2023 - EduTec Science

Dec212023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

2023 in a Nutshell: A year of unbridled discovery, innovation, and collaboration, and a little help of AI.

Team

What made this year special? Is it possible to reduce this year to just a few essential words? With all the people in our group, the many projects we worked on, the many publications we have written, and the events we have participated in, a lot has happened in 2023. Let’s take a closer look at some of the highlights: Projects and Conferences At EduTec.science, just like every year, we're committed to enhancing our understanding of education and exploring the potential impact of technology interventions. Our primary focus is on executing research projects, collecting solid data sets, conducting rigorous analysis of the effects of technology on learning and teaching, and publishing our results in accordance with the highest quality standards. The significant advancements in generative AI and the transformative…

Dec142023 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

PhD defense on Technological Responses to Distracting Media Multitasking in Digital Learning Environments

Award, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, PhD defense, School, Self-Regulation

Today, we proudly acknowledge the remarkable achievement of our team member, Daniel Biedermann, in successfully defending his PhD thesis to become Dr. Biedermann. Woohoo, congratulations! In our modern world, the reality of digital distractions through the attention economy cannot be denied. Countries like the Netherlands, for instance, are planning to ban mobiles from classrooms starting from 2024. Daniel's PhD work centered on the complex challenges of digital media distraction, a phenomenon that's prevalent largely due to our pervasive use of social media and notification systems on our phones, PCs, and tablets. Presented in his disputation, Daniel argued the need for a context-sensitive system to gain a more profound understanding of digital media distraction. In addition, Daniel addressed the crucial subject of digital self-control tools (DSCTs). His research, which provided a…

Dec72023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Exciting New BildungPLUS Podcast: Learning Analytics in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence, Learning Analytics

The studiumdigitale Podcast BildungPLUS invites listeners on a riveting journey into the dynamic world of educational research in the new episode titled “Learning Analytics in the Age of AI”. Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler, Prof. Dr. Bart Rienties and Dr. Eyal Rabin unveil their recent experiences in Learning Analytics, sharing firsthand accounts of breakthroughs and challenges. With a keen focus on AI, the episode delves into anticipations surrounding artificial intelligence's transformative role in shaping personalized learning experiences. Stay tuned for a brief but insightful exploration of the future of education through the lens of Learning Analytics research and innovative AI applications. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MMqdLhJoJcnwy9jSFDIN2?si=0d64ada4b61e4017&nd=1&dlsi=44dc68d0ceb445fa

Dec72023 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

Kickoff meeting of the DFG Research Group CORE

Artificial Intelligence, Critical Online Reasoning, Event, Higher Education, Project meeting

The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU Mainz) hosted a two-day kickoff meeting from 05-06.12.23 for the DFG-Research Group CORE, a project dedicated to the study of critical online reasoning (COR) skills in higher education. The CORE project aims to explore the online learning behaviors and online information landscapes that students in medicine, physics, economics, and social sciences use for their studies.The event brought together a the CORE project partners as well as the international advisory board to discuss the project's goals, achievements so far, and future directions. Inclusion of International Advisory Board Members The kickoff meeting was enriched by the presence of members of the CORE project's international advisory board, these esteemed members provided valuable insights and recommendations for the project's advancement, stressing the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation in the study…

Dec52023 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

3rd IMPACT consortium meeting, a deep-dive into the rollout of Learning Analytics in the times of generative AI

Artificial Intelligence, Event, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, Project

The IMPACT project held its third project meeting in Hagen, Germany, from 30.11-01.12.2023. The IMPACT project seeks to enhance higher education through the sizable implementation of Artificial Intelligence procedures for (partially) automated text analysis. Along the Student Life Cycle, prospective and current students receive highly informative, personalized feedback based on text during the orientation and entry phases, throughout the course of their studies (formative assessment), and upon the completion of academic performances (summative assessment). Supported by change management based on the SHEILA process model, five German universities are implementing text-based AI procedures. These include chatbots, personalized feedback systems for formative and summative assessments. The interdisciplinary consortium leverages internationally-tested open-source software solutions, along with shared standards for interoperability in higher education with learning management systems like Moodle, Stud.IP, ILIAS, Online Study…

Dec42023 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

Enhancing Learning with Data-enriched Activities: Insights from the HIKOF/IMPACT Workshop at eLearning Netzwerktag 2023

Conference, Event, Feedback, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, Learning Design, Project, Workshop

