The research conducted by our working group aims to contribute to a better understanding of how learners and teachers deal with challenges and changes in their learning and (future) working environments in the context of digitalisation. In particular, we want to gain insights into how (prospective) designers of educational contexts can reflect on the potential of digital media in their work (e.g. as teachers in schools or lecturers at universities) and use it in ways that promote learning.
To this end, we address social and media psychological as well as educational-psychological questions in the context of the following research focus areas:
Online (knowledge) communication/handling scientific information
Competence acquisition and application in digitally influenced settings (e.g. AI-related competences, information literacy, reflective skills, critical thinking)
Digitalisation and innovation in higher education
Motivation
My professorship combines scientific depth with a clear didactic vision: to prepare students – especially prospective teachers – for the reflective, responsible design of educational processes in digital environments. A main focus is on promoting critical thinking and reflective skills among teachers and learners, in the spirit of democracy-sensitive education.
My research is at the intersection of educational psychology, social psychology and media education. I work with empirical – predominantly (quasi-)experimental methods. I use qualitative and quantitative as well as non-reactive methods (e.g. video-based emotion measurement).
As head of the department, my aim is to create spaces in which research-based teaching, open science and the promotion of young talent are not only possible but a matter of course. It is a personal concern of mine to present scientific findings in such a way that they provide guidance to those who shape education – especially prospective teachers – and enable them to use digital technologies in the interests of equal opportunities, open and democratic education.
