Summer School on Informatics Education Research

Session description:

The lecture will provide an introduction to various theoretical approaches used to investigate learning processes and environments, for example, constructivism, socio-cultural theory, and expectancy-value theory. It will also provide a basic knowledge of the various perspectives and practices that can be used to study learning processes and environments.

Session description:

The lecture will introduce the foundational concepts relative to the processes of human cognition, that is how people acquire knowledge and understanding such as brain, perception, attention, memory, learning, cognitive development, problem-solving, transfer effect and cognitive load while discussing also the various levels at which cognitive processes happen and how they are related.

About the instructor: 

Martin Fischer is a professor of cognitive sciences with a background in attention research and motor control. He is an expert in numerical cognition. He is the leader of the Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group. After studying psychology at RWTH Aachen/Germany, Fischer worked in Massachusetts/USA from 1991-1996. He studied eye and body movements and their effects on spatial attention to obtain my PhD. After 3 years as a post-doc at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich/Germany, Fischer moved to the University of Dundee/Scotland. There he worked for 12 years on various interdisciplinary topics, such as poetry reception, humanoid robots and numerical cognition, before becoming a full professor of cognitive science at the University of Potsdam in 2011. Martin's current research focus is on embodied cognition.

Learn more about Martin Fischer.

Session description:

The lecture will address the main issues relative to providing quantitative measures on data collected during research. They cover both descriptive statistics (e.g. dependent and independent variables, descriptive graphics, numerical descriptions), which provides ways to quantify the actual data recorded, and inferential statistics (e.g. hypothesis testing, inferential tests), which allows to possibly extend our findings beyond the actual samples.

About the instructor: 

Mattia Monga is an Associate Professor at Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy with the Department of Computer Science. He holds a PhD in Computer and Automation Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He is one of the founders of the ALaDDIn group (http://aladdin.unimi.it) and the Deputy Director of the CINI National Laboratory on Computer Science and School. 

Learn more about Mattia Monga.

Session description:

The lecture will address the various methods used for qualitative research, that is the kind of investigations where insights on activities, accounts and artefacts relative to the phenomena under study do not come from the mathematical methods which are the basis of quantitative research. Among the most relevant of these methods are interviews, focus groups, observational studies, content analysis, and data collection.

Learn more about the instructor Inge Hutter.

Session description:

This session will provide an introduction to tech ethics and their implications, addressing also governance and risk models. Governance of AI Foundation Models will also be discussed.

About the instructor:

Elizabeth M. Daly is a Research Scientist leading the Interactive AI Group at the IBM Research Laboratory, Dublin. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin.

She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin in November 2007 with her thesis entitled 'Social Network Analysis for Routing in Disconnected Delay-Tolerant MANETs'. Before joining IBM Research - Dublin she was a post-doctoral researcher in the IBM Research Centre for Social Software in Cambridge, MA. There her work focused on the intersection of social networks and information systems. More recently her team is researching innovative solutions for interactive AI by introducing mechanisms to facilitate AI and humans negotiate a common objective. She is on the program committee of high impact conference such as RecSys, IUI, WWW, UMAP and ICWSM. She is currently serving on the Royal Irish Academy’s committee on Engineering and Computer Science.

Learn more about Elisabeth Daly.

Session description:

This session will address the identification of research questions, and their evaluation, formulation, articulation, and execution, using the approach of “Design Thinking for Research & Science”.

About the instructor: Ambrish Rawat is a Research Scientist in the AI Security & Privacy team at IBM. His research interests are at the cross-sections of security, privacy and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Most recently, he has worked on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) like Federated Learning and Differential Privacy. He is passionate about building trustworthy AI systems with security and privacy guarantees within the regulatory demands of GDPR as well as EU AI and Digital Acts.

Learn more about Ambrish Rawat.

Session description:

This session will present one to two case studies published in the literature for this level of school (6 to 10 years old), analyze and discuss them, paying attention to biases and how to avoid them.

Learn more about the instructor Jane Waite.

Session description: 

This session will present one to two case studies published in the literature for this level of school (11 to 18 years old), analyze and discuss, paying attention to bias and how to avoid them.

About the instructor:

Jan Vahrenhold is Professor for Efficient Algorithms and Algorithm Engineering at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster since 2012. His research focuses on algorithms and data structures for geometric problems, algorithm engineering with a focus on resource efficiency and computer science education.

