Mechanical engineering at the University Karlsruhe (TH) has a long and obligatory tradition. Outstanding personalities have fundamentally influenced the teaching and research in the field of mechanical engineering.

Following this Tradition , a didactic approach has been developed at the IPEK- Institute of Product Engineering, that enables an engineer to acquire the necessary knowledge under the conditions of advancing globalisation and the resulting changed requirements at a high level:

The "Karlsruhe Teaching Model for Product Development - KaLeP" is an integrated training system that is oriented towards the development process in practice. The concept was implemented in 1996 by Albers et al. at IPEK - Institute for Product Development. The aim of the teaching model is to impart the competence to solve new problems independently. This is done by independent, accompanied learning in a scientific working environment. It mainly includes the way of learning, the learning environment and the acquisition of key qualifications.

According to Albers and Spöttl (2013), the learning process should be accompanied in different ways:

• Lectures serve to target and promote the acquisition of knowledge.
• Exercises are intended to stimulate reflection on the learning process.
• Project work should enable the transfer and application of knowledge.

This triad of different modules has been supported by the Karlsruhe Teaching Model for Product Development - KaLeP since 1996.

Each of the three points covers different educational objectives. In the lectures, the theoretical basics are taught, which form the basis for the other two points. Semester-long exercises serve the practical application of the theoretical knowledge to various problems. In addition, the accompanying project-based workshops offer the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge independently. The focus is on independent work in small project groups in order to simulate real working conditions and to develop not only professional competence but also other areas of competence such as social competence, creativity potential, collaboration potential and methodological competence.

The essential core of the Karlsruhe Teaching Model for Product Development - KaLeP consists, in addition to the tripartite structure, of the fact that students gain formative experience through their own actions in specifically created teaching situations in company-like working environments. In this way, students build up action skills in solving real, complex and technical problems and acquire product development competence in a very practical way and acquire practical product development skills.

In 2013, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at KIT was honored with the VDMA Best Engineering House Award for teaching concept and implementation, in which the Karlsruhe Teaching Model for Product Development - KaLeP plays a central role (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology 2013).

A sample test conducted over several years has shown that students' learning behaviour has changed considerably since the introduction of KaLeP and that the learning successes achieved are considerably higher than in lessons with the "conventional" teaching model (exclusively lectures and hall exercises in large lecture halls).