Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Hunge , K., & Ah ens, F. (2025). Limi ed In eg a ion o
T ansdisciplina y Skills in Ge man mechanical enginee ing educa ion – Insigh s
om Thema ic Analysis o Module Handbooks. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G.,
Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence. Eu opean
Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17631591.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
LIMITED INTEGRATION OF TRANSDISCIPLINARY SKILLS IN
GERMAN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION – INSIGHTS
FROM THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF MODULE HANDBOOKS
K. Hunge a,1, F. Ah ens b
a D esden Uni e si y o Technology, D esden, Ge many,
h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0002-4194-502X
b He io -Wa Uni e si y, Edinbu gh, UK, h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-7353-7074
Con e ence Key A eas: Enginee ing skills, p o essional skills, and ans e sal skills;
Sus ainabili y and socie y in enginee ing
Keywo ds: ansdisciplina y enginee ing, enginee ing educa ion, skills and
compe encies, cu iculum analysis, highe educa ion
ABSTRACT
Enginee s equi e he ansdisciplina y skills and compe encies o ackle he wicked
p oblems encoun e ed in eal wo ld si ua ions, such as sys em ansi ions in ol ing
aspec s o sus ainabili y, socie y and echnology. S a e o he a knowledge
indica es ha ele an skills and compe encies o ansdisciplina y enginee ing a e
in e - and in ape sonal compe encies; e lec ion o alues, no ma i i y and biases;
s akeholde engagemen and managemen ; sys ems hinking; skills o dealing wi h
wicked p oblems; skills o whole-sys ems enginee ing design; and skills o
implemen a ion and demons a ion o new socio- echnical sys em designs. Howe e ,
i is unclea i and o wha ex end cu en enginee ing educa ion embeds he
iden i ied skills and compe encies o ansdisciplina y enginee ing in he cu icula.
This a icle in es iga ed he ansdisciplina i y o enginee ing cu icula o Ge man
TU9 uni e si ies o echnology. Thema ic analysis o unde g adua e and
pos g adua e module handbooks was ca ied ou using a no el amewo k o
ansdisciplina y enginee ing skills and compe ences. The analysis o 17 module
handbooks e ealed ha he in eg a ion o ansdisciplina y skills in mechanical
enginee ing p og ammes is une enly dis ibu ed ac oss TU9 uni e si ies. While skills
o eal-wo ld p ac ice a e commonly add essed, skills o dealing wi h he ambigui y
o wicked p oblems and o whole-sys ems enginee ing emain unde ep esen ed in
he cu icula.
1 Co esponding Au ho
K. Hunge ka ha ina.hunge @ u-d esden.de
1 INTRODUCTION
Wicked p oblems we e i s cha ac e ised as p oblems o planning and policy, in
which he inc easing complexi y o compe ing social, economic and echnical
pe spec i es has led o unsol able p oblems (Ri el & Webbe , 1973). Today,
enginee s ace wicked p oblems when ying o sol e he dissonan and pa adoxical
issues o unsus ainable ene gy and ma e ial use in enginee ed socio- echnical
sys ems. Socially ele an wicked p oblems a e unlikely o be sol ed by
educ ionis ic, agmen ed, business-as-usual o specialised enginee ing app oaches
(Seage e al., 2012). T ansdisciplina y enginee ing is an eme gen in eg a ed
app oach o enabling enginee s o deal wi h wicked p oblems such as he socio,
echnical, ecological and economic ans o ma ions owa ds sus ainabili y (Wognum
e al., 2019). T ansdisciplina y enginee ing p omises o widen enginee ing ho izons
and o con e ge igo ous enginee ing design, modelling and de elopmen wi h he
ansdisciplina y knowledge c ea ion p ocess (Law ence e al., 2022).
Enginee ing associa ions ha e been calling o u u e enginee s o ha e he skills
and compe encies o wo k ac oss disciplines, esol e clima e challenges and
espond o 21s cen u y wicked p oblems wi h long- e m o esigh and social
esponsibili y (Ge many (VDI, n.d.); USA (ASME, n.d.); UK (RAE, n.d.)). Educa ion in
ansdisciplina y enginee ing could equip u u e enginee s wi h he people, sys ems
and p oblem sol ing skills equi ed o ackling wicked p oblems (Ba es, 2022;
Pe e s e al., 2024; Tejedo e al., 2018). While he equi emen s o ansdisciplina y
enginee ing educa ion a e well unde s ood (Wognum e al., 2019), he e is a gap in
knowledge i and how cu en enginee ing cu icula implemen hese equi emen s.
