Digital Education at Bavarian Schools and Universities (vbw Study)

• Dr. Sonja Berger
• Anne Lohr, M. Sc.
• Dr. Florian Schultz-Pernice
• Dr. Julia Murböck
• Dr. Nicole Heitzmann
• Dr. Johanna Vejvoda

Digital education – that is, education for a digitalized world – has increasingly moved into the focus of attention of government and business, academia, and public discourse in the wake of the accelerating digital transformation of all areas of our society. Young people must acquire the knowledge and competences that enable them to act and shape their lives in a digitalized world. The associated challenges are faced equally by all educational institutions – from kindergarten to schools to universities.

The Chair of Empirical Pedagogy and Educational Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München has prepared the following studies on behalf of vbw e.V. They examine digital education in the contexts of schools and higher education.

The study “Digital Education in Bavarian Schools” is entering its third round in 2023. This time, three sub-studies will be conducted, building on the previous studies from 2017 and 2021, while integrating methodological and content-related innovations into their design. Based on the findings of the earlier studies and taking into account the current state of research, a revision of the measurements of media-related competences—particularly within the teacher survey—is recommended. In this context, objective measurements will be applied. These will be incorporated both into the telephone survey of secondary school students and teachers, as well as into a new supplementary online survey module for teachers. The results are expected to be available from autumn 2024.

“Digital Education in Bavarian Schools before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic”

The study “Digital Education in Bavarian Schools before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic” was conducted in 2021 by the Chair of Empirical Pedagogy and Educational Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. It provides a differentiated insight, based on two sub-studies, into the state of digital education in Bavarian schools shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as after the first period of school closures beginning in March 2020.

The first part of the study is based on a representative telephone survey of 270 primary school teachers, 407 teachers at secondary schools (Mittelschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium), and 643 secondary school students. In addition, a document analysis of examination regulations, teacher education programs, and school curricula was carried out.

The second part of the study focuses on the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated school closures up to the end of the 2019/2020 school year. A representative telephone survey was conducted with 273 primary school teachers, 405 secondary school teachers (Mittelschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium), 273 parents of primary school students, as well as 644 secondary school students together with their parents in Bavaria.

The two sub-studies highlight, among other things, the state of digital infrastructure in Bavarian schools, quantitative and qualitative findings on the use of digital media in classroom teaching, patterns of digital media use by students during school closures, stress factors for teachers, students, and parents, but also progress in digital education.

The 2021 study builds on the previous study from 2017 and thus also makes it possible to trace developments in digital education at Bavarian schools since 2017. The measures and strategies initiated in previous years appear to be moving in the right direction. However, in some areas the need for adjustments and further steering has become apparent. The study therefore concludes with 12 recommendations for the future development of digital education in Bavarian schools.

Lohr, A., Sailer, M., Schultz-Pernice, F., Vejvoda, J., Murböck, J., Heitzmann, N., Giap, S., & Fischer, F. (2021). Digitale Bildung an bayerischen Schulen vor und während der Corona-Pandemie. vbw.

“Digital Education in Bavarian Schools – Infrastructure, Concepts, Teacher Education, and Classroom Practice”

The study “Digital Education in Bavarian Schools – Infrastructure, Concepts, Teacher Education, and Classroom Practice” was conducted in 2017 by the Chair of Empirical Pedagogy and Educational Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. It examines how teachers at Bavarian Mittelschulen, Realschulen, and Gymnasien assess the conditions for digital learning, their own media-related competences, and the quantity and type of their use of digital media. In addition, the study investigates the extent to which digital learning is already embedded in the curricula of different school types and subjects.

Methodologically, the study is based on a representative telephone survey of 410 teachers from the aforementioned school types, as well as on a curricular analysis of school curricula and teacher education programs in Bavaria. The findings show that, with regard to important prerequisites for digital education in schools, considerable progress has been made in recent years, but further steps remain necessary.

Sailer, M., Murböck, J., & Fischer, F. (2017). Digitale Bildung an bayerischen Schulen – Infrastruktur, Konzepte, Lehrerbildung und Unterricht. vbw.

“Digital Education in Bavarian Higher Education Institutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic”

The study “Digital Education in Bavarian Higher Education Institutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic” was conducted in 2022 by the Chair of Empirical Pedagogy and Educational Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. It surveyed students, lecturers, and deans of studies on the current state of digital education at Bavarian higher education institutions. While the study focuses on the summer semester of 2021, which was strongly shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, it also broadens the perspective to the challenges that will arise after the pandemic subsides.

In total, four sub-studies were carried out: an online survey of 6,034 students; an online survey of 43 deans of studies; an online survey of 1,269 lecturers; and a document analysis of 493 training opportunities for lecturers.

