On October 16th, 2026, Olivia Fischer successfully defended her dissertation at TU Wien. As a doctoral researcher in the STEAM – STEM – stART’em doctoral college, a cooperation between TU Wien and the University College of Teacher Education Vienna (PH Wien), her defense marks an important milestone in her academic career and contributes to the ongoing research activities of the doctoral college and our lab.
Her dissertation, titled “Practice for the Future” – Exploring Edularp in Computer Science Education and Human-Computer Interaction, investigates the application of educational live-action role-play (edularp) in formal computer science education (CSE) and digital literacy education (DLE). The research explores how edularps can be co-designed with students through an empowerment-focused approach, with particular attention to the themes and design features that emerge during the process, as well as the roles of creativity, collaboration, empowerment, and intrinsic motivation. A central contribution of the dissertation is the development and iterative refinement of an empowerment-focused co-design workshop for edularps, developed in collaboration with in-service and pre-service teachers, high school students, and their CSE teachers.
The dissertation provides insights into the potential of edularp as an educational approach and examines both its applicability and the challenges associated with its implementation in school contexts. By connecting participatory design methods with role-play and computer science education, the work offers new perspectives on how interactive and collaborative learning experiences can be developed for educational settings.
We warmly congratulate Dr.in techn. Olivia Fischer on the successful defense of her dissertation and wish her all the best for the next chapter of her academic and professional career. Her work represents a valuable contribution to the research aims of the STEAM – STEM – stART’em doctoral college and its collaborative efforts to explore innovative approaches at the intersection of education, technology, and creative practice.
Photo credits: Ursula Maurič
