Seminar Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Berkesan 2008

EXPLORING ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN GERMANY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A VISITING DELEGATE Andanastuti Muchtar Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

ABSTRACT This article explores the German engineering education from the perspective of Dr Andanastuti Muchtar from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) who went on an exchange programme to the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) beginning 1st October 2007 and ending 30th September 2008. As the author was privileged to share the German experience with her spouse and three children, her exposure to the German education system was not only limited to that which she gained from her work at university, but also included the experience of her young children in kindergarten and at school. In this paper, the author wishes to share her experience and analysis on engineering education in Germany from her point of view, which is both that of a university academic and a mother observing the development of her young children in a German kindergarten and school. The author feels that perhaps the engineering prowess of the Germans may also be the result of early engineering exposure, which is inculcated in the very young. Some comparison between the German education and the Malaysian systems is also offered. Keywords: academic exchange; early education; engineering education; experience; guest lecturer

INTRODUCTION German engineering is widely acclaimed internationally as having superb quality and great skill. Their craftsmanship is both innovative and precise. German engineers are well respected and demand great admiration from their peers in other parts of the world who sometimes wonder how they did it. In the present paper, some aspects of the engineering education in Germany is discussed, beginning with tertiary level and then followed by some discussion on early education for young children in Germany. Some comparison between that of the German education system and that of the Malaysian system is also offered. However, the author does not attempt to formally compare between the education structures of UKM and UDE as this has been successfully completed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (2006).
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Dr Andanastuti Muchtar spent a period of one year in Duisburg and taught in the winter semester of 2007/2008 and the summer semester 2008. The exchange was financed by the German Academic Exchange Services, or Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD). The author stayed with her family in a suburban neighbourhood, just about 2 kms outside Duisburg city centre. Here, two of her older children went to a nearby primary school and her youngest child went to a kindergarten. It was with such arrangement that the author was able to experience engineering education in Germany, both as an academic employed to teach engineering related subjects at the University of Duisburg-Essen and as a mother of her children who studied in a kindergarten and a school in Duisburg. The author also included the experience of her children, which in the opinion of the author may be construed as early engineering exposure albeit in a surreptitious manner. The opinions and analysis presented are from the perspective of the author. It is noted that the author is no education expert, particularly in the area of early education for young children. Thus, the paper is neither exhaustive nor conclusive in its analysis. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the paper will offer an impetus for further discussion in the subject, towards the continuous quality improvement of engineering education offered particularly in UKM and perhaps Malaysia.