In esponse o he iden i ied gap, i s we de ise a amewo k o skills and
compe encies o ansdisciplina y enginee ing and hen add ess he issue o “How
i - o - ansdisciplina y-pu pose is he cu en s a e o enginee ing educa ion?”. We
use Ge man enginee ing educa ion as a case s udy and he esul s demons a e
ele ance o Eu opean enginee ing educa ion, as Ge many has he mos
enginee ing g adua es in he EU (Eu os a , n.d.). We examine whe he he TU9
Alliance’s key objec i e o d i e socie al ans o ma ion h ough in e disciplina y and
ansdisciplina y esea ch and educa ion o “de elop c ea i e solu ions o he
complex global challenges o oday and omo ow” (TU9, n.d.) is in eg a ed in o he
cu icula o he pa icipa ing uni e si ies. We choose he TU9 uni e si ies as hey
claim o be he “leading Uni e si ies o Technology in Ge many” (TU9, n.d.). We
in es iga e how he cu icula o he TU9 mechanical enginee ing p og ams equip
u u e enginee s wi h he skills and compe encies needed o ackle complex socie al
challenges. We selec mechanical enginee ing as a p oxy o enginee ing deg ees
as mechanical enginee ing has he highes sha e o s uden s among adi ional
enginee ing disciplines in Ge many excluding compu e science (Des a is, 2024).
Sec ion 2 p esen s he amewo k o skills and compe encies o ansdisciplina y
enginee ing based on insigh s om li e a u e esea ch. Sec ion 3 explains he
me hodology o examining and analysing he module handbooks o he enginee ing
deg ees. Sec ion 4 documen s he esul s o he hema ic coding analysis o answe
he esea ch ques ion o “To wha ex end do he mechanical enginee ing p og ams
a TU9 uni e si ies add ess skills and compe encies o ansdisciplina y
enginee ing?”. Sec ion 5 discusses and summa ises he esea ch esul s.
2 FRAMEWORK OF SKILLS FOR TRANSDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING
We p opose ha he ansdisciplina y enginee ing p ocess (see igu e 1) should be
based in he i e a i e and pa icipa o y h ee-phase p ocess o ansdisciplina y
esea ch o 1) p oblem aming and eam building, 2) co-c ea ion o knowledge and
3) in eg a ion and applica ion o knowledge (Jahn e al., 2012). Fi s , ansdisciplina y
enginee ing equi es iden i ica ion o s akeholde s and aming o wicked p oblems o
unde s and challenges and p essu es. Then, ansdisciplina y enginee ing design
ocusses on he co-de elopmen o ans o ma i e enginee ing concep s. Las ly, he
concep s equi e enginee ing and implemen a ion in he eal wo ld.
Skills and compe encies o ansdisciplina y enginee ing
This sec ion lays ou a amewo k o skills and compe encies o ansdisciplina y
enginee ing. The amewo k o skills and compe encies was de eloped h ough
li e a u e esea ch in he ields in sus ainabili y-o ien ed ansdisciplina y esea ch
(B undie s e al., 2021; Wiek e al., 2011) and ansdisciplina y enginee ing (Banwell
& Roelens, 2024; Ba es, 2022; López Ga ay & Reyes, 2019; Pe e s e al., 2024;
Pou sha i e al., 2021; Tejedo e al., 2018; Weh mann & Smi s, 2022; Wilson &
Mukhopadhyaya, 2022), and hen mapping he iden i ied skills and compe encies on
he ansdisciplina y enginee ing p ocess. Figu e 1 is a schema ic o he skills and
compe encies amewo k o ansdisciplina y enginee ing.
