Jutta Rump; Imke Buß; Janina Kaiser; Melanie Schiedhelm; Petra Schorat-Waly.

One of the diversity factors that become obvious in everyday teaching is the prior experience and prior knowledge of students. These arise, among other things, due to individual educational biographical trajectories and different learning experiences. Especially individual prior knowledge regarding subject content and (self-)learning competencies can show a considerable range (Freitag et al. 2015). Students' prior practical experience can be fruitfully used for practice-based teaching. The same applies to experiences of international students, if applicable. Particularly in the study entry phase, additional attention should be paid to the heterogeneous entry requirements of students - also due to the different university entrance qualifications. Are students pioneers in their studies or did they grow up in a different educational system? Do they and their relatives possibly have no or only little experience with the requirements, procedures and appropriate behavior during their studies? These prior experiences also play a role in planning studies, learning, and dealing with difficult or new situations.

Overall, on the topic of prior knowledge or prior experience, one can find information in the literature on student groups such as the professionally qualified and students who have already completed (vocational) training or a first degree (Freitag et al. 2015). However, prior experience and knowledge can be acquired not only formally, but also on the basis of practical work experience (work experience, part-time and temporary jobs, etc.). Students with specific experiential and practical knowledge have, in addition to different prior knowledge, different goals, desires, and expectations for their studies in general and for their courses in specific (Freitag et. al. 2015). The study by Grendel et al. (2014) shows that the duration and relevance of prior professional experience make an important contribution to predicting academic success. The focus here is on prior work experience. The decisive factor for academic success is not per se the proximity to the subject, but rather the possibility of actually bringing previous professional experience into the course of study and thus also into the respective course (ibid.).

The study entry survey of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences (2015) also shows that students at the university have various forms of university entrance qualifications. 59% of bachelor's students at the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences begin their studies with a general university entrance qualification, whereas 33% have obtained their university entrance qualification via a university of applied sciences entrance qualification. A comparatively small proportion (6.6%) take up their studies with vocational qualifications. This figure is relatively high in a comparison of universities in the Rhineland-Palatinate: Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences ranks third. First-year students were also asked about their weekly employment. 75% of the students are regularly gainfully employed, although the average amount of employment varies depending on the field of study. In general, therefore, the practical work experience and prior knowledge that can be incorporated into teaching also varies.

Literature
Freitag, K.; Buhr, R.; Danzeglocke, E.; Schröder, S.; Völk, D. (2015): Shaping transitions. Increasing permeability between vocational and higher education. Münster/New York: Waxmann.

Grendel, T.; Lübbe, H.; Haußmann, I. (2014): Effects of the duration and quality of prior work experience on the academic success of vocationally qualified students. In: Contributions to higher education research (36 (4)), pp. 40-63.

Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences (2015): Study program survey. Internal document. Ludwigshafen am Rhein.

Citation
Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra (2017): Dimension: students' prior experiences & prior knowledge. In: Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra: Toolbox for good teaching in a diverse student body. Working Papers of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, No. 6. www. hwg-lu.de/arbeitspapiere

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