ENGINEERING EDUCATION AT THE TERTIARY LEVEL During her guest lectureship in Germany, the author was privileged to sample university life in UDE, some aspects of which are considerably different from that in UKM. Foremost, the author noted a remarkable difference in the failure rate between that in UDE and in UKM. In the Faculty of Engineering, UKM, the drop-out rate of undergraduate study is less than 1 % for every enrolment. On the contrary, the drop-out rate in UDE and Germany for example, can be very high, ranging from 30% to 60% (Gardner 2007; Leibniz Universitt Hannover 2008; Werner 2008). The failure rate for technical courses in UDE can be exceedingly high too, ranging from 50% and even up to 90% for certain courses (Werner 2008). Why the striking difference in drop-out and failure rates? And what is perhaps the implication of the almost negligible drop-out rate in UKM? Could there be a connection between their high drop-out and failure rates and the high esteem enjoyed by the German engineers? Most of those who experience engineering education in Germany first hand as either a full time or an exchange student would say that completing an engineering degree in Germany is remarkably more difficult than studying for a similar degree in the US, UK or Malaysia. The rigorous training that they receive from a German institution more often than not will demand a longer time spent in university to complete a degree (Grose 2000, Heitmann 2000). Whether a student studies at a University or a University of Applied Sciences (FH/Fachhochschule), the training is intensive and the syllabus more demanding. And when it comes to course assessments, the author felt that German lecturers are considerably stricter
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than their UKM counterparts. As reflected by the high failure rate, it is common for students to fail an examination and repeat the course, only to fail it again the next semester, and the process continues. Only the dedicated few who persevere through the system will learn through their mistakes, do well in the exam, and eventually pass. Compare that to the situation in the Faculty of Engineering UKM. Hardly any student fails a subject. Some 10 to 20% score very well. Nevertheless, many students end up in the mediocre level, or obtain below average marks. Still, they pass and they continue to the next semester. Or worse, some percentage of the student pool pass because the system allows for below par students to receive help in securing better grades beyond the examination halls. This may turn out to be a vicious cycle that the student becomes entrapped in. In reality, the student did very poorly in the exams, but he continues to pass exams after exams, from one semester to the next. He thinks he is doing well, so long as he passes all his exams and so he continues to be a mediocre student. And he will eventually reach his goal of graduating with an engineering degree, albeit as a third grader. The student does not learn from his mistakes, because he never fails anyway. What a pity since failure, after all, is the best teacher if one takes advantage of all the lessons to be learned. In the authors opinion, the present system allows for cases such as in the above. Granted of course, not all engineering students from UKM end up as mediocre engineers, but they do make up enough numbers to overshadow those graduating from UKM with excellent grades. In UKM, therefore, most who manage to enrol in the Engineering Faculty will most likely graduate, regardless whether or not they are the top graduating students or those whose marks barely go above the passing threshold. Compare that to say, the only 40% passing rate in Germany. Perhaps then it is no surprise that German engineering translates to quality engineering because those who do graduate are survivors of the heavily rigorous engineering education system in Germany, rightly earned by only a select few. When the 40% German graduates enter the job market, they excel at work. As for UKM, the 99% who graduate offer a wider spectrum of engineering competency. Some will excel at work, and some others do not, clouding the image of the ones who do well. As such, there is no clear cut identification that a UKM engineer IS an excellent engineer. Admittedly, the academic qualification of the pool of students enrolling in UKM is different from those enrolling in UDE. Whereas UKM only accepts candidates with the best matriculation results nationwide, anyone satisfying the minimum entrance requirements may enter UDE. As such, the low failure rate of UKM may not be 100% reflective of the leniency in assessment. Still, one is left to wonder whether indeed 99% of the original enrolment eventually manage to graduate without a lot of spoon-feeding during classes and some kind of extra help being handed to them when their assessment just fail short of the passing mark. Perhaps there is over zealousness in the part of UKM in fulfilling the social obligation of providing the nation with enough workforces for Malaysias continuous growth and prosperity? Still, it is worth noting that despite the present system allowing almost all students to pass in the twenty odd years of the Faculty of Engineering UKM, there has been no major complaint from employers about
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UKMs engineering graduates on technical basis. All grouses have mostly centred on the graduates ability in communication and interpersonal skills. So indeed, UKM engineering graduates are adequate for the needs of Malaysia, although there is still plenty of room for improvement.

EARLY EDUCATION: ENGINEERING INGENUITY AT THE PLAYGROUNDS When the author and her children first started exploring Germany, one of the first impressions well imprinted on their minds was the fact that playgrounds in Germany were exceptionally different from those in Malaysia. In many parks and children play areas in Germany, the play equipment and play structures are made from wood and metals. They are sturdy and last a lifetime. Interestingly, these come equipped with miniature engineering accessories or gadgets such as shovels, mini transporters, pumps, cranes, pulleys, ropes, drum pipes etc. The setup encourages inquisitive young minds to explore, feel, touch and get their hands really dirty. The children learnt quickly to not just play with sand and make sand castles for instance, they also figured out how to use proper equipments to shovel, collect and transport sand (Picture 1). Or to pump water and create irrigation canals in the sand (Picture 2). The children had to think in order to be able to play, but because it was such fun thinking, the children were not burdened with the effort. On their own, the children smartly guessed that it was all engineering work, and they loved playing engineers. It was an early development for love of engineering and technology.

Picture 1 Engineering lessons for young children: here the playground offers a stimulant for an interest in sand excavation and transportation. On the contrary, Malaysian playgrounds are somewhat too safe and too easy.
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Children are only expected to climb, slide, jump, swing, and crawl or balance themselves on the play equipments. These play equipments offer less maneuverability for children to explore their creative senses. Additionally, the structures are almost entirely made from brightly coloured polymeric materials which, after a while, sadly die a natural death out of lack of maintenance. Another example where children voluntarily exercise their creative senses lie in the almost national favourite pastime of Lego building. In Germany, almost every child plays with Lego bricks, and they are not simply for making simple miniature houses and trucks. The Lego bricks come in various shapes and sizes, from the basic Lego bricks to very complex designs. Children participate in Lego workshops that engage them in design classes. On their own, children also learn to design and build the fastest car in order to win in car races (Picture 3).

