Vocational Education in the Occupational Field of Mechanical Engineering Technology

 

Content

Contents of the seminar "Vocational education in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology" are as follows:

• Clarifying the subject area of the didactics of the industrial-technical vocational specialization mechanical engineering technology.
• Job descriptions of industrial and craft mechanical engineering professions; references to the Prof. Becher’s lecture "Production Engineering: Core Competencies and Tasks of the Production Engineer" are illustrated. The production chains (e.g. for the manufacture of a gear shaft or turbine blade) are discussed with regard to the manufacturing processes (primary forming, forming, machining), machine tools, production management, production metrology, materials technology and with regard to the division of labor and skilled labor in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology
• Innovations in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology
• Technical, work organizational and qualifying requirements in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology
• Institutions of vocational education in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology (chambers, guilds, social partners, associations, ministries, [independent] educational institutions, schools, etc.).
• Relevant discussions about objectives and content in the vocational specialization of mechanical engineering technology (concept of competence, concepts of professional competence, German and European qualifications framework).
• The means for order and their curricular approaches in the vocational specialization of mechanical engineering technology (design principles of vocational curricula, learning area-oriented curricula).

Objective

The aim of the seminar "Vocational education in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology" is to connect the expertise established at the university with educational paths of vocational education and training and to recognize where vocational education expertise differs fundamentally from the approach that science takes. To this end, it is necessary to build up a reflective meta-knowledge of work and occupation in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology, which includes insight into technical, work-organizational, and professional developments of skilled workers with the corresponding historical backgrounds. The acquired meta-knowledge is evaluated and reflected in all courses with regard to its significance for the actions of teachers at vocational colleges and their design possibilities.

In the seminar, students learn ...

• to reflect on the evolution of mechanical engineering professions.
• about the tasks of different institutions for the education and training of mechanical engineering professions.
• about the development and structure of classification tools in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology.
• to reflect present developments, innovations and problems in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology.
• and get to know on-going trials of qualification research in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology.
• about job profiles in the occupational field of mechanical engineering technology and can describe the division of labor of these.

Teaching and Learning Method

The aim of the seminar is to become acquainted with on-going challenges of teachers at vocational colleges, to analyze these challenges against the background of theories in order to be able to generate potential solutions for their future profession. For this purpose, the students are provided digitally with teaching materials on theoretical references on the one hand and on the other hand on concrete challenges to be dealt with at the vocational college prior to classes. The aim of the attendance dates is to work on practical challenges with the help of theoretical approaches in critical discourse in the learning group in order to promote an active knowledge construction of the students.

The examination itself takes the form of a presentation based on a written paper and is an integral part of the seminar. Here, the students have the opportunity to deal with a problem in depth and to engage in critical-constructive discourse with their fellow students