Introducing a Cross-University Bachelor’s Programme with Orientation Semester - Enabling a Permeable Academic Education System

摘要

This paper presents the development and implementation of a cooperative bachelor degree programme (210 ECTS credits, 7 semesters) in the field of electrical engineering. It is based on the German academic system comprising of the classical universities with a strong postgraduate reseach programme and the universities of applied sciences focussing on an application-based approach. Within the first semester, both institutions share a common challenge: The intentional highly abstract and demanding nature of the courses overtaxes the freshmen. To overcome this challenge, the authors focus on two aspects: First, the content of the classical first semester is spread over two semesters and new courses are introduced to alleviate deficits in mathematics and physics, allowing a smoother transition from school to university. Secondly, the courses are evenly distributed among the two universities, so that each student can identify the individually more suitable higher education system without the experience of failure (orientation).