Fig. 1. Schema ic ep esen a ion o he skills and compe encies amewo k o
ansdisciplina y enginee ing
Skills o eal-wo ld p ac ice a e he undamen als o ansdisciplina y enginee ing o
na iga e pa icipa o y eal-wo ld issues (Law ence e al., 2022). Wi hin hese skills
we iden i ied in e - and in ape sonal compe encies; compe encies o e lec ing
alues, no ma i i y and biases; compe encies o s akeholde engagemen and
managemen ; and sys ems hinking compe encies. In e pe sonal compe ency is he
abili y o collabo a ing in pa icipa o y p oblem sol ing con ex s (B undie s e al.,
2021; Wiek e al., 2011), while in ape sonal compe ency is he abili y o sel -
awa eness (B undie s e al., 2021). Empa hy is highligh ed as a co e abili y o
unde s anding no jus echnical enginee ing issues bu also social and human
ac o s (Wilson & Mukhopadhyaya, 2022). Compe encies o e lec ing alues,
no ma i i y and biases a e equi ed o unde s anding he social cons uc s and
di e se pe spec i es ela ing o wicked p oblems encoun e ed in ansdisciplina y
Skills o eal-wo ld p ac ice
In e - and in ape sonal
compe encies
Reflec ion o alues,
no ma i i y and bias
S akeholde engagemen /
managemen
Sys ems
hinking
T ansdisciplina y Enginee ing P ocess
Skills o dealing wi h wicked p oblems
An icipa ion and
u u es hinking
Tole ance o
ambigui y
Abili y o challenge
con en ional
disciplina y hinking
P oblem analysis
Skills o whole sys ems
enginee ing design
Ingenui y and c ea i i y
E hics and esponsibili y
Pa icipa o y design
app oaches
S a egic hinking
Skills o
implemen a ion and
demons a ion o new
socio- echnical sys em
designs
Implemen a ion
compe encies
enginee ing (Pe e s e al., 2024; Tejedo e al., 2018). Ques ioning he s a us quo o
exis ing no ma i i y can be achie ed h ough pu pose ully changing and e lec ing
pe spec i es (Pe e s e al., 2024; Wiek e al., 2011). Compe encies o s akeholde
engagemen and managemen enable ansdisciplina y enginee s o unde s and and
lis en o di e se s akeholde pe spec i es in an inclusi e and e hical way, beyond
consul ing end use s owa ds le e aging local knowledge and expe ience o
ansdisciplina y enginee ing p ojec s (Ba es, 2022; Tejedo e al., 2018). All skills
o eal-wo ld p ac ice (and ansdisciplina y enginee ing in gene al) equi e sys ems
hinking compe encies (Banwell & Roelens, 2024; López Ga ay & Reyes, 2019; Wiek
e al., 2011) o analysing and unde s anding complex sys ems o suppo he holis ic
assessmen o solu ions on social, en i onmen al, echnological and economic
scales. Sys ems hinking enables he explo a ion he oo causes o wicked p oblems
and de eloping subsequen sys emic in e en ions o esol e he wicked p oblems.
Skills o dealing wi h wicked p oblems a e an icipa ion and u u es hinking,
ole ance o ambigui y, p oblem analysis and he abili y o challenge con en ional
disciplina y hinking. An icipa ion and u u es hinking enable ansdisciplina y
enginee s o sepa a e hei p oblem aming om cu en locked-in hinking owa ds
a u u e whe e he encoun e ed wicked p oblem has been esol ed (B undie s e al.,
2021; Wiek e al., 2011). Tole ance o ambigui y is equi ed o con on ing and
dealing wi h unce ain si ua ions, opposing iews o pa adoxes embedded in wicked
p oblems wi h lexibili y and open-mindedness (Pe e s e al., 2024; Tejedo e al.,
2018; Weh mann & Smi s, 2022). Wicked p oblems a e ecognised o esis
disciplina y solu ions, which is why ansdisciplina y enginee s should be equipped
wi h he abili y o challenge and unde s and he sho comings o con en ional
hinking ha has led o he p oblems in he i s place (Pe e s e al., 2024).
Skills o whole sys ems enginee ing design a e ingenui y and c ea i i y, e hics and
esponsibili y, pa icipa o y design app oaches and s a egic hinking. Ingenui y and
c ea i i y enable he ansdisciplina y enginee o hink uncon en ionally and o
de elop o iginal, pa hb eaking ideas (Ah ens e al., 2024; Pou sha i e al., 2021).
E hical esponsibili y is equi ed o challenge echno solu ionism, be assess and be
awa e o po en ial impac s o de eloped in e en ions, and o iden i y social,
en i onmen al and clima e injus ices o in e en ions (Banwell & Roelens, 2024;
Pe e s e al., 2024). Co-design compe encies such as design hinking enable
inclusi e and pa icipa o y co-de elopmen o in e en ions be ween ac o s and
ansdisciplina y enginee s.
