ELLI 2 – Excellent Teaching and Learning in Engineering Science

Teaching and learning, the main focus of the ELLI 2 project in the field of engineering sciences, was affected by the pandemic like hardly any other aspect of university life. The media was filled with reports of closed schools and universities as well as the struggle of these institutions to continue teaching despite a total lockdown. Closed campuses and school buildings forced a rapid digitization of the entire teaching process. In most cases, the teachers were neither trained to do this nor were they equipped with the proper technology. Hence, the quality of teaching suffered noticeably in many cases, especially at the beginning of the lockdown.

Preparing higher engineering education for the shift to digital teaching was one of the crucial aspects of the ELLI 2 collaborative project. Research from the previous years in the fields of teaching technology and methodology came in handy during this critical time. The entire field of digital teaching got a huge push forward, with many aspects here to stay. Since 2011 (ELLI: 2011-2016, ELLI 2: 2016-2020), TU Dortmund University, RWTH Aachen University, and RUB Ruhr-Universität Bochum have joined forces in this project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Teaching Quality Pact. Combining excellent technologies with the best didactical methods is the key to the success of this project. The project consists of four core areas:

• Remote labs and virtual learning environments
• Globalization
• Student Life Cycle
• Entrepreneurship

A strategically important tool of the ELLI 2 project in this year was the workshop series Proper Digital Teaching. This workshop series was initiated proactively two years ago by the ELLI 2 team in Dortmund – way before the acute necessity posed by the pandemic. The goal of the workshop is to prepare the educators of the department of mechanical engineering at TU Dortmund University for a successful transition to digital teaching using appropriate digital tools and methods alike. In each workshop technological as well as engineering education-related aspects were presented. Once it was clear that the summer semester at TU Dortmund University would be a fully digital semester, the frequency of workshops was ramped up – of course using virtual meetings – in order to support the teachers during these unprecedented times. Owing to the engagement of all teachers and with the support of these workshops, the department of mechanical engineering can look back at a very successful semester. Everyone is well prepared for the winter semester, which will be held completely online as well.

Especially for all the laboratory courses, which traditionally take place during the winter semester, the research work from the last years focusing on remote laboratories is of high value now. That is because the best way for students and teachers to remain safe and healthy is to not get in physical contact with one another. Remote laboratories are the method of choice so that the students neither face a delay in their study program nor miss out lab courses entirely. To this end, the students can use the remote laboratories in the field of material characterization, tube bending, and additive manufacturing. The latter was enhanced by a post-processing chamber, so that the students can reconstruct the entire process chain on their own while following all safety regulations.