At the 16te eLearning Netzwerktag 2023, participants had the opportunity to engage in various thought-provoking workshops. One workshop that stood out was the HIKOF/IMPACT session, where the edutec.science members from these AI projects shed light on the development of Data-enriched Learning Activities (DeLAs). This interactive workshop showcased how DeLAs offer valuable insights into students' competency development within digital learning activities. Let's delve into the details of how the HIKOF/IMPACT projects, part of the HILA research program, are revolutionizing eLearning through the implementation of DeLAs. The HIKOF/IMPACT workshop focused on exploring the concept and implementation of Data-enriched Learning Activities. Through DeLAs, educators gain unique insights into students' competency development during digital learning processes. These activities represent a powerful approach that leverages AI to analyze real-time data and provide highly informative feedback…

Dec42023 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

Recap on the webinar on Highly-Informative Learning Analytics at the DGHD

Event, Higher Education, Keynote, Learning Analytics, Learning Design, Webinar

Following the successful execution of the dghd series on Learning Analytics in higher education, and based on the decided community interest, we were excited to have announced the continuation of the lecture series focusing on Learning Analytics. The series, which was organized jointly by the dghd working groups "Digital Media in Higher Education Didactics (dmhd)" and "Psychology and Teaching-Learning Research," along with the dghd board, aimed to shed light on the capabilities of Learning Analytics and how it could be implemented across various university projects. Among the presentations, the edutec.science group contributed an presentation entitled "Hochinformatives Feedback mit Learning Analytics" by Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler on November 23, 2023. This presentation kicked off by introducing the code of conduct for the application of Learning Analytics. At a time when data…

Dec42023 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

16th eLearning Netzwerktag: An Insightful Recap of the Fast-Paced Year

Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Augmented Reality, Competence development, Computational Psychometrics, Computer-supported collaborative learning, Conference, Event, Feedback, Gender, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, Learning Design

The annual eLearning Netzwerktag was a highly anticipated one-day event where the eLearning community of Frankfurt and the surrounding areas gathered to present the highlights of the past year to the public. On November 21, 2023, the event took place at Campus Westend, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Among the speakers, the Prof. Dr. Maren Scheffel, Prof. Dr. Franziska Matthäus , CIO of Goethe University Ulrich Schielein, Prof. Dr.Hendrik Drachsler, Director of studiumdigitale, delivered an opening speech that reflected on an incredible year, with a particular focus on the advancements in generative Artificial Intelligence applications. Hendrik Drachsler's speech highlighted the significant developments in the field of digital learning. At the previous Netzwerktag, applications like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Stablediffusions, and open language models (LLMs) such as LAMA were relatively unknown to most…

Dec42023 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

Keynote on Highly Informative Feedback with AI @ University of Bremen

Artificial Intelligence, Event, Feedback, Higher Education, Invited talk, Learning Analytics, Learning Design

On November 29, 2023, the University of Bremen invited Hendrik Drachsler to deliver a keynote on AI and Learning Analytics in higher education. Hendrik presented the work of edutec.science and studiumdigitale, highlighting their advancements, challenges, and the future prospects of integrating AI-based systems for learning and teaching. The keynote shed light on the theoretical foundations, practical implications, and the importance of ethical considerations when harnessing the power of AI in education. During his speech, Hendrik acknowledged the significance of units like studiumdigitale, the central innovation unit for Technology-Enhanced Learning and Teaching at the Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. He explained the SMS transfer process (Scouting-Maturing-Service transfer process) and its role in shaping the EdTech ecosystem of the university. Hendrik emphasized the impact of learning analytics—an emerging field that utilizes data to…

Dec12023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New pub: Measuring Efficacy of ALEKS as a Supportive Instructional Tool in K-12 Math Classroom with Underachieving Students

Assessment, Journal, New Pub, Publication, School

In a recent quasi-experimental research study, the effectiveness of Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS), an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), took center stage in the realm of 8th-grade mathematics education. The study aimed to determine whether ALEKS could bring a statistically significant improvement in students' mathematics achievement compared to traditional teacher-led instructions. The research involved 158 8th-grade students categorized as 'underachieving students, with 60 in the teacher-led group and 98 in the ALEKS-led group. The study used a non-randomized approach to compare the outcomes of teacher-led instructions to ALEKS-led instructions over two consecutive years. In the first year McGraw's curriculum "Reveal" was used exclusively without ALEKS. In the second year ALEKS was incorporated as a supplemental tool in a math support class. The study incorporated a rigorous methodology, utilizing…