Research topic Archives - Page 2 of 22

Jul22026 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Congratulations, Dr. Karademir! Turning Data into Pedagogical Action

On 1 July 2026, Onur Karademir successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the Goethe-University Frankfurt — and we could not be prouder. Onur joined the EduTec team in February 2021, but his story started even earlier: as a student frustrated by 90-minute maths lectures, he channelled that experience into founding StudyCore, an EdTech startup delivering digital teaching tools to universities and schools. That hands-on instinct — building things that actually reach learners — defined his entire PhD trajectory. His dissertation, Turning Data into Pedagogical Action: Designing the Learning Analytics Cockpit, a Teacher Dashboard for Feedback, tackles one of the most pressing challenges in educational technology: making learning analytics useful in real classrooms. Over three interconnected studies — a proof of concept, a co-design process with secondary school teachers and a…

Jun252026 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

Keynote: From Experiment to Infrastructure: Reflections on AI in Higher Education

Academy, Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Higher Education, Keynote, Keynote

Today, Hendrik Drachsler gave a keynote at the VHB annual Conference in Bamberg, speaking to an audience of over 33 AI project leaders from higher education institutions in Germany. The topic was "From Experiment to Infrastructure: Scaling, Evaluation, and Governance of AI Systems in Higher Education," reflecting his thinking on various grassroots projects and how to scale them across the whole university. The gap between performance and learning Hendrik opened with a provocation: Is AI the new calculator? Both technologies automate cognitive processes, both faced early scepticism, and both promised efficiency gains. But the analogy breaks down quickly. A calculator takes over arithmetic, not problem-solving. AI takes over the formulation, analysis, and argument. That is a qualitative difference, and it demands a different institutional / governance response. Mixed results on…

Jun102026 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Pub: Competent Usage of AI and Digital Technology in Education

Artificial Intelligence, New Pub, Publication

[caption id="attachment_8403" align="alignright" width="300"] Modified TPACK model as Level 2 of the AIEDTEC-CDM. Note. TPK = technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), TCK = technological content knowledge, PCK = pedagogical content knowledge, TPCK = technological pedagogical content knowledge.[/caption] How can teachers and learners use AI and digital technology competently, critically and safely in education? Simply using AI tools and digital technology in educational settings does not necessarily mean that learners will profit from these tools. Some tools may have a positive effect on learning, while others may not. A newly published paper addresses this issue and formulates a theoretical framework for the “Competence to Use Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology in Educational Processes” (AIEDTEC competence). Combining insights from psychology and computer science, it aims to provide a theoretical definition of the competent…

May212026 by Sebastian WollnyNo Comments

🤖 Robots in the Classroom — Sebastian Wollny on the “Sitzenbleiben” Podcast

Digitalisation, Press, Robots in Education, Transfer Activity

What do soccer-playing robots, telepresence droids, and 3D printers have in common? They're all reshaping what education looks like — and our very own Sebastian Wollny sat down with the DIPF parent podcast Sitzenbleiben to break it all down. 🎙️ 📣 Note: This episode is in German. Robotics in education is no longer a distant vision. In Episode 48 of Sitzenbleiben, Sebastian — researcher in our Educational Technologies group and trained electrical engineer with a specialization in automation — explains how robots are already making their way into schools and what that means for students and teachers alike. The conversation covers a surprisingly wide range of real-world applications: 🏫 Telepresence robots that let sick children stay physically "present" in their classroom — a friend can even take the robot-avatar along…

May122026 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

How AI Systems Impact Mathematics Achievement in Rural Areas

Artificial Intelligence, PhD defense, School

On Friday, May 8, 2026, Rashmi Khazanchi successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, "Artificial Intelligence in Education: Impact of AI-Based Systems on Mathematics Achievement," at the Open Universiteit in Heerlen. The defense was supervised by Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler, who holds a guest professorship at the Open Universiteit, alongside co-promotor Prof. Dr. Daniele Di Mitri (German University of Digital Sciences). The Research Question Khazanchi's work addresses a pressing challenge in education: whether AI-based learning systems can help close the mathematics achievement gap for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Her research focused on students in a rural school district in South Georgia, USA — a setting often characterized by limited resources and a shortage of qualified teachers. What Was Studied The school implemented two AI-based systems to support struggling learners: ALEKS, an…

