What is the most clicked micro-teaching video from the Manufacturing module in the 2019 summer semester?
The winner of our vote has been decided: The most clicked micro teaching video from the Manufacturing Management module of the 2019 summer semester is "Kanban using the example of C. Bechstein Pianofortemanufaktur from Seifhennersdorf". The video was produced by industrial engineering students Teresa Seifert and Lucas Wenzel.
"We were randomly divided into teams of two," explains Teresa. "Otherwise Lucas and I probably wouldn't have worked together." However, the two were not disappointed with their allocation. "We've known each other since school and knew that we could work well together." Lucas also added the bonus of some previous experience in video editing to the team.
The task was not even known when the group was formed and was a big surprise for both of them. While Teresa was initially rather sceptical about the task of producing an instructional video about the Kanban production optimization system, Lucas was delighted: "I thought it was great to finally do something practical instead of writing the usual documents or taking written and oral exams."
Teresa's motivation came from a completely different direction. All groups were given the option of linking their educational video to a regional company. For the Seifhennersdorf native, this was the perfect opportunity to get her foot in the door at C. Bechstein Pianofortemanufaktur. "I always passed Bechstein on my way to school and heard the pianos being tuned inside from the street," she says with a smile. The musical 21-year-old already had the piano manufacturer in mind for her internship semester before the Production Management module.
Professor Keil, the module lecturer, put her in touch with the production manager, Mr. König. He said that the Kanban system is actively used at Bechstein. "Somehow it all came together by chance that our topic was a perfect fit for the company we wanted to work with," reflects Teresa.
This meant that the grade at the end of the module was not the only decisive factor right from the start. Meeting the company's requirements and leaving a positive impression was just as important, at least for Teresa, and created additional pressure to produce a successful video. After visiting the manufactory, Teresa and Lucas quickly agreed on the tone they wanted to strike with the video: calm and determined, serious, elegant and aesthetic - just as they experienced and perceived Bechstein during their visit, as a mixture of classic art and modern craftsmanship.
Despite having clear ideas and a detailed filming plan, Teresa and Lucas initially encountered difficulties during the shoot: "The camera we were filming with wasn't really suitable for video. But we only realized this when we looked at our footage at home and everything was blurry and shot in the wrong format. So we had to go back again. Fortunately, the Bechstein staff were really nice and let us film again.
Everything went much better on the second attempt. "We knew where we wanted to film what, what we weren't allowed to film to protect company secrets and discovered cool details that we missed the first time," Lucas recalls. He was happy to put up with the odd affectionate mocking remark about a fresh sunburn from the employees in the hammerhead department. "For me, the best thing about the whole semester was how collegially we were treated and that we were seen as students who were doing something useful for the company."
The experience at the company was also formative for Teresa. "In hindsight, I think I could have approached it less nervously. The people at Bechstein were all so nice, took time for us and answered all the questions we had." She also noticed changes in herself over the course of the module. "I was so shy at the beginning," she admits. With every experience in the company, she became more open and gained self-confidence.
This did not go unnoticed by C. Bechstein Pianofortemanufaktur. Teresa's wish has been fulfilled: She is currently completing her practical semester at the Seifhennersdorf-based company and has been tasked with updating and expanding the Kanban system. Her experiences at Bechstein have even influenced her leisure activities. Teresa recently bought an electric piano and is trying to teach herself to play. After her initial skepticism about the unusual form of examination in the Production Management module, she has surprisingly discovered that she also enjoys making videos. "It's something special when you've created something lasting and presentable at the end, which is interesting for so many more people than a written document, for example."
Lucas reports with a grin that the quality of his vacation videos has improved dramatically. As far as Kanban is concerned, he feels like an expert after the production management module: "It really made an impression - experiencing how Kanban is actually used in practice and how it is worked with goes much deeper than just the theory. And then during the video editing, where you watch everything over and over again, it really sunk in." He would like to see more of these varied, practice-oriented teaching modules.
Text: Christiane Matthieu