Skills o he implemen a ion and demons a ion o co-de eloped in e en ions
in ol e he compe encies o “enginee ” he embodimen o he in e en ion concep s,
and o i e a i ely moni o and e alua e he eal-wo ld pe o mance and adap he
design i necessa y (B undie s e al., 2021).
3 METHODOLOGY: THEMATIC CODING ANALYSIS
We based ou in es iga ion on simila s udies ha analyse module handbooks
(Ke es, Michael & Schmid , And eas, 2020; Schuelke-Leech, 2020; Vo & Panc a z,
2023). Ou analysis included 17 module handbooks om bachelo ’s, mas e ’s and
g adua e enginee ing (Ge man “Diplom Ingenieu ”) p og ams in mechanical
enginee ing a TU9 uni e si ies: RWTH Aachen (RWTH, 2025a, 2025b), Technische
Uni e si ä Be lin (TUB, 2025a, 2025b), Technische Uni e si ä B aunschweig
(TUBS, 2025a, 2025b), Technische Uni e si ä Da ms ad (TUDa, 2025a, 2025b),
Technische Uni e si ä D esden (TUD, 2025), Leibniz Uni e si ä Hanno e (LUH,
2025b, 2025a), Ka ls uhe Ins i u ü Technologie (KIT, 2025b, 2025a), Technische
Uni e si ä München (TUM, 2025b, 2025a), Uni e si ä S u ga (US, 2025a, 2025b).
In he Ge man uni e si y con ex , module handbooks a e issued by he uni e si y
and lis all modules a ailable wi hin a deg ee p og am, including bo h compulso y
and elec i e cou ses. Only he la es e sions o module handbooks a ailable as o
Feb ua y 2025 we e used, p o ided ha hey we e accessible in PDF o ma . The
quali a i e da a in he module handbooks, such as compe ency desc ip ions and
lea ning objec i es, we e analysed ollowing he sys ema ic app oach o hema ic
coding analysis (May ing & Fenzl, 2022, p. 6; Robson, 2024, p. 573 .). We used he
e minology o he skills ( hemes) and compe encies (sub hemes) om he
amewo k o ansdisciplina y enginee ing o code he da a se ollowing he
p inciples o F amewo k Analysis (Spence e al., 2014, p. 298). We de eloped a
coding scheme o index ex and o iden i y, o ganise and in e p e hemes in he
da a (King & B ooks, 2018, p. 219 .) We iden i ied ele an sea ch e ms (including
synonyms) based on he skills and compe encies de ined in he amewo k o
ansdisciplina y enginee ing ensu ing alignmen wi h he e minology commonly
used in educa ional discou se. Fo example, he Ge man equi alen ansla ion o
sea ch e ms such as “c i ical”, “ o e lec ”, “ e lec ion”, “bias” and “ o ques ion” we e
used o he compe ency o e lec ion o alues, no ma i i y and bias.
In he da a analysis we quan i i ely iden i ied ends in he equency o appea ance
o sea ch e ms in he desc ip ion o ele an modules. Then we sys ema ically
coded he con en s and lea ning objec i es o he modules, and ca ego ised he
codes acco ding o he amewo k o ansdisciplina y enginee ing o de e mine
which skills and compe encies a e add essed in he cu icula. We excluded
disciplina y cou ses (i.e., “spo s enginee ing”) ha add ess p oblems solely h ough
he specialised me hodologies o hei espec i e ields e en i hey con ained
ele an sea ch e ms o ensu e a ocus on genuinely ansdisciplina y educa ion.
4 RESULTS
This sec ion p esen s key indings o he hema ic coding analysis o ansdisciplina y
skills and compe encies in mechanical enginee ing cu icula ac oss he TU9. The
i s inding was ha no o e a ching s a emen could be made o all o he TU9. The
s uc u e and con en o he module handbooks a ied signi ican ly ac oss
uni e si ies, e lec ing di e se cu icula emphases and o ganisa ional app oaches,
which was o be expec ed. Ne e heless, clea di e ences in he equency o
ele an cou ses (pe deg ee and uni e si y) add essing ansdisciplina y
enginee ing compe encies we e obse ed. RWTH, KIT and TUM o e ed mo e
cou ses ha impa ansdisciplina y compe encies compa ed o uni e si ies like
TUDa, US, LUH, TUD, TUB and TUBS.
