Applied Science Manifesto

by Ansgar Meroth

• We strive for the education of graduates who are immediately employable or even able to start their own business in their major – not necessarily as researchers but as highly skilled academic workers with deep understanding of the daily processes in which they are involved. That means for us:
• We appreciate scientific work but the practical application of scientific knowledge is more important
• We appreciate teachers and professors with a scientific reputation, as long as they are willing to sit in a lab and do practical work with the students
• We appreciate a deep theoretical foundation, as long as the theory contributes to the application and is not learned for its own sake
• We teach even basic subjects as math and science in a way that students understand their application, e.g. we rather teach how to solve a problem than to prove that is generally solvable.
• We rather teach with the objects of our field than about the objects, if possible and justified, e.g. as engineers we rather teach how to program an embedded system or a PLC, or how to parameterize a molding machine than to fill teaching time by the utmost architectural details and their mathematical background.
• We support repeated lab exercises in the first semesters but we try to apply project work as early and as often it is possible and justified
• So we appreciate teachers who are willing to work hands on even with freshers, und who understand the comprehension problems of the students
• We appreciate that teachers explain theory but we prefer that students become motivated to find their own solutions to problems. So we support modern ways of learning and self-motivation, us being supportive and providing coaching and advice rather than proving our own capabilities.
• We support students to develop their own ideas and being distinctive and critical against their own findings as well as those of others.
• We encourage students to ask questions whenever they arise.
• We encourage students to get in touch with their potential employers and thus we prefer projects with industrial/commercial focus above basic science and theoretical projects.