Six students from the degree program "Teaching degree at vocational schools (Engineering Education)" were able to try out what they had learned during their studies this semester as part of the new edition of the WiMINT-AG. WiMINT stands for "Economy, Business, Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences and Engineering" and the associated AG is part of the cosh group, a nationwide student organization of school-university cooperation. Students on the "Specialized Didactics of Physics" module component/course offered a working group at three vocational schools in Aalen, Heidenheim and Schwäbisch Gmünd, in which they supported pupils in their preparation for the "Technical Physics" audit. The special thing about this was that many of the students studying for a Teaching degree in Physics had just left school themselves and were now returning to school, having received specialist and Theory of Education training.
After the final discussion of the WiMINT-AG, all those present agreed: the new edition of the WiMINT-AG, after a three-year interruption, was a success. All those involved - students, pupils and accompanying teachers, professors and staff - were very satisfied with the first implementation of the "new" WiMINT-AG and are already looking forward to further development and continuation of the format in the coming years.
The WiMINT-AG is intended to prepare pupils who are aiming to study in an economics, engineering sciences or technical subject, for the requirements of Studies. To this end, students from Aalen University of Applied Sciences offer a tutorial at a vocational school in the subject, mathematics or physics, thereby building a bridge for the pupils to the institution of higher education at an early stage, in addition to providing specialist support in the subjects mentioned. The WiMINT-AG concept was originally developed as part of a collaboration, cooperation of the Aalen University of Applied Sciences with the Gewerbliche Schule Schwäbisch Gmünd (GS-GD) for the subject, mathematics. After the first implementation in the 2015/2016 school year, the WiMINT-AG mathematics was successfully carried out over several years at the GS-GD and the Technical School Heidenheim (HEID-TECH). Students from various subject areas worked as dedicated tutors at the schools.
During the pandemic-related break, Prof. Dr. Lukas Amadeus Schachner (specialised didactics of physics and technology, Aalen University of Applied Sciences), together with StD Achim Boger (GS-GD) and StD Armin Egenter (HEID-TECH), revised the concept of the WiMINT-AG. The central idea: Students on the "Higher Teaching Degree at Vocational Schools (Engineering Education)" degree programme are to be integrated into the WiMINT-AG concept as part of their module components/courses. This will allow the prospective Theory of Education students to try things out for themselves in front of school classes and gain important teaching experience. With the support of the Center for Fundamentals and Digital Teaching at Aalen University of Applied Sciences, this new concept was implemented for the first time in the summer semester 2025. Professor Dr. Lukas Amadeus Schachner integrated a WiMINT working group on technical physics into his module component/course "Specialized Didactics in Physics". In this way, the working group was offered in four BKFH classes (one-year vocational college for obtaining the university of applied sciences entrance qualification) at the Gewerbliche Schule Schwäbisch Gmünd, the Technische Schule Heidenheim and the Technische Schule Aalen (two classes) as exam preparations for the students and the six participating students from the fourth semester were able to gain valuable experience.
The particularly nice thing from the students' point of view: being able to try out their skills as teachers without any formal assessment, in the field of tension between education, guidance, specialised didactics and (demanding) subject knowledge. Schachner: "WiMINT proves to be a valuable, authentic tool for self-assurance on the path to becoming an engineering educator, while at the same time creating impulses to reflect on natural sciences and technology teaching in a real, examination-oriented setting early on in the Studies. And as identification figures, it builds bridges to school leavers and potential New Student / First Year Students at the institution of higher education."