Di e ences in he ep esen a ion o ansdisciplina y enginee ing skills we e
obse ed as a no iceable dispa i y in he numbe o ele an cou ses o e ed in
bachelo ’s and mas e ’s p og ams espec i ely. Bachelo ’s p og ams ended o
include ewe ele an modules, likely due o a s onge emphasis on ounda ional
enginee ing educa ion and a educed numbe o elec i e cou ses (Axeli hio i e al.,
2023). I appea ed ha bachelo ’s p og ams place less ocus on ansdisciplina y
compe encies, concen a ing ins ead on echnical undamen als. T ansdisciplina y
enginee ing compe encies we e o en in eg a ed in o cou ses on design, p oduc
de elopmen and en ep eneu ship a hose uni e si ies wi h ewe modules di ec ly
dedica ed o ansdisciplina i y. These cou ses did no explici ly de ine
ansdisciplina y lea ning as hei p ima y objec i e. In con as , RWTH, KIT and
TUM included dedica ed cou ses in hei mechanical enginee ing cu icula ha
speci ically add ess e hical and ansdisciplina y compe encies in hei lea ning
objec i es. Some uni e si ies o e ed modules on eamwo k (KIT) and so skills
(TUM) o equip s uden s wi h compe encies such as communica ion, independence
and openness o di e en pe spec i es. Howe e , hese in e - and in ape sonal
compe encies we e a ely embedded wi hin a ansdisciplina y enginee ing con ex .
Only ew modules embedded ansdisciplina y collabo a ion as a co e elemen o
ac i ely u ilised ansdisciplina y collabo a ion o add ess wicked p oblems (TUB,
LUH). S ill, mos uni e si ies o e ed in e disciplina y and in e -cul u al modules,
which con ibu e o os e ing b oade pe spec i es in enginee ing educa ion (TU Da,
TUB, US, TUD, RWTH, TUM, LUH, KIT).
Skills o eal-wo ld p ac ice
Skills o eal-wo ld p ac ice appea ed mos equen ly ac oss all cu icula compa ed
o o he skill ca ego ies. In e - and in ape sonal compe encies ela ed o pe sonal
de elopmen , empa hy, decision-making and ac ion-o ien ed p oblem-sol ing we e
epea edly men ioned. Open-mindedness o di e en pe spec i es ( ela ed o
empa hy) was desc ibed in mos module handbooks as he abili y o exp ess one's
own iewpoin while c i ically e lec ing on pe spec i es o o he s. This was explici ly
men ioned a KIT, LUH and TUM. TUB e e ed o his compe ency as “pe spec i e
change”, while RWTH Aachen emphasised “ aising awa eness o di e en
iewpoin s” as a lea ning objec i e in se e al modules. Open-mindedness o di e en
pe spec i e was some imes linked o in e cul u al expe iences, pa icula ly a TUDa.
Mos TU9 uni e si ies inco po a ed g oup wo k in o many ele an cou ses, os e ing
in e pe sonal skills such as communica ion and ole awa eness, ocussing on
unde s anding g oup p ocesses and collabo a i e p oblem-sol ing.
C i ical e lec ion o no ma i i y and biases we e closely linked o pe spec i e- aking,
empa hy and pa icipa ion. A leas one cou se a mos TU9 uni e si ies explici ly
included c i ical e lec ion as a lea ning objec i e. The compe encies o e lec ion o
no ma i i y and biases also encompassed sel - e lec ion and e lec ing he ole o
enginee s in socie y. In one example, s uden s c i ically examined he ole o
enginee s in social and poli ical con ex s, encou aging s uden s o e lec on
“ echnological de elopmen wi hin i s socie al and poli ical condi ion” (TUDa). A
module a KIT ocused on aining s uden s in deba e echniques, c i ical hinking and
handling o con lic ing in o ma ion, aiming o equip s uden s wi h he abili y o in ol e
di e se s akeholde s in decision-making p ocesses.
