Jahresbericht 2017

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Graduate Center
As part of the TUM Graduate School the Graduate Center
Department of Mechanical Engineering supports the
institutes in creating the best possible environment for
doctoral candidates. That is why the Graduate Center
offers several subject-specific and professional courses.
To guarantee the high standard of good scientific work,
the seminar ‘Good Scientific Practice’ is mandatory for
all doctoral candidates at the Department of Mechanical
Engineering. In 2017 the seminar was offered 23 times
and 276 doctoral candidates participated. Good scien-
tific practice is not only an important point for doctoral
candidates, it is also very important for the professors of
the department, who also give courses on this subject.
The seminar combines the standards for good scientific
practice, the process of their own research topics and
practical tips for writing their dissertation.
Content of the seminar ‘Good Scientific Practice’:
■■Guidelines for the safeguarding of good scientific
practice,
■■Core elements of scientific work and sharpening one’s
identity in science,
■■Phases in the scientific writing process,
■■Quotation rules and records of scientific progress,
■■Exposé – how to start the dissertation,
■■Scientific expression and scientific argumentation
strategies.
Central Teaching Unit
2012‘TUTOR for everyone’! All freshmen started to take
part in the Tutoring System Garching. In numbers, up
to 800 freshers were trained by 55 tutors. The students
gained four “soft skills” credits in two semesters, a
workshop and a project semester. Here they learned
to plan and construct prototypes just like products to
facilitate the start of the day – ‘Startup your day!’.
2017With the new Bachelor program we said goodbye
to the Tutoring System Garching. The Center of Key
Competencies started a new period with ‘Key Competen­
cies for the start into your studies’. Allthough some parts
remained the same, the new seminar focuses on preparing
students for their life at university.
Then as now, the Tutoring System Garching pursues two
goals: giving students a first orientation at the university
within their first semester and extending their social,
methodological and personal competencies. We are
looking forward to the next 20 years to come!
Another very important part of Ph.D. candidates’ tasks
is teaching or supervising students. About 50% of the
doctoral candidates spend 11-30% of their working time
in teaching or supervising students. For this reason in May
2012 organization of the event ‘Fit in Teaching’ started in
cooperation between doctoral candidates, the Department
of Teaching and Learning and the Graduate Center.
At this event doctoral candidates get advice on giving
lectures in the academic environment and supervising.
In 2017 we offered the Seminar ‘Fit in Teaching’ for the
10th time and since 2012 about 300 doctoral candidates
have participated.
Topics of the workshops during the event were:
■■How to supervise and assess student research projects,
■■Teaching tricks – digital tools for efficient teaching,
■■Evaluation and feedback – mandatory or a chance,
■■Understanding the unconscious bias,
■■Didactic planning of lectures,
■■Interaction in lectures.
In summary the Graduate Center is responsible for the
concept of courses to guarantee the high standard of
scientific work of all doctoral candidates.
Center of Key Competencies
Phone +49.89.289.15614
Graduate Center Mechanical Engineering
Phone +49.89.289.15616
Contact