Picture 2 Young children amuse themselves whilst surreptitiously learning about irrigation and fluid dynamics.

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EARLY EDUCATION: CREATIVITY IS PRIORITY As the children of the author experienced firsthand, the German kindergarten and school offered plenty of opportunities to be creative. In kindergarten, the children do not occupy themselves with lessons of A, B, C and 1, 2, 3. Contrary to the Malaysian kindergarten, the kindergarten in Duisburg do not offer lessons that are academic in nature. Instead, the lessons taught in kindergarten focus on humanity skills, how children should interact between their peers and their teachers. Again, creativity is also encouraged. Young children only begin learning the alphabets in their first year in primary school. Even so, creativity is still very much in the heart of the learning cycle, whereby creative lessons interspersed regularly with academic lessons (Picture 4).

Picture 3 Children design their own Lego fast cars (top). The fastest car wins and that is enough motivation for children to design the winning car (bottom).
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At school, academic achievement is important but not overly emphasised such that it does not undermine the importance and focus of the creative developments of the pupils. Young children are taught not to be overly stressed out by academic excellence.Perhaps, when children are exposed to so much creative sessions in the early stages of their development, indeed, the children have inherent capability to be more creative in their chosen career in future. However, it is also noted that in Germany, the early education system is dictated by the states, whilst the federal government plays only a minor role (Lohmar and Eckhardt 2006). In the present case, the authors children studied in Duisburg, which was part of the state North Rhine-Wesphalia and as such, the experience of her children might only be relevant for this part of Germany. Nevertheless, it is evident that in at least some parts of Germany, creativity is nurtured from the very young. One can imagine that such early exposure to engineering and technology may leave an imprint in young children that they develop some kind of inherent talent for engineering upon adulthood. Granted, not all young Germans aspire to become engineers, but when they do, they are able to engineer with excellence.

Picture 4 A classroom in a German school bursts with creativity, with the results of the pupils creativity sessions displayed prominently on the walls.

CONCLUSIONS In the present paper, the author attempts to explore the German education system as experienced by her and her children. She scrutinises mainly on two aspects in Germany that are strikingly different from that in Malaysia. One is on the dropout
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and failure rates of undergraduate study in the engineering faculties of both UKM and UDE, and the other, on the creativity development in young children in Germany. From the experience of the author and her children, the author is of the impression that Germany emphasises heavily on creativity development in young children. Inadvertently, inherent creativity that may prove useful later as an engineer is developed and secured in young children as they have fun playing in the playground or even at school. Although neither exhaustive nor conclusive, the author is inclined to share her experience and analysis of engineering education in Germany as she hopes her views still remain relevant for future generations of Malaysian engineers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD) for financing the academic exchange. The author is also indebted to UDE and UKM for the opportunity of a lifetime as a guest lecturer in a German institution.

REFERENCES DAAD Visiting Professorship. http://www.daad.org/page/50132/ [8 October 2008]. Gardner, M. 2007. Germany: Heavy cost of student drop-outs. http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20071025102357719 [4 Nov 2008]. Grose, T.K. 2000. Re-engineering in Germany, PRISM Online http://www.prism-magazine.org/march00/germany.cfm [21 October 2008] Heitmann, Gnter. 2000. Quality Assurance in German Engineering Education against the Background of European Developments, International Journal of Engineering Education 16 (2):117-126. Leibniz Universitt Hannover. 2008. Studying in Germany (Alumni Feedback). http://www.forum.uni-hannover.de/showthread.php?t=2264 [4 Nov 2008]. Lohmar, B & Eckhardt, T. 2008. The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany 2006. KMK: Bonn. http://www.kmk.org/dossier/dossier_en_ebook.pdf [21 October 2008] Ministry of Higher Education. 2006. The future of engineering education in Malaysia. Werner, S. 2008. University of Duisburg-Essen, personal communication.