AT-Mitteilung

eLearning for Students

Massive eLearning Initiative by Prof. Engels

Since 2010, students have been supported by video tutorials created by Prof. Engels. The focus was on the introduction to software tools, since integrated development environments in industrial automation are usually quite complex and not easy to handle. Examples are PLC programming tools, drive sizing or cam sizing tools. Accompanied by additional tutorials on some more or less challenging exercises and projects.

Based on this experience and the challenge of keeping the quality of teaching as high as possible in the context of closed labs, lack of internet bandwidth and general challenges of distance learning, Prof. Engels created extensive eLearning material (just an impression, no details) for the students, as simply recording lecture videos or providing PDF lecture slides did not seem to be the appropriate solution.

The statistics clearly show the usage, but also the differences between closed labs and lecture halls and face-to-face study as of October 2021. Absolute numbers are to be completely disregarded, as they depend on study programs and courses. My conclusion is that eLearning is a supplement, but by no means a substitute for study in the labs and on campus.

Evaluations in summer 2022 have shown that this is still not enough and long passages should be divided into smaller parts. Thus, still a lot to improve...

Prof. Dr.-Ing. E. Engels

Figures: Prof. Dr.-Ing. E. Engels