Recruiting the right engineering students Compariative study of common apporaches in German Higher Education

Excellent research requires excellent teaching, and excellent teaching requires excellent research. Recruiting the right students is a powerful measure to enhance the number of successful graduations and to reduce drop-out. The search for the right students is not limited to German Higher Engineering Education, but can be found in any higher educational system. This paper focuses on the most suitable approaches for German Universities to select the best engineering students when allocating study places for an education in the field of engineering. With recourse to pertinent quality factors we analyze the possibilities and limits of each approach and reflect on their efficacy in the mirror of pertinent quality factors. Recruitment; Allocation of University Place; Reduction of Drop-out I. POSITIONING IN THE STUDENT LIFECYCLE Recruiting students is the first stage in the student lifecycle. The student lifecycle divides the course of studies into different, successive phases. According to Schulmeister [1], this system includes Bachelor and Master, as well as Doctorate as the first phase of independent research. Also the transition from school to university and from university to the professional life is part of this cycle. According to Ebner [2] we differentiate between the perspective of students and the perspective of the universities. Viewed from the perspective of a student, the cycle is organized as follows (see figure 1): During the first phase, the orientation phase, the student gets an overview of all relevant university offers and then applies for one or more universities. After this application phase he enters the phase of actual study and afterwards moves on to the professional life as university graduate. From this phase he most likely enters the orientation phase again, which is the start of a new cycle. At least this is what the idea of Life Long Learning suggests. When analyzing the matter for the perspective of universities (see figure 2), the student lifecycle will begin with the recruiting phase and the following teaching phase. After successful graduation this phase will lead to the phase of continuing education. Study paths in the field of engineering sciences have a particular problem during the introductory phase, as one third of all registered students will quit their study during this stage [3]. Measures for increasing the number of successful graduates and to lower the chances of drop-outs in this field therefore concentrate on the search for the right students and the first introductory study phase, which means the time period between allocating the study places and the end of the second (and third respectively) semester [4]. The transition phase from school to university is also highly significant, as this phase is crucial in selecting the right field of study. The right field of study is that one particular field which promises the highest chance of graduation based on one’s personal motivation and study-related aptitudes and inclination. Exemplary projects attending this matter are TeachING-LearnING.EU and ELLI (Exzellentes Lehren und Lernen in den Ingenieurwissenschaften), in which the Universities Dortmund, Bochum and Aachen cooperate for a higher standard in the engineering education. Furthermore, the image of the Engineering Profession plays an important role for recruiting students [5]. In contrast to the projects above, this paper does not focus on the possibilities of curricular, didactical or structural improvement of teaching or study conditions. This paper rather focuses on the instruments, which help universities to identify and recruit the students with the highest motivation, aptitudes and inclination for an education in engineering. Within this context and based on existing studies, the present text elaborates on the different instruments of student selection. With recourse to pertinent quality factors we analyze the possibilities and limits of each instrument. The paper closes with a recommendation for universities, on how to increase the number of successful graduations for their engineering study paths by recruiting the most suitable students. II. ADMISSION AS A SELECTION PROCESS The recruiting phase in the student lifecycle stands for enrolment at a university and the path that leads here. At this point we would assume that the students’ orientation phase has Figure 1. Student lifecycle from the perspective of students Figure 2. Student lifecycle from the perspective of universities Published in: Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) © IEEE ended and they have made use of all relevant information and consulting offers and have subsequently identified the most suitable study path for themselves. Should the desired study program offer free admission, the future students can skip the phase of application and directly register at the university of their choice. If the university however imposes certain admission criteria or admission restrictions these will have to be considered before registering. At this point we first have to emphasize the difference between admission criteria and admission restrictions. A. Admission Criteria vs. Admission Restrictions Admission criteria have a long tradition for study programs like music, art or sports and have to be met before registration. In order to follow one of these particular study paths, applicants must meet a series of additional prerequisites and qualifications; sport studies, for example, will also test their students in practical exams. Universities have the option to determine which additional requirements a future student must meet before registration. For example, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University Darmstadt demands an average grade