The article "Predicting problem-solving success in an office simulation applying N-grams and a random forest to behavioral process data" addresses predicting students' success in problem-solving in computer-based simulations early on to enable adaptive learning environments for personalized support. Using a random forest model, the behavior of students was analyzed during the first 20 minutes of a 55-minute business scenario simulation, based on mouse clicks and keyboard inputs. Predictions, particularly from the first 10 and 20 minutes, proved precise and illustrate how personalized learning aids can be provided for less successful students and adaptive tasks for more successful ones based on log data.

The article by Sabrina Ludwig, Andreas Rausch, Viola Deutscher, and Jürgen Seifried is available here.

The study addresses high drop-out rates in Vocational Education and Training (VET) by highlighting the overlooked role of trainees' vocational competence in influencing drop-out behavior. Using longitudinal data from 458 commercial trainees in Germany, it identifies domain-specific vocational competence as a significant factor affecting drop-out intentions across different time periods. The findings underscore that lower domain-specific competence increases drop-out intentions downwards (unemployment or untrained work), while higher domain-linked competence initially motivates trainees to dropout upwards (to start an academic education).

The article by Beifang Ma, Maximillian Krötz, Viola Deutscher und Esther Winther is available here .

How effective are university didactics programs at German universities?

This question is addressed in a recent article by Prof. Deutscher in cooperation with the Mannheim Teaching and Learning Center (ZLL).As part of a quantitative meta-analysis, small effects on the self-perception of their own teaching quality by participating lecturers can be demonstrated. Additioanally, a systematic overview study highlights that the introduction of the Teaching Quality Pact in 2012 was not accompanied by sufficient effectiveness research, so the question of improving teaching quality from the students' perspective in particular remains unanswered.