The University of Tübingen, in collaboration with a consortium of renowned partners including the IWM (Institut für Wissensmedien), is set to become part of a new competence centre dedicated to researching and advancing the use of new technologies in the MINT subjects (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Technology). The joint initiative has received €7.5 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) over a period of 2.5 years.
"MINT-ProNeD" aims to create a nationwide, interdisciplinary network to improve the knowledge and skills of MINT educators. Within this network, a "Future Innovation Hub" will be established, drawing on the expertise of the IWM. This hub will serve as an experimental and testing ground for aspiring educators, granting them access to cutting-edge technologies and ground-breaking innovations that are shaping the future of digital education.
Furthermore, the IWM will actively contribute to the "Translation and Dissemination" cluster of the "MINT-ProNeD" project, facilitating the transfer of research findings and innovative practices into real-world educational settings.

With a study on citizen science, Hannah Greving and her colleagues from the WTimpact project were successful in the journal BioScience.  The journal ranks 2nd out of 94 in the Web of Science within Biology. Publishing in such a prestigious and widely read journal in the community has a positive impact on the visibility and potential impact of such an important topic: "In the study, we investigated the impact of citizen science attitudes on project outcomes such as pride, motivation, or enthusiasm about wildlife," describes the project leader.

In early 2023, Professor Dr Nicole Krämer became a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the IWM, replacing Professor Dr med. Martin Fischer, whose four-year term has come to an end. Nicole Krämer is Professor of Social Psychology, Media, and Communication at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Founding Director of the Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security.

IWM Director Prof. Dr Ulrike Cress expressed her excitement about the new addition: “We are delighted that Nicole Krämer has joined our Advisory Board. She is a renowned expert in the field of human-computer interaction. As the importance of collaboration between humans and artificial agents continues to grow, important questions arise regarding the optimal design of hybrid collaborations and privacy protection. Nicole Krämer’s expertise will contribute significantly to our understanding of this evolving field.”

In a significant move towards advancing digital education, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has committed €30 million to support “Competence Centres for Digital and Digitally Supported Teaching in Schools and Further Education” over the next three and a half years. Taking the lead in coordinating these centres and overseeing the associated research and communication is a cross-regional consortium to which the IWM contributes its expertise in the field of science communication. The central coordination hub for the BMBF competence centres is headed by former IWM scientist Prof. Dr Katharina Scheiter at the University of Potsdam.

Nationwide, 60 experts in educational science, subject didactics, computer science, information technology and media management will be involved in this initiative. Three of these experts are based at the IWM as part of the Wisskomm sub-project, and a further five will join as part of the competence centres.

At present, the IWM researchers have assumed responsibility for the implementation and editorial oversight of the so-called “Zukunftsraum” (future space) on the project’s forthcoming online platform. This platform aims to present innovative research in educational psychology in a way that stimulates interest in technological developments and highlights their potential in the use of digital media for educational purposes. Online events are part of the IWM team’s Wisskomm concept, which draws on the expertise of the e-teaching.org online portal. Launched in 2003, this platform provides up to 10,000 daily visitors with scientifically grounded insights and practical guidance on incorporating digital media into higher education teaching.

Numerous partners are joining forces with the IWM, including the University of Tübingen, the University of Wuppertal, the Technical Universities of Dortmund and Munich, and the Universities of Duisburg-Essen and Kassel. In addition, prominent non-university partners, such as the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, the German Institute for Adult Education - Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning, and the IPN - Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, will contribute their valuable insights and expertise to the project.

On 18 January 2023, Salome Flegr successfully defended her doctoral thesis on the meaningful integration of real and virtual experiments in physics education. The practice-based dissertation, which was written as part of a collaboration between the IWM and the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, was awarded the highest distinction, Summa cum Laude.

In her dissertation, the former PhD student in the Multiple Representations Lab investigated the extent to which combining real and virtual experiments in physics education can enhance learning and improve students’ conceptual understanding of the content. To achieve this, she conducted a total of four studies. The results of her research were not only published in scientific journals but also disseminated through several articles aimed at practitioners, including a contribution to the LEAD-Schule-Blog (German only).