Towards a better understanding of students in the entry phase of their studies

Abstract

Students starting STEM courses have very heterogeneous knowledge, especially regarding computer science and mathematics. As a result, many students are struggling to keep up with the high demands of higher education institutions, and lecturers are under pressure to compensate for the lack of knowledge without lowering their standards. The struggle to keep up combined with personal worries, as well as doubts regarding studying in general, can lead to uncertainty and frustration. The MINT-KOMPASS project at our institution aims to support students of the STEM study courses during their first semesters and, therefore, tries to minimize problems early on. As part of the project, successive surveys were conducted as well as a statistical analysis of the development of the student's grades. In this paper, we present the results of both as well as two measures implemented to support the students in areas identified as problematic. With the surveys and measures, we try to better understand the needs of our students and, as a result, hope to eventually achieve our long-term goal of supporting the students and relieving the lecturers.