This image shows Maria Wirzberger

Maria Wirzberger

Jun.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat.

Professor for Teaching and Learning with Intelligent Systems | Spokesperson of the Stuttgart Research Focus IRIS | Co-Director of the AI Software Academy
Teaching and Learning with Intelligent Systems (LLiS)

Contact

+49 711 685 81176
 +49 711 685 73130

Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 24 D
70174 Stuttgart
Germany
Room: 3.351

Office Hours

on appointment

If your are interested in doing a thesis with us, please take a look at the FAQ on student theses at our department website to get information on supervision modalities, requirements, and available topics.

Subject

  • Cognitive mechanisms of human trust, AI-generated bias, and critical reflection in interaction with intelligent systems 
  • Effects of individual characteristics in human-computer interaction (e.g., neurodiversity, age, gender, technology acceptance)
  • Software-supported training of self-regulated learning and working in school and higher education
  • Data-driven modeling of social and cognitive dynamics over time

University of Stuttgart

Summer semester 2025

  • AI and data in eduction: an ethical reflection (Seminar, B.Sc. Data Science, B.Sc. Software Engineering, B.A. Computer Science Teaching Qualification, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification, Erasmus)
  • Digital skills and innovative teaching methods: Teaching complex technical topics to students(Seminar, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)
  • Von Fake News, DeepFakes und Reflexion als Superkraft: Vermittlung kritischer Reflexion intelligenter Systeme im Unterricht (Seminar, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)
  • Advanced seminar on the introduction to the didactics of computer science (Seminar, B.A. Computer Science Teaching Qualification)

Winter semester 2024-25

  • Psychological foundations of teaching and learning (Lecture, B.A. Teaching Qualification, B.A. Vocational and Technical Education, M.Sc. Technical Education)
  • Project seminar: Didactics of quantum informatics and physics (Seminar, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)

Summer