In the new TUM Center for Educational Technologies, interdisciplinary research teams from educational sciences, computer science, management, medicine, and other disciplines will investigate the effectiveness of digital tools for learning and teaching and develop new applications. the center through training courses and by supporting startups.
The central question being investigated by the Center for Digital Educational Technologies is: Which technologies help which learners in which situations? The researchers are also developing their own digital tools. One example is "PEER," which is based on so-called large-scale language models such as ChatGPT. The AI tutor can analyze different text forms and suggest improvements to students – depending on the age and skill level of each child. Another project focuses on eye tracking, i.e., recording eye movements. This allows conclusions to be drawn about what learners are understanding and how focused they are.
Further training and start-up support
In addition, the center will also showcase the many tools, platforms and continuing education opportunities available at the TUM The goal is to make existing learning technologies even more accessible to the general public. For example, the Teacher Training Toolbox offers multimedia materials for teacher training in STEM subjects; the online portal Clearing House Unterricht explains the current state of research on practical issues in school teaching; and the Artemis platform offers data science students the opportunity to learn. The center will support teams that want to bring learning technologies developed at TUM to market with a startup.
Professor Thomas F. Hofmann, President of TUM, says:
"There is hardly a German university where educational sciences, computer science, and data science are combined in such an outstanding and valuable way. This is why the TUM Center for Educational Technologies is also part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. We want to leverage this potential and redefine learning and teaching with new technologies."
The computer scientist and co-director Professor Enkelejda Kasneci emphasizes:
"Technologies enable us to make education much more personalized and participatory. When learners receive individualized support, it can reduce their dependence on their background, their prior knowledge, and the conditions of their educational institution. Last but not least, it can increase their motivation—because technology is always there and always patient."
