Study Just in Time. Development of temporally and spatially flexible curricular study elements

At a glance

For: Prospective students, current students, lecturers, student advisors

Topics: Accessibility, academic success, internationalization, counselling, digitalization, flexibility

Location: University of Kassel

Study Just in Time (Mechanical Engineering)

Students are often confronted with standardized study plans and rigid timetables. Curricula are indeed mostly based on the assumption that students are freely available in terms of time and location. This is particularly true for engineering programs, which have remained highly structured even after the introduction of modular teaching. However, these requirements fail to reflect the realities of many (potential) students' lives. Student surveys show that the proportion of students who can fully dedicate themselves to their studies is lower than often assumed. Many students have to work alongside their studies to finance them, have family obligations, are limited by chronic illnesses or disabilities, or want to enrich their studies with additional internships or stays abroad. Surveys from the University of Kassel indicate that approximately 40% of all students are affected by such limitations. This can prevent them from starting a degree program or lead to extended study periods or dropping out altogether. The "Study just in time" project in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kassel addresses this issue with a comprehensive package of measures.

Various measures are intended to make the course of study more flexible, e.g. by

Advance timetables covering at least two semesters to improve planning reliability
Individual study plans, developed as part of comprehensive educational coaching
Establishment of flexible examination formats including testing of "on demand" exams
Introduction of hybrid teaching formats
Expansion of the range of parallel courses, e.g. at off-peak times or in block format
Expansion of the range of asynchronous online courses

Against the backdrop of a more flexible course of study thanks to these measures, the aim is also to specifically target prospective students who have not previously seen an opportunity to begin their studies due to temporal, spatial or other restrictions, supported by intensive student marketing that takes these new possibilities into account.