Pa icipa ion and s akeholde engagemen we e less equen ly ound in he module
handbooks. Compe encies o pa icipa ion and s akeholde engagemen appea
p ima ily in cou ses a TUB, TUD, RWTH, TUM and KIT, whe e s uden s engaged
wi h me hods such as s akeholde analysis, s akeholde wo kshops, s akeholde
in e iews and pa icipa o y decision-making. A TUD, s akeholde pe spec i es we e
in eg a ed in o c ea i e design and cons uc ion cou ses, emphasising use -cen ed
design app oaches. While he compe ency o sys ems hinking only appea ed by
name once, sys ems hinking was ep esen ed implici ly in modules ha impa skills
o dealing wi h wicked p oblems and whole-sys ems enginee ing.
Skills o dealing wi h wicked p oblems
Dealing wi h wicked p oblems anked as he hi d mos equen ly add essed skill
ca ego y ac oss TU9 uni e si ies. TUB, RWTH and KIT exhibi ed a s ong ocus on
skills o dealing wi h wicked p oblems, and a all o he uni e si ies a leas one
cou se add essed hese skills. Tole ance o ambigui y was among he mos
equen ly named compe encies in his ca ego y, including he abili y o classi y and
na iga e complex and unce ain p oblems. S uden s we e in oduced o con lic s
be ween ecological, economic and social sus ainabili y (TUDa, TUB), holis ic hinking
(TUB) and dealing wi h “ill-de ined p oblems wi h no clea solu ion” (TUM).
Fu u e hinking and an icipa ion compe encies we e ep esen ed a TUB, US, RWTH,
TUM, LUH and KIT. A TUB, s uden s we e encou aged o e lec on u u e
enginee ing p ac ice in bo h esea ch and indus y om a socie al pe spec i e.
RWTH explici ly in eg a ed me hods and p ocesses o u u e s udies in o i s
cu iculum. The compe ency a ea o p oblem analysis was a ely men ioned. A LUH,
s uden s sys ema ically analysed and sol ed highly complex p oblems wi h unce ain
o unknown causes. TUB inco po a ed C i ical Design Thinking, while KIT, RWTH
and TUM o e ed modules ha ain s uden s o independen ly iden i y complex
p oblems. Ques ioning disciplina y hinking appea ed in some modules a TUDa,
RWTH, TUM and KIT, ypically in in e disciplina y cou ses o hose inco po a ing
e hical and socie al e lec ions.
Skills o whole-sys ems enginee ing design
Skills ela ed o whole-sys ems enginee ing appea ed as he second mos equen
skill ca ego y. TUB and TUM s ood ou in his ega d, while all o he uni e si ies
included a leas ou cou ses co e ing his aspec . The compe encies o ingenui y
and c ea i i y we e p edominan ly in eg a ed in o cou ses on design, sus ainabili y
and p oduc de elopmen . A RWTH, one module ocussed on assessing e hical
implica ions and echnology impac e alua ion. The compe ency a ea o e hics and
esponsibili y, which encompasses he e alua ion o e hical implica ions,
echnological consequences and he e lec ion o esponsibili ies in echnological
de elopmen , played a signi ican ole in he cu icula. Nea ly e e y uni e si y o e ed
cou ses a bo h he bachelo 's and mas e 's le els ha aim o os e hese
compe encies. Te ms such as “socie al esponsibili y”, “sus ainabili y”, “ echnology
impac assessmen ”, “e hical conside a ions in echnology” and “pa icipa o y
me hodologies” appea ed explici ly in he module handbooks om TUBS, TUB, TUD,
RWTH, TUM, LUH and KIT. Pa icipa o y me hods and app oaches, as well as
pa icipa o y design, we e ela i ely a e.
Skills ela ed o implemen a ion and demons a ion
Skills ela ed o implemen a ion and demons a ion we e a ely add essed,
po en ially due o he challenges o implemen ing and es ing solu ions wi hin he
uni e si y se ing, gi en cons ain s on ime and esou ces. RWTH s ood ou as
o e ing he highes numbe o cou ses in his ca ego y, while all o he uni e si ies
included a leas one ele an cou se. S a egic p oblem-sol ing was encou aged in
se e al cou ses by equi ing s uden s o independen ly iden i y, analyse and sol e
p oblems (TUBS, RWTH). Cou ses emphasised sys ema ic and holis ic p oblem-
sol ing (TUB, LUH) and ained s uden s o “gene a e, e alua e, and selec solu ion
a ian s” (TUDa, RWTH, TUM). Howe e , ac ual ans e o solu ions in eal-wo ld
se ings was a ely men ioned. Caps one cou ses ac oss TU9 ins i u ions se ed as
key pla o ms o applied p oblem-sol ing and knowledge ans e , designed o
enable s uden s o engage wi h p ocess-o ien ed and c ea i e challenges.
