Framework of an Active Learning Python Curriculum for First Year Mechanical Engineering Students

Mastering the digital transformation has been one of the most pressing issues for mechanical engineers in Germany, as reflected by various initiatives in the field of Industrie 4.0 that have emerged throughout the last decade. While research in this field is continuously increasing and Master courses addressing Industrie 4.0 and virtual product development enjoy rising participation numbers, the curriculum of undergraduate mechanical engineering students at our university has not changed significantly in recent years to reflect this transformation. Especially in the first two years of the curriculum, the focus lies on classical engineering fundamentals. The challenge for the computer science education of first year mechanical engineering students is consequently to adapt the learning outcomes to reflect the growing importance of computer and programming skills with the restriction not to increase the required time commitment, thus remaining compatible to the current framework of the undergraduate mechanical engineering program. In this paper, we present our approach of introducing an active learning course design with Python in addition to MATLAB into the existing course framework.