats and tested in execution. Finally, the project is evaluated, especially to ensure concepts and measures for sustainability.

Robotics to try out

In the winter semester 2018/2019 students meet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5 pm in the computer lab Z355 to gain first experiences in the field of application programming or to deepen existing knowledge. Currently, various courses are offered that deal with sensor technology and loop programming.

In these courses, the students should, for example, build a windscreen wiper and/or a traffic light with Fischertechnik components and program their controls. In a further module, students will take a closer look at the different types of drives. As a practical example, a robot is to be taught various driving maneuvers, which must be implemented by the students. This demonstrates the interdisciplinary character of the courses, as knowledge from other scientific subjects must be drawn upon. As a result, the tasks encourage creative thinking on the one hand and provide general programming basics on the other.. 

At the beginning the students get an introduction to the programming language Python and the use of the Fischertechnik construction kit. Building on this, they can apply or extend their knowledge of programming using a concrete example. Due to the interdisciplinary requirements of the module, electrical and physical basics are also taught in addition. The courses therefore offer an excellent opportunity to immediately apply a wide range of acquired knowledge in practice or to gain new knowledge.

All previous courses will continue to exist in the summer semester and will be systematically expanded.

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Winter semester 2018/19

Duration: ca. 90 min per Course

Location: Computer laboratory Z355

Time: Thuesday and Wednesday at 5 pm

Binding registration to ronny.schlag(at)htw-dresden.de

No previous knowledge necessary.