Cologne Germany - Schools of Applied Sciences

I'm on the four-hour train ride between Cologne and Berlin with some time to reflect on the past few days. So far we have visited two colleges and met with their faculties - Stuttgart Media University and the University of Applied Science Cologne.  At Cologne, a presentation by one of their faculty members highlighted the differences between schools of applied sciences and universities.  The main difference is reflected in the name.  Schools of applied science are very practice-based and hands-on.  They are also easier to get into than universities and the degrees take three years to complete instead of four.

The students complete several internships during their degree program and are expected to solve a problem for an institution (like a library) and then write a "dissertation" on the process and their solution.  In Stuttgart, one of the students explained her two projects. One was to study the signage system for a library, make recommendations for changes, implement them and study the impact.  She completed another project designing a teen center in a public library which was a total overhaul.  She even attracted funding to buy new furniture and equipment.  I was quite impressed at the results for such a young person.  I'm sure the faculty was highlighting some of the students' best work, but still - it was quite an accomplishment.  

We didn't learn a lot about the other curricula in Cologne, but in Stuttgart we got a full campus tour by their Rector (equivalent of a college president).  The other two programs at Stuttgart Media University are Print Media and Electronic Media.  It was somewhat comforting seeing huge printing presses and TV and radio studios as we peered into the classrooms.  I wondered how their "library school" was perceived by the other programs.  

I sometimes feel like a duck out of water in a university setting.  I firmly believe that my teaching should be based in practice rather than theory.  I want my students to be able to tackle their first job armed with real-world skills.  I write a column called, Research into Practice, for school library media specialists.  I'm also pretty proud of the fact that I have been the first university faculty member to win an AASL presidential election over a building-level media specialist.  Therefore, I really appreciate the approach of the schools of applied science.  I also like that young people can commit to a career in librarianship at an undergraduate level. They can  still get a master's degree for professional advancement, but they don't spend years wallowing around.  I suppose that is part of the German culture coming through.