5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
This a icle in es iga ed i and how cu en enginee ing educa ion impa s
ansdisciplina y enginee ing skills and compe encies, using hema ic analysis
me hods and a case s udy o Ge man mechanical enginee ing educa ion. To he
au ho s’ bes knowledge, his is he i s s udy ha analysed ansdisciplina y
enginee ing skills in Ge man mechanical enginee ing educa ion. The esul s indica e
ha he co e objec i e o equipping u u e enginee s wi h he compe encies needed
o add ess complex socie al challenges is only pa ially in eg a ed in o he cu icula
o TU9 uni e si ies. Schulke-Leech (2020) cons i u e a simila iew in hei s udy o
Canadian and Ame ican deg ee p og ams. They ound ha wicked p oblems wi h no
p e-de ined solu ion space a e cu en ly ou he scope o enginee ing cu iculum.
The indings o ou s udy o e an o e iew o how ansdisciplina y skills and
compe encies a e cu en ly embedded in mechanical enginee ing p og ams and
iden i y po en ial o u he de elopmen , pa icula ly in aligning educa ional p ac ice
wi h he TU9 alliance’s decla ed ambi ion o con ibu e o sol ing socie al challenges.
This pape highligh s ele an a eas o ac ion in cu iculum de elopmen and in he
design o modules. The module handbooks o KIT, RWTH and TUM can se e as a
model o closing gaps o holis ically each and in eg a e ansdisciplina y skills in he
cu icula (Ba es, 2022). Compe encies ela ed o p oblem de ini ion and p oblem
analysis we e among he mos equen ly add essed in cu en cu icula. One
possible explana ion is ha enginee ing educa ion has a long-s anding adi ion o
emphasising p ac ical applica ions, using case s udies and eal-wo ld scena ios as
lea ning ools (Mckenzie e al., 2024; Schuelke-Leech, 2020). Skills o whole-
sys ems enginee ing design we e he second mos common, o en aking he o m o
concep ual and sys emic design p ocesses leading up o embodied design. These
compe encies a e ypically de eloped h ough he applica ion o enginee ing
me hods aimed a aming and sol ing complex p oblems. Skills o implemen a ion
and demons a ion—such as de ailed design, es ing, and eal-wo ld applica ion o
solu ions—a e a ely included in cou se objec i es o eaching o ma s. This
sugges s a gap be ween concep ual solu ion de elopmen and i s p ac ical
ealiza ion wi hin academic se ings. Ou s udy’s indings a e suppo ed by cu en
iews on highe enginee ing educa ion (Axeli hio i e al., 2023), which emphasise i s
ole as a s a ing poin in a li elong lea ning p ocess. The g owing in eg a ion o
complex and socially ele an hemes like mi iga ion and adap a ion o clima e
change highligh s a shi owa d holis ic p oblem-sol ing. Adap ing cu icula
acco dingly can imp o e he p ac ical eadiness o enginee ing g adua es o
ansdisciplina y p ac ice.
Limi a ions o his s udy a e he a ying le els o de ail in module desc ip ions and
s a ed lea ning objec i es ac oss uni e si ies (making compa isons challenging) and
di e en languages in some module handbooks (po en ially a ec ing he consis ency
o sea ch e m iden i ica ion). Module handbooks e lec only he in ended
cu iculum; hey do no p o ide in o ma ion abou how con en is ac ually augh o
implemen ed in p ac ice. Fu u e wo k could include elec ical enginee ing and ci il
enginee ing s udies o gene a e an e en b oade unde s anding. This pape
iden i ied a eas o ac ion in cu iculum design and he de elopmen o new modules
and module handbooks. This pape laid he empi ical s epping s one o u u e ac ion
o ocus on “enginee ing” he enginee ing cu icula o impa ansdisciplina y skills
and compe encies.
Disclosu e: Cha GPT was used o imp o e eadabili y o pa s o he wo k.