Jan Vahrenhold is co-editor-in-chief of "Computer Science Education" and associate editor of "ACM Inroads" and "Journal of Computational Geometry". He has (co-)chaired several conferences in the field of computer science and computer science education, most recently the ACM International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER 2021/2022). He is member of the national consortium for the current "International Computer and Information Literacy Study" (ICILS 2023), member of the board of Informatics Europe, and speaker of the "Computer Science and Education" section of the German Informatics Society.

Learn more about Jan Vahrenhold.

Session Description: 

The lecture will present and discuss the role of tools and technology in Informatics Education and Informatics Education Research, by analyzing advantages and disadvantages. They will also cover research issues related to Human-Computer Interaction and AI-assisted education.

Session Description: 

The lecture will provide an introduction to the main pedagogical approaches, such as active learning, collaborative learning, cooperative learning and blended learning, which allow to describe and analyze the complex set of relationships developing between the teacher and students in the various learning contexts and for the different learning activities.

Learn more about the instructor Lauri Malmi.

Session Description:

SCHIER participants will be asked to present one possible research topic, on which they plan to work or have already started to work, for a joint discussion. Depending on the number of students and proposals, the work can be done in groups.

Learn more about the Scientific Committee.

• Participation in all SCHIER 2024 sessions and activities during the 5-day program;
• Handouts and other relevant teaching materials;
• Coffee breaks and meals according to the schedule (lunch from Monday to Friday, coffee breaks, social evening on Wednesday). 

Not included: travel and accommodation costs.

Within two weeks after your application submission, you will receive notification of your SCHIER 2024 final admission status, sent from our official email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The email will include instructions regarding registration fee payment and, if requested during the application, a letter of invitation for visa application. Kindly note that official admission to SCHIER 2024 is granted only upon payment of the full registration fee. If you haven't heard back two weeks after submitting your application, please feel free to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. us.

Please note that, as a SCHIER participant, it will be your responsibility to ensure that you have the valid travel documents required to enter Switzerland for the duration of SCHIER (and the additional travel days before and after the program).

• Participants from EU and EFTA countries need a valid travel document (i.e. passport or identification card) to enter Switzerland. For students from the new EU states, interim regulations apply. Please contact the Swiss embassy or consulate in your country for information about the exact procedures that apply to you. You can find more information via this link.
• Participants from outside the EU and non-EFTA countries who wish to enter Switzerland for a stay of up to 90 days (within 180 days) can apply for a Schengen visa. You can find more information on the Schengen visa from this link.

We can provide a letter of invitation to admitted SCHIER participants for visa application purposes. You can request the letter during the final registration process as specified in the admission notification email. Please allow up to 10 working days for letter processing, with requests handled in the order received.

SCHIER is addressed mainly to PhD students from all over the world wishing to work in the area of Informatics Education Research, but also to post-doctorates and other researchers interested to learn more about topics and challenges in this field. Participants specializing in other fields relevant to Informatics and/or Education are welcome. In exceptional cases, undergraduates are also welcome to participate.

Depending on your nationality, you need a visa to travel to Switzerland. You may find information about the visa requirement on the website of the State Secretariat for Migration. All visa procedures remain in the participant's responsibility and must be arranged before arriving in Switzerland.

Participants of SCHIER must organize accommodation themselves – it is not being provided by SCHIER and is not included in the registration fee. However, Zurich provides a large number of accommodation options, and IBM Innovation Studio and Think Lab, where SCHIER will take place, is easily accessible by car or public transport from central Zurich, taking only 15 minutes. Here are some possible options:

• Youth hostel, Zürich Wollishofen - direct public bus to the venue [view here]
• Meininger Hotel Zürich - multi-bedded rooms available [view here]
• Hotel Ibis, Adliswil [view here]

and further options can be found here: https://www.zurich.ibm.com/visitors/hotels_zh.html.

SCHIER is an intensive 5-day program that provides a concentrated learning experience with focused instruction from renowned international experts in Informatics Education Research, offering immediate insights and practical skills. There is no other international school like this in Europe. SCHIER offers international networking opportunities, connecting participants with experts and peers across Europe and beyond to exchange ideas and broaden their professional horizons.

SCHIER will be held in English. Applicants are not required to hold formal qualifications in English to take part in SCHIER.

Participants attending SCHIER will be asked to present one possible research topic, on which they plan to work or have already started to work, for a joint discussion. Depending on the number of students and proposals, the work can be done in groups.

 

SCHIER is an Informatics Europe training school, sponsored and co-organized by IBM Research Europe.

Yes, an attendance of at least 4 of all 5 days is required for a certificate to be issued. The certificate will be issued by Informatics Europe.