Dr.in techn. Olivia Fischer successfully defended her dissertation at TU Wien. As a doctoral researcher in the STEAM – STEM – stART’em doctoral college (STE[A+]M), a joint initiative of TU Wien and the University College of Teacher Education Vienna (PH Wien), her research contributes to interdisciplinary discussions on innovative teaching and learning approaches at the intersection of technology and education.
During her defense, Olivia Fischer presented her dissertation, “Practice for the Future” – Exploring Edularp in Computer Science Education and Human-Computer Interaction. Her research focuses on the use of educational live-action role-play (edularp) in formal computer science education (CSE) and digital literacy education (DLE). In particular, she investigates how edularps can be co-designed with students and examines the roles of creativity, collaboration, empowerment, and intrinsic motivation in this process.
A central contribution of the dissertation is the development of an empowerment-focused co-design workshop for edularps, which was developed and tested over five iterations in collaboration with teachers, pre-service teachers, and students. The findings highlight the potential of this approach for computer science and digital literacy education while also identifying challenges associated with implementing participatory design processes in school contexts.
Through her work, Olivia Fischer brings together participatory design methods, game-based learning formats, and computer science education. Her research opens up new perspectives on the design of interactive and collaborative learning environments and contributes to the development of innovative educational approaches.
Contributing to Interdisciplinary Research within the STE[A+]M Doctoral College
The STEAM – STEM – stART’em doctoral college brings together perspectives from science, technology, the arts, and education. Through the collaboration between TU Wien and the University College of Teacher Education Vienna (PH Wien), diverse academic and pedagogical approaches are combined to foster interdisciplinary research.
Olivia Fischer’s dissertation illustrates the potential of this collaboration by connecting research in human-computer interaction and computer science education with participatory and creative methods to explore new possibilities for designing educational processes.
CTSi warmly congratulates Dr.in techn. Olivia Fischer on the successful defense of her dissertation and wishes her all the best in her future academic and professional career.
Header image: © Ursula Maurič 2026