Innovative approaches to digital university teaching: Christoph Steinbeck leads in Chemistry

Digital lab books are the goal of Kevin Jablonka and Christoph Steinbeck (right) Image: Nicole Nerger (Universität Jena)
Digital lab books are the goal of Kevin Jablonka and Christoph Steinbeck (right): Image: Nicole Nerger (Universität Jena)

This year, four projects at the University of Jena have been recognized with fellowships for innovations in digital university teaching. Each project receives up to €50,000 from the Stifterverband and the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, enabling lecturers to pilot new teaching formats. The fellowships run from September 2025 until the end of next year.

Among the awardees, Prof. Dr. Christoph Steinbeck, Principal Investigator in the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse", is leading a project aimed at modernizing practical chemistry education. Together with Dr. Kevin Jablonka, Steinbeck is developing AI-supported learning environments for laboratory practicals, integrating simulations, virtual labs, and machine learning.

“Our goal is to modernize basic practical training in chemistry,” says Steinbeck. By replacing handwritten lab books with digital records, students’ experimental results become machine-readable and easily accessible for further analysis. Browser-based virtual labs allow experiments to be safely repeated and explored alongside simulations, while AI tools support students in analyzing their data, fostering a deeper understanding of both experimental techniques and the capabilities—and limits—of artificial intelligence.

Steinbeck emphasizes that while similar laboratory information management systems have long been standard in industry, the fellowship project will make these tools usable for university teaching, creating a bridge between cutting-edge technology and foundational science education.

Other projects awarded fellowships include:

  • AI-supported exam training for law students: Prof. Dr. Anika Klafki and Markus Gellrich are developing KlausI, an AI that provides personalized feedback on case solutions.

  • Digital dialogues for Latin philosophical texts: Tim Haubenreißer is creating a web tool to support students’ language and interpretation skills.

  • Video-based experiential spaces for interprofessional education: Dr. Denise Schaller and Grit Böhme focus on training future doctors and occupational therapists to work with people with disabilities.

The Fellowships for Innovations in Digital University Teaching are part of Thuringia’s “Digital University Teaching” strategy, providing space, funding, and networking opportunities to implement novel digital teaching concepts across disciplines.