By Maya Zamman
Help from their peers is adding an extra layer of learning for two first year students studying mechanical engineering with a foundation year at De Montfort University (DMU).
Yad Aga, 19, from Leicester, enjoys mechanics and has high aspirations for his future, his goal being to own a garage himself and eventually to open as many as he wants.
“I want to make my family proud,” he said.
On his course, Yad said he finds the mechanical engineering content easy and is able to complete assignments, but he sometimes struggles to understand his lecturers.
He said: “It makes it feel like a waste of time and pointless.”
He often asks for help multiple times from his teachers, but he said, with the support of his fellow students, it is easier to understand and to get through the work.
One of those friends is Zuhayr Malida, 19, also from Leicester. He has had a similar experience and said: “When the lecturer is teaching it is harder to process but my friends help me learn the content.”
Zuhayr, who is interested in aero dynamics and aspires to work with planes in the future, said, with the support from his friends, he is able to continue resiliently with the course but admitted he feels confused at times and believes it somewhat impacts negatively on his learning.
He plans to gain experience over his years at university through placements, to secure a job after graduation.
Both Yad and Zuhayr agreed that, besides some struggles with learning, they both appreciate their course and highly enjoy mechanical engineering.
They were determined to persevere and work hard to complete all their coursework and assignments, especially since they are doing a foundation year.
