focus!ng – my studies in focus

NOTICE

Two more semesters at the start of your studies can lead to successful completion: “focus!ng” starts with mechanical engineering

Sarah Blaß Communication and Event Management
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences

Targeted support can help make it easier to start studying. The “focus!ng – focus on my studies” project will therefore start at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Frankfurt UAS) in the winter semester of 2022/23. First of all, students of the bachelor's degree program in mechanical engineering can benefit from this. In the coming semesters, it will also be expanded to include other bachelor's degree programs: first service engineering as well as product development and technical design, then electrical and information technology. “focus!ng” is part of the “Studying at Adapted Speed” project, which is run by the Hessian Ministry for Science and Research, Art and Culture (HMWK) as part of the “High quality in studying and teaching, good framework conditions for studying” (QuiS ) is funded at all five Hessian universities of applied sciences (HAW).

“Our university stands for opportunities through education like no other: We know that our students start with a wide variety of backgrounds and we want to provide them with the best possible support on their journey. We have been observing for a long time that some first-year students feel overwhelmed when starting their studies - especially if they have not taken the traditional route of graduating from high school. With the focus!ng project, we would like to offer you early and targeted support so that your studies become a success.

“Thanks to the project, students can devote themselves to their studies particularly intensively and in a structured manner,” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. René Thiele, Executive President and Vice President for Studies and Teaching at Frankfurt UAS. Prof. Dr. Thordis Michalke, Dean of Studies in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, adds: “With focus!ng, we offer students who have knowledge gaps, especially in mathematics, an opportunity to close them. Mathematics knowledge in particular forms an important and decisive basis for engineering.”

Basic idea of ​​the project

For students who choose the focus!ng study option, the first two semesters of a degree program (introductory phase) are stretched over four semesters, so that the standard period of study for a six-semester Bachelor's degree program is a total of eight semesters. At the same time, in addition to the specialist modules, these students take mandatory additional courses, for example on orientation in the university system and in their future professional field - excursions to companies or lectures by company representatives are also planned. The aim is to introduce the career profile of an engineer in the first semesters: for example, by having students weld, disassemble and assemble engines or design their first machines on the PC using appropriate software. Students also acquire key skills for their studies and career: such as team work, appreciative communication, Microsoft Office training and self-reflection.

Goals of the project

The aim of focus!ng is to increase study success and reduce dropout rates. The initial study phase will be streamlined and the number of exams per semester will be reduced - this will make the transition between school or work and studying easier. The project is open to anyone interested. Participation in the study variant can be relevant for prospective students who have a technical high school diploma (200 hours less math compared to the Abitur), whose schooling was a little longer ago, who are entering the course with a professional qualification (e.g. as part of a model experiment). or who have the feeling that they are missing important basics. The following added value is achieved for students: a fixed structure and helpful additional offers for their study organization and subject-specific orientation. The study option is also eligible for BAföG funding. In addition, focus!ng is characterized by intensive support for students - the project coordinator Nina Ansorg-Rülke accompanies the students throughout their entire studies.

enrollment

If you are interested in the focus!ng study option, you should first enroll in the regular mechanical engineering course of study. Even after the start of lectures, students can switch to the study variant for four weeks. After deciding on focus!ng, the students contact the contact person Nina Ansorg-Rülke, who accompanies the students in all further steps.

Mechanical engineering students in the second semester who have not yet made any significant progress in their studies can also opt for focus!ng up to two weeks after the start of lectures.