of 2.8 on the Abitur or a compensation in the subjects mathematics and physics (German grading system from 1.0 (excellent), 2.0 (good), 3.0 (satisfying), 4.0 (sufficient) to 5.0 (failed) and 6.0 (extremely failed)). As a basic principle, applicants who do not meet this requirement will not be admitted to this faculty [6] (compare practical example 5). For medicine and any other study program that does not impose any particular requirements like athletic, artistic or other talents, admission restrictions will regulate the number of students. Such regulations are necessary at universities which have more study applicants than study places. When allocating study places based on the numerus clausus, universities have the option to exert controlling influence for 60% of all applicants through a selection process, according to the German Higher Education Framework Act (HRG – Hochschulrahmengesetz). The exact details of this selection process may be defined by the universities independently, based on §32 HRG [7]. This independence however may be restricted by laws and regulations on regional level. B. Selecting individuals from a group If individuals are to be selected form a larger group, four basic assumptions must be made in order to allow a selection [8]: 1. There are features that pave the way for the successful graduation of an applicant. 2. The presence of these features can be determined by certain selection procedures. 3. These features allow a prognosis for the academic success or the exercising of the intended profession. 4. The study-relevant abilities acquired during school or outside school are a part of these features. The first step when planning a selection or allocating procedure is to identify the subject-specific features. Universities may highlight in this phase certain features relevant for a particular study profile. The matching between future students and study profile can be optimized in this phase. C. Quality Factors The selection procedures are subject to certain quality factors in order to ensure that they do not take place in arbitrary conditions; these criteria are described below, in line with the quality criteria applicable to exams and tests [9–13]: Objectivity is synonym to factuality. In the context of a test, objectivity means that the result is independent from the examiner or two independent examiners will have the same evaluation result [14]. Reliability, or dependability, indicates to what extent the test results would be the same as previous if the test will be conducted repeatedly [14]. Validity allows a statement on whether the test measures those values which should be measured [14]. Fairness will be guaranteed if neither group of applicants is favored systematically [9]. Trainability indicates to what extent the test result may be influenced by practising the test subjects. If practice has no influence on the final result, the test is assumed to have a high level of validity. Targeted preparation for a test should not have any influence on the test result [10]. Economy is the relation between the cost, effort and benefit of a selection procedure [9]. Acceptance is provided, when every participant, including the public, accepts the process. Acceptance has a significant influence on “whether the right applicants respond and can be won over” [10]. III. INSTRUMENTS FOR STUDY PLACE ALLOCATION Below we point out the instruments used by universities when allocating their study places. The structure of below paragraph is based on the classification for procedures according to Deidesheimer Kreis [8]. The listed techniques may be used for selecting future students for programs with particular requirements as well as allocating study places in programs with a specific numerus clausus. A. School Grades There are different methods for allocating study places based on school grades [8]. (1) Course and subject selection (2) Reports or recommendations issued by the school (3) Ranking within the class (4) Average grade on the diploma (5) Grades for selected subjects about (1) With this method only students who have enrolled for certain subjects during school are accepted for Published in: Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) © IEEE study. In Germany, not all schoolchildren have access to the entire range of subjects, however a bonus could be granted for enrolled subjects [8]. about (2) Universities may ask for reports or recommendation letters issued by the schools. This procedure however is not recommended, due to ”lacking objectivity and comparability“ [8]. about (3) The rank within a school class indicates how the performances of an applicant, expressed through school grades, can be assessed in comparison to his classmates. Ranking lists are not common practice in Germany, therefore rendering this method impracticable at present. about (4) The most common method is to allocate study places based on the average grade on the high school diploma (Abitur). This method is used in the NC-procedure (cf. practical example 1). However, the average grade allows a general success prognosis, at best. Predictions for individual study programs will not be possible based only on the average grade [8]. about (5) A different approach is analyzing the grades for particular subjects. Grades for mathematics and physics have the highest validity for study programs in the area of engineering. According to Baron-Boldt this can be explained by the fact that these subjects require the highest level of abstract and cognitive abilities [15]. Another alternative is to do a weighting of specific individual subjects. When working with such a weighting, a value will be calculated based on the grades in the Abitur, which will then be used to determine the academic aptitude. This value may include all or only certain subjects with or without additional weighting.