The EDUC Think Lab is the first international student think tank, established to involve the largest stakeholder group of the EDUC universities – the students – in the development of the virtual campus. The Think Lab connects them with experts from all member universities to create the tools that are truly needed, including a chatbot, a professional network, and a collaborative working platform. Among those taking part are Pascal Kienast and Timilehin Ogunnusi. Supported by a university scholarship, these two students from the University of Potsdam have the opportunity to contribute the student perspective to the project.
From Idea to Virtual Campus
EDUC began as a vision in 2019: European universities joining forces to take education, research, and work to a new level – a shared space free from administrative, cultural, or social barriers. And above all, this space was to be a digital one, offering everyone the opportunity to participate, regardless of whether they have the resources and time to travel or spend an entire semester abroad.
This vision of EDUC has been taking shape for some time now, as Ulrike Schmidt from the EDUC team explains: “Students, doctoral candidates, postdocs, and staff can already find a wide range of courses from all EDUC universities in the course catalogue.” Collaborative seminars, blended learning formats, and even summer schools that bring students together at partner universities – more and more formats are being introduced. The network is expanding.
“For me, EDUC feels like a transnational university of its own, connecting students and taking higher education to a whole new level," says Timilehin Ogunnusi. And he would know. Originally from Nigeria, Ogunnusi came to Potsdam in 2021 to pursue a Master’s degree in Economic Policy and Quantitative Methods. His academic passion lies in climate economics, while travelling is his personal one. Thanks to various EDUC programmes, he has already been to Rennes and Brno. His Think Lab partner, Pascal Kienast, studies European Media Studies, comes from Brandenburg, and has not travelled as far. But what unites them is their enthusiasm for EDUC: “EDUC is transforming the very idea of international study. The extensive flexibility – through a virtual campus with digital collaboration and networking opportunities, as well as small micro-degrees – has completely redefined mobility.”
The Think Lab Brings Experts and Students Together
Now that the course catalogue is continuously expanding, the Virtual Campus also needs to be technologically enhanced and equipped with its own customised tools. “The Virtual Campus not only makes studying and working together within EDUC easier and more productive but will hopefully also help strengthen the sense of belonging within the alliance. It is important to us that we take students’ needs into account during development,” says Ulrike Schmidt.
After all, the EDUC universities have around 200,000 students compared to “only” approximately 13,500 researchers and 17,500 administrative staff. This is why the alliance launched the Think Lab. In this initiative, IT and education staff team up with students from EDUC universities, working for a year on the development of EDUC tools. “Students receive either a scholarship or an employment contract, giving them the necessary freedom to contribute their academic experience,” explains Ulrike Schmidt. The two students from Potsdam receive a one-year university scholarship, one of which is funded by the University Society of Potsdam. Timilehin Ogunnusi has already studied the growth of technological trends as part of his degree, while Pascal Kienast previously studied business informatics. “We want to help ensure that technological advancements are used in a way that benefits education—allowing us to expand access to learning without compromising its quality,” says Ogunnusi.
A Chatbot to Facilitate a Smoother Start
Following a kick-off meeting in Potsdam in November 2024, three working groups have formed, each set to focus on their tasks for the next year. One group is dedicated to improving the user experience within the Virtual Campus: How can the use of multiple digital interfaces – an unavoidable reality in a European university alliance – be made as seamless as possible? Is it possible to establish a distinctive EDUC identity, even with different underlying technical systems? And is the digital campus fully accessible?
A second group is working on enhancing an existing networking platform for doctoral candidates and researchers within the alliance, making it even easier to find collaboration partners across universities. The platform is already being used to connect researchers across Europe for joint projects. The two students from Potsdam are part of the third group, which is developing an EDUC chatbot. This chatbot is designed to serve as a first point of contact for students, helping them find suitable courses while also answering frequently asked questions. “A chatbot like this can remove barriers and make studying more seamless because students won’t have to wait for answers to many of their questions,” says Timilehin Ogunnusi with confidence. As a first step, he is conducting a case study to assess which universities already use chatbots and which functionalities have proven effective. At the same time, Pascal Kienast is already working behind the scenes on the chatbot’s technical development: “I really enjoy working in the Think Lab because it allows us to engage with both strategic and technical aspects. On one hand, we tackle key questions: What should the chatbot be capable of? What do we need to consider in terms of data protection and privacy? On the other hand, we also get hands-on with the technology—delving into the complexities of chatbot design, discussing how advanced it should be, exploring the potential of AI, and selecting the chatbot models we want to implement.”
The five-member team works mostly virtually, as two of its members are based in Norway and the Czech Republic. They meet regularly to discuss progress, assign tasks, and then continue working independently. The first Think Lab will conclude in June 2025, when all three groups will present their results to the entire EDUC network. “We hope to continue this initiative,” says Ulrike Schmidt. Pascal Kienast is already convinced of its impact: “With our project, we aim to bring the feeling of a physical campus into the virtual space. It’s already worked for us, and I’m sure EDUC will benefit from it, too.”