Digital Science in Education
This book presents the peer-reviewed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Digital Science in Education, held on May 28–29, 2026, in Potsdam, Germany, exploring digital science in education. For decades, digital technologies have continuously reshaped the educational landscape. From Skinner’s teaching machines and early computer-based learning systems like Project PLATO to open educational resources, iTunesU, MOOCs, and, most recently, various forms of artificial intelligence, educational technologies have alternately been met with enthusiasm and skepticism, ultimately becoming integrated into mainstream practice. This book brings together twenty one chapters investigating the influence of digital technologies across schools, vocational education and training (VET), and higher education. The topics addressed include AI-resilient and AI-supported assessment, the application of robots for storytelling in schools, accessibility considerations for emerging technologies, and the use of AR/VR in educational contexts. These contributions represent a range of geographic regions—including Ireland, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Turkey, Germany, and the United States—as well as diverse educational settings, from schools and VET to universities, informal learning, and online environments, employing a variety of methodological approaches.
Christoph Meinel is Founding President of the German University of Digital Science and Professor Emeritus (C4) of Computer Science at the University of Potsdam. He served as Managing and Scientific Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering from 2004 to 2023 and was Founding Dean of the Digital Engineering Faculty at the University of Potsdam (2017–2021). He is a member of acatech (German National Academy of Science and Engineering) and has published over 25 books and 800 peer-reviewed papers in the fields of internet technologies, cybersecurity, and digital education.
Mike Friedrichsen is Founding President and CEO of the German University of Digital Science. He was a full professor of Business Informatics and Digital Media at Stuttgart Media University for over 25 years. His research focuses on digital economy, digital media management, and innovation in digital education. He is the founder of the UDS Competence Center for Digital Economy and Society and an editor of the Springer book series “Media Business and Innovation.”
Thomas Staubitz is a Professor of Educational Technologies and Social Learning at the German University of Digital Science and the Speaker of its Educational Technologies Research Center. He was a Senior Researcher at the Hasso Plattner Institute, where he was responsible for the openHPI MOOC platform and its partner platforms as well as several European and national research projects, delivering courses to a total of around 15 million learners. Thomas is an ACM member, a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of the ACM Learning@Scale and IEEE DEMOcon steering committees, as well as a reviewer for several conferences and journals.