Broadening personal competence profiles through transdisciplinary project modules

Abstract

Engineering education today is often organised in discipline-specific modules. Although it is essential to build up basic knowledge, cross-disciplinary knowledge is fundamental for solving complex problems. Transdisciplinary approaches can provide the necessary hard and soft skills, improve self-determination in education and broaden personal competence profiles. The experience gained is conveyed using the example of project-based modules on the topics of a) AI applications to minimise racial biasing in medical technology and b) construction of microfluidic systems to avoid animal testing. These were developed over several semesters by interdisciplinary student groups involving industry and research partners. The concept was initially carried out online in an interdisciplinary project module focusing on individual learning objectives, composed of the disciplines "Mechanical Engineering", "Computational Engineering Science", "Physical Engineering Sciences" as well as "Biomedical Engineering" and is being expanded in a hybrid-transdisciplinary manner through gradual additions including systems engineering, philosophy and sustainability in technology, ergonomics and human-machine systems. Through active participation in researching and solving real challenges, collaboration of transdisciplinary teams over several group generations and setting individual learning goals, profound knowledge and new methodological competences can be acquired beyond engineering disciplines. The integration of non-technical methods and approaches allows students to recognise complex problems and identify the necessary competences in order to realise a successful project. To further expand this approach, a new module concept for interdisciplinary cooperation in production engineering was developed. It takes up the aspects of individual, project-based learning and brings together all the competences of the institute in transdisciplinary exchange.