Prof. Dr. Johannes Schneider – University of Liechtenstein
Professor in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. He has a multidisciplinary background, having studied computer science, having obtained a „Master of Advanced Studies in Management, Technology, and Economics“ and, finally, being an active researcher in Information Systems. His research interest include both technical and non-technical aspects covering in particular human-AI interaction. In particular, he has published multiple studies on assessing ChatGPT, e.g., „Validity Claims in Children-AI Discourse“, suitability of ChatGPT for autograding. However, even prior to hype around ChatGPT, he has used (early) large language models such as BERT in the field of education, i.e., together with the Swiss startup Classtime he developed an autograding solution and also published key findings („Towards Trustworthy
AutoGrading of Short, Multi-lingual, Multi-type Answers“, Schneider et. al, 2022). In addition, he has conducted multiple works analyzing human-software (and, specifically human-AI) interaction, e.g., relevant to this project might be his work on „Detecting plagiarism based on the creation process“ that works with assignment data from university students, but also works conducted in an industrial setting looking at user-software interaction ( e.g, „Mining sequences of developer interactions in visual studio for usage smells“, Damevski, Shepherd, Schneider, and Pollock, 2016). He is also the father of three children and, thus, in frequent touch with current education at a school level. In addition, he has also participated in „AI-bility: Cultivating AI Awareness in Schoolchildren“ project, where he participated in studies at schools. In his research, he has also performed a number of user studies, e.g., in the field of explainability (= Making AI understandable). In addition, he has acquired and managed projects with industry and academic partners including for example the Erasmus+ project „Text Mining for Curriculum Design for Multiple Information Systems Disciplines“, which has been invited at the time of writing to apply for a reward as it was well-perceived. He has also published at top AI, data mining and information systems conferences and journals, e.g., AAAI, IJCAI, ICIS, CIKM, FOCS, STOC, EJIS, DMKD, JACM. At the time of writing (September 2024), he was also the researcher having acquired most citations in 2024 at the University of Liechtenstein according to Google Scholar.
Prof. Thomas Schroffenegger (MAS, MSc, BEd) – University of Teacher Education Vorarlberg
is a science (STEAM) and media education teacher at the University of Teacher Education in Vorarlberg with a main focus on didactic methods and teacher internship. He is author and publisher of multiple teaching media products (school books, educational videos, learning software, E-learning) and engaged in Teacher Education and in Service Trainings.
Prof. Dr. Dana-Kristin Mah – Leuphana University Lüneburg
Junior Professor for Digital Teaching and Learning at Leuphana University Lueneburg,
Germany. Her research and teaching focus on artificial intelligence in education, didactics, educational technologies, learning analytics, and competency development. She is currently investigating the potential of AI and educational technologies in terms of required digital skills and AI literacy as well as didactic implications for teaching and learning. Her research focuses on teachers and learners in higher education and schools. She provides seminars and lectures for pre service teachers on AI in education and digital teaching and learning. Topics include digital literacy, AI literacy, digital learning platforms, and open educational resources (OER). As head of research and instructional designer, Dana-Kristin Mah contributed to the development and establishment of the „AI Campus – The Digital Learning Platform for Artificial Intelligence“ (Stifterverband, F&E-project). As a consultant at the VDI/VDE-IT project management organization in Berlin, Germany, she advised the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in the areas of digital higher education (e.g. digital teaching and learning, AI in education, learning analytics, digital badges) and lifelong learning. She has researched and taught at the University of Potsdam and the Technical University of Berlin, and received her Ph.D. from the University of Mannheim, Germany. She is the author of numerous publications, editor of international edited volumes (Springer), keynote speaker and Zia Fellow for Visible Women in Science (ZEIT-Verlag).
Prof. Dr. Karl Peböck – University of Teacher Education Vorarlberg
Head of the Centre of Media Technologies, and member of the Centre of Quality Management at the University of Teacher Education Vorarlberg. He teaches Media Education and has done research on Communities of Practice for pedagogical matter in Social Media especially Twitter and published numerous articles. He has a large international network in the fields of media technologies and general pedagogy.
Prof. Dr. Fabian Hoya – University of Teacher Education Vorarlberg
has been working as a research assistant at the University of Paderborn since 2012 and as a
professor of educational science at the Institute of Primary Education and Learning Development at the University of Teacher Education Vorarlberg since February 2023. During his academic career, he has led numerous empirical research projects. He has in-depth knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods and is experienced in the (further) development of survey inventories. In his current research, he is conducting an international comparative questionnaire survey in Germany, Austria and Denmark on the attitudes of student teachers and university lecturers towards AI tools and their use. In a subsequent interview study, he asked teachers how they use AI tools in their teaching. The research findings have been presented at numerous conferences and are currently being published in peer-reviewed journals. Fabian Hoya has extensive experience in university teaching and has already given training courses on the use of artificial intelligence for teachers and graduate students.
Michaela Varrone – Liechtenstein education authority – Center for School Media (ZfS)
is significantly involved in the project on behalf of the school authority. She is an expert in the field of media and IT and heads the Center for School Media. She previously worked as a
lecturer at the PH Thurgau from 2018-2024. Other people from the ZfS will be involved in the project. The ZfS will be responsible for communication and networking with the education authority and teachers at the various schools. The pilot phase with Fobizz will be used to survey the experiences of teachers and learners with AI tools. In addition, various further training courses can be offered via the ZfS.