Dec182025 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

New Pub: How Virtual Reality Mental Training Impacts Race Preparation in Recreational Runners

Augmented Reality, Computational Psychometrics, General education, Journal, New Pub, Publication

Can Virtual Reality Mental Training Help Recreational Runners Race Smarter? We’re glad to announce that our paper has just been published! 🎉 In this post, we share the key ideas and early findings from our newly published study exploring how virtual reality (VR) mental training—grounded in cognitive-behavioral (CB) techniques—may support long-distance recreational runners in adopting race strategies and strengthening motivation within a coaching context. What happens when cognitive-behavioral (CB) techniques like imagery and self-talk meet virtual reality (VR) in a coaching context? An exploratory study of recreational long-distance runners provides intriguing early signals. Why this study matters VR has been used in sports settings to support skill learning and performance, but it’s still relatively uncommon to see VR paired directly with cognitive-behavioral mental training—especially practical tools like imagery and self-talk…

Dec42025 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Collaborative Research Center [in:just]

Artificial Intelligence, Project

We are excited to announce that we will be part of the newly launched Collaborative Research Centre [in:just]. This center is special as it will be the first such center in the field of educational sciences and will focus on justice and participation in the educational system. Its goal is to study why inequality in Germany’s educational system continues to exist and what factors contribute to this. The spokespersons are Prof. Merle Hummrich and Prof. Vera Moser, both of whom work in the Department of Educational Sciences at Goethe University. The first phase of the Collaborative Research Centre [in:just] will be funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2026 – 2029. A team of 31 researchers from fields such as education, sociology, philosophy, political science, law, geography and computer…

Dec22025 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Moving Education Towards Didactical Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence, Event, Invited talk, Learning Analytics

ChatGPT and other GenAI tools are said to be good for learning. But does their usage really empower learners, or does it overwhelm them instead? Studies from Highly- Informative Learning Analytics (HILA) programs show how complex the effects of such AI-tools can be. While dashboards can potentially improve students’ learning outcomes, AI feedback can sometimes be helpful and sometimes be demotivating for students, depending on their feedback literacy. In a recent presentation at IWM Lectures Hendrik Drachsler argues that we need more research into Didactical Intelligence – a framework for understanding when, how and for whom AI and Learning Analytics truly improves learning and when not. Technology alone doesn’t guarantee better outcomes; its success depends on thoughtful integration into pedagogy. He therefore presented the Highly-Informative Learning Analytics research platform. This…

Nov282025 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Exploring the Future of Digital Teaching at #EduNext25

Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Event, Higher Education

On 26.11.2025 our team had the privilege of participating in #EduNext25, a full-day conference dedicated to the future of digitalization and AI in higher education. Hosted by studiumdigitale at Goethe University Frankfurt, the event brought together educators, researchers and innovators from across Hessen and beyond to discuss how technology can transform teaching and learning. The opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Viera Pirker, Minister TimonGremmels and Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler set the tone: digitalization and AI are not just trends, they are essential tools for shaping the academic experience of tomorrow. One highlight was the EduConnect session, where universities from the HessenHub network and the QuiS program showcased their latest projects and approaches to digital learning. Another highlight was the panel discussion on strategic alliances for future teaching. Experts from various…

Nov142025 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

LAMASS@DiLea Study Report and Data Set Now Published

Empirical Study, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, Project, Publication, Report

What factors influence academic success and dropout rates in digital study formats at universities? What factors and effects at the subjective, curricular and institutional levels can be empirically measured and how do they interact in digital study formats? Can a factor analysis be used to compare digital and face-to-face study formats? The LAMASS@DiLea project team now present the answers to these questions in the newly published project report “LAMASS-Studie: Studienerfolg und Studienabbruch in digitalen Studienformaten”. It is a comprehensive analysis of academic success and dropout rates in digital study formats. The results of the study are valuable for existing digital study formats and for degree programs that wish to boost their use of digital technology. The dataset has also been published and is available to download. Modell des Studienabbruchs in…