Play to get Instant Feedback – Using Game-Based Apps to Overcome the Feedback Gap in Lectures and Online Teaching

The COVID-19 situation accelerated the digital transformation in educational settings worldwide. Within a short time frame of several weeks, a full digital transformation took place. In the meantime, however, the trend of this rapid digital transformation seems to be going back to face-to-face teaching, and a rollback to traditional teaching methods can be observed. In this article, we aim to show that digital teaching approaches cannot only be included in online teaching but should also be considered after returning to face-to-face teaching. In particular, we focus on improving feedback in large-scale educational settings. We observe that providing and receiving appropriate feedback on learning and teaching activities is challenging independently of the specific teaching settings (in-class or online). This is particularly problematic because feedback is essential in learning processes. To address this, we combine the concepts of learning analytics and gamification to design a lecture game app that can be used (1) to motivate students to participate in formative assessments, (2) to collect learning-related data, and (3) to analyze this data to provide instant feedback. After integrating the lecture game in different settings, we conclude that digital tools can be useful independently of the specific learning setting

Fostering Students’ Motivation to Learn Daily on a Voluntary Basis – A Gamified Mobile Learning Approach for Formal Learning Settings

In this research study, we address the issue of fostering the students’ motivation to learn in large-scale lectures in which the student-to-lecturer ratio is high. A common challenge in large-scale lectures is that providing adequate learning support for each student on an individualized basis is often not possible (esp. due to resource constrains). In order to provide an enhanced learning support in large-scale courses by fostering the students’ (intrinsic) motivation to learn on a daily basis, we apply a problem-centered design science research approach in this study. We developed an enhanced learning concept and a mobile learning app. After two design iterations, we finished the development of the mobile learning artifact that we are currently testing in a field study in a large-scale information systems lecture. In this paper, we present the design cycles and outline our future research steps

RNA aptamers as genetic control devices: the potential of riboswitches as synthetic elements for regulating gene expression.

RNA utilizes many different mechanisms to control gene expression. Among the regulatory elements that respond to external stimuli, riboswitches are a prominent and elegant example. They consist solely of RNA and couple binding of a small molecule ligand to the so-called "aptamer domain" with a conformational change in the downstream "expression platform" which then determines system output. The modular organization of riboswitches and the relative ease with which ligand-binding RNA aptamers can be selected in vitro against almost any molecule have led to the rapid and widespread adoption of engineered riboswitches as artificial genetic control devices in biotechnology and synthetic biology over the past decade. This review highlights proof-of-principle applications to demonstrate the versatility and robustness of engineered riboswitches in regulating gene expression in pro- and eukaryotes. It then focuses on strategies and parameters to identify aptamers that can be integrated into synthetic riboswitches that are functional in vivo, before finishing with a reflection on how to improve the regulatory properties of engineered riboswitches, so that we can not only further expand riboswitch applicability, but also finally fully exploit their potential as control elements in regulating gene expression

Mixture Models in Longitudinal Research Designs

Reinecke J. Mixture Models in Longitudinal Research Designs. In: Mays A, Dingelstedt A, Hambauer V, et al., eds. Grundlagen - Methoden - Anwendungen in den Sozialwissenschaften. Festschrift für Steffen M. Kühnel. Wiesbaden: Springer VS; 2020: 67-83