Study Just in Time

In most cases, students nowadays are confronted with highly standardized curricula and relatively rigid timetables and examination times. The curricula are based on the assumption that students are not subject to any restrictions in terms of their temporal and spatial mobility. This is particularly true for engineering degree courses, which are still very rigid even after the introduction of modular teaching. However, this does not reflect the reality of life for many students or prospective students.

Student surveys show that the proportion of students who are able to devote themselves fully to their studies is limited. Many students have to work part-time in order to finance their studies. Others have family commitments or are limited by chronic illnesses or disabilities. Others would like to enrich their studies with additional professional internships or stays abroad.

This leads to extensions of study time, drop-outs or prevents students from even taking up their studies. Evaluations at the University of Kassel show that around 30 to 40 % of all students are affected by the above-mentioned restrictions. For methodological reasons, there is hardly any valid data available on the number of prospective students who do not even attempt to take up a degree course due to inflexible study options.

The project has a variety of objectives, including improving the compatibility of studies with work life thus making it easier for students to finance their studies, creating better study conditions for students with families and students with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. 
Furthermore, another objective is the further promoting the geographical mobility of students by promoting international mobility for both incoming and outgoing students, as well as creating individual study plans for students who can only complete a certain proportion of the standardized 30 credits per semester.