Photocredit: Tamara Menzi
Short Bio
Since February 2021, I have been at Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zürich) as a professor in Computing Skills in Education. I work at the Centre for Media Education and Informatics and the Centre for Education and Digital Transformation.
In 2020, I was at the Institute for Mathematics and Applied Informatics at the University of Hildesheim (Germany). I was the head of the Department of Computer Science Didactics and a visiting professor (W2) in Computer Science Didactics. I have previously worked at Graz University of Technology (Austria), Department of Software Technology as a postdoctoral university assistant (2018-2019) and a university/project assistant during the H2020 project “No One Left Behind” (2015-2018). I received my PhD in 2018 at the Institute for Software Development at TU Graz. I am part of the product owner board of the Catrobat project.
My current research interests include basic computer science education, AI didactics, e-learning, maker education, programming concepts, game design and software development. My work is focused on how to engage teenagers in playful computer science activities, with the dedication to enhance the experiences of girls in particular.
My research interests is positioned at the intersection of computer science, education, and society. I develop innovative didactic concepts that make computer science education gender-sensitive, interdisciplinary, and future-oriented. My focus lies on four central areas:
1. Gender-Sensitive Computer Science
- Research and development of concepts to promote girls and women in computer science (e.g., girls-only programs, role models, gender-sensitive teaching materials)
- Empowerment strategies to strengthen the visibility and participation of women in the digital world
- Gender-sensitive didactics in teacher education: Teachers as multipliers for diverse and equitable STEM education
2. Interdisciplinary Computer Science: Computational Thinking, Making, and Game Design
- Computational Thinking as a future skill: interdisciplinary approaches (Erasmus+ project ComeThinkAgain)
- Making as a creative approach to computer science education
- Game Design: game-based learning, tutorial games, mobile learning, gamified learning concepts
- Connecting universities, industry, and schools for hands-on STEM education
- Curriculum design for foundational computer science education
3. AI Didactics: Learning With and About Artificial Intelligence
- Development of didactic concepts to teach AI competencies for educators across all subjects (Z2-3)
- AI as a learning and reflection tool: critical engagement with algorithmic biases, ethics, and data privacy
- Practical training programs for teachers to integrate AI into their classrooms
4. Open Educational Resources (OER)
- Strategic integration of OER in higher education (topic lead at PHZH)
- Promoting Open Educational Resources (OER) as part of a sustainable digital learning culture
- Development and research of open digital teaching and learning resources
- Open Education as a principle: collaborative learning spaces, participation, and sustainable knowledge sharing
Social profiles: – LinkedIn – Twitter (x) – ResearchGate – GoogleScholar
ORCID: 0000-0003-2738-019X
Download “List of Publications” (01.2024)