Practice-Integrated Teaching at Universities of Applied Sciences: Models and Good Practices

Introduction And Background

In contrast to many other countries, the German higher education system recognizes two main forms of university organizations. On the one hand, classical “universities” focus on top-level scientific education, which is mainly theoretical and sometimes also partly application-oriented. So-called “universities of applied sciences” (UAS), on the other hand, aim at practice-oriented broad-based education and have become an increasingly popular alternative to in-company training since the European Bologna reforms. Both types of institution educate students in bachelor's and master's degree programs at the same level and often offer a variety of degree programs with specializations. Typically, the difference between a UAS and a classical university is strikingly described by the fact that the former are practice/application-oriented and the latter have a strong theoretical teaching and scientific research focus (Denert, 2005; Horcher, 1998; Hüther & Krücken, 2018).

Nevertheless, the relationship between these two types in the tertiary education sector is the subject of ongoing discussions that include both alignments and demarcations. If, according to the fundamental orientation described in the first paragraph, one would expect universities to teach only a very low number of students in small groups to prepare them for careers in research or for doctoral studies and, in contrast, UAS to offer a large number of practice-oriented exercises, the status is strangely the other way around (Denert, 2005; Horcher, 1998; Hüther & Krücken, 2018). Universities often offer courses for a huge number of students and graduates usually do not work in research after graduation, but more often have the chance to work for big corporations. UAS, on the other hand, generally train students in small groups, are comparatively structured in their curriculum, and support students in obtaining internships at companies and organizing exchanges with international partner universities. Professors here usually have a teaching load that is twice as high as at universities, have no research assistants and very little equipment for research work, as well as no right to award doctorates (Denert, 2005). This makes practical training possible but is also demanding given the workload and conditions. However, students at UAS typically appreciate these structures because instructors are more approachable and administration units (e.g., advising, scheduling, etc.) are very service-oriented. Instead of the research-based learning at classical universities, UAS prepare their students for entry into companies through cooperation with companies, case studies, practical work and the training of social skills (Denert, 2005; Horcher, 1998).

Some professors have noticed in recent years that the distinction between these two types of universities is shifting. In general, the academic content of UAS has become comparable or nearly identical to that of universities. However, the configurations of the UAS are explicitly geared towards application-oriented teaching: For example, professors must demonstrate a minimum of practical activities in companies and students have to complete an internship in the course of their studies (Hüther & Krücken, 2018).

The two authors of this article come from two UAS in Germany from the disciplines of business administration and information systems and have been in constructive dialog for years about how practice-oriented teaching at UAS can be taken seriously and implemented sensibly within the given conditions. They consider an academic and theoretically founded education to be very good and important, but above all they want to particularly promote the core of the UAS through modern concepts. In accordance with the mission of this type of university, they go beyond the known practice-oriented teaching and do not just work on case studies or invite external speakers for lectures. Rather, they organize practice-integrated teaching that is intensively supporting the knowledge and technology transfer. In this approach, practical questions from companies do not become a supplement, but rather the essential starting point for the teaching units. The professors take advantage of the small group sizes and work on the problems and real practical cases live in the course. Communication, feedback rounds and the presentation of their results within the company environment ensure not only a high learning outcome for the students, but also a massive employability and also great satisfaction in the courses.