The results show that, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions succeeded in providing a robust infrastructure, particularly consisting of video conferencing systems and learning management systems. This infrastructure enabled most lecturers to move their courses online. Despite the resulting flexibilization of studies—highly valued by both students and lecturers—didactic and innovative transformations of teaching often failed to materialize. In many cases, traditional in-person teaching formats were simply substituted, and the potential of digital technologies was therefore not fully realized. However, lecturers demonstrated strong commitment to their professional development, which frequently took place in collegial collaboration and through self-directed learning. The study shows that many lecturers possess the necessary digital competences, although there remains a smaller group for whom such competences are insufficient.

The predominance of online teaching also posed challenges for some students. These challenges were less related to a lack of digital competences than to the increased demands on self-regulation skills. In some cases, unstable or insufficient internet connections also proved problematic. Above all, students most frequently reported the lack of personal contact with peers as a major problem—a sentiment echoed by lecturers. Nevertheless, all groups appreciated the potential of digital solutions in terms of flexibility and accessibility in teaching.

Looking ahead, higher education institutions now face the challenge of including all stakeholders in the process of digital transformation while responding to differing conditions and needs. It will be essential to take stock of the experiences of online teaching in order to combine the best of both worlds: What should the “new presence” look like—what can be effectively conveyed online, and what cannot? A clearer strategic direction on the part of higher education institutions will be crucial, particularly the consolidation of infrastructure, training, and support initiatives that have so far often been supported only on a temporary basis.

Lohr, A., Vejvoda, J., Schultz-Pernice, F., Maier, R., Jiang, S., Fischer, F. & Sailer, M. (2022). Digitale Bildung an bayerischen Hochschulen während der Corona-Pandemie. vbw.

Digital Education in Bavarian Higher Education Institutions – Infrastructure, Strategy, Professional Development, and Media Use”

The study “Digital Education in Bavarian Higher Education Institutions – Infrastructure, Strategy, Professional Development, and Media Use” was conducted in 2018 by the Chair of Empirical Pedagogy and Educational Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. It examines the importance that different stakeholders at Bavarian higher education institutions attach to digital teaching and learning, how well universities are currently equipped with digital media and the necessary infrastructure, how frequently and in what ways digital media are used in different teaching formats, how well lecturers are already qualified for demanding digital teaching, and what professional development opportunities are available to them.

Four sub-studies were conducted: an online survey of 8,746 students; an online survey of 86 deans of studies; an online survey of 1,625 lecturers; and a document analysis of 406 professional development programs for lecturers.

The findings show that digitalization already plays a significant role in higher education teaching. According to the results, the prerequisites for high-quality university teaching in the context of digitalization are largely in place. Students find digital learning helpful and believe that it enables them to acquire important digital competences. Recommendations for action are made, among others, in the areas of strategic planning, needs-based infrastructure, quality of media use, and teaching competences of lecturers.

Sailer, M., Schultz-Pernice, F., Chernikova, O., Sailer, M., & Fischer, F. (2018). Digitale Bildung an bayerischen Hochschulen – Ausstattung, Strategie, Qualifizierung und Medieneinsatz. vbw.

• What is the current state of digital education in Bavarian schools?
• What is the current state of digital education in Bavarian higher education institutions?

• Lohr, A., Sailer, M., Schultz-Pernice, F., Vejvoda, J., Murböck, J., Heitzmann, N., Giap, S. & Fischer, F. (2021). Digitale Bildung an bayerischen Schulen vor und während der Corona-Pandemie. vbw. Link
• Lohr, A., Stadler, M., Schultz-Pernice, F., Chernikova, O., Sailer, M., Fischer, F. & Sailer, M. (2021). On powerpointers, clickerers, and digital pros: Investigating the initiation of digital learning activities by teachers in higher education. Computers in Human Behavior. Advance online publication. Link
• Sailer, M., Murböck, J., & Fischer, F. (2017). Digitale Bildung an bayerischen Schulen – Infrastruktur, Konzepte, Lehrerbildung und Unterricht. vbw. Link
• Sailer, M., Murböck, J., & Fischer, F. (2021). Digital learning in schools: What does it take beyond digital technology? Teaching and Teacher Education. Advance online publication. Link
• Sailer, M., Schultz-Pernice, F., Chernikova, O., Sailer, M., & Fischer, F. (2018). Digitale Bildung an bayerischen Hochschulen – Ausstattung, Strategie, Qualifizierung und Medieneinsatz. vbw. Link
• Sailer, M., Schultz-Pernice, F., & Fischer, F. (2021). Contextual facilitators for learning activities involving technology in higher education: The C♭-model. Computers in Human Behavior. Advance online publication. Link