Competence oriented study in engineering education : examples from the practicing programme

The interdisciplinary and agile processing of projects in teams increasingly characterizes the engineer’s work. Problem-solving skills, creativity, entrepreneurship, and initiative, as well as the ability to engage in dialog and conflict resolution, are relevant competencies for this.
All engineering students at TU Ilmenau can work on complex interdisciplinary projects in teams (practicING projects) right from the start of their studies. Participants in these practicING projects can also experience significant steps, aspects, and system engineering methods for demand-oriented products. The paper describes the motivation, the learning goals and methodology of practicING projects from the perspective of the supervising teachers and the participating students.
Two examples illustrate the potential of the practicING concept: the projects "Wind turbine model with digital twin" and "CrossLab/ experimental ball drop test environment".
Experiences in implementing the practicING projects to date are presented, as well as limitations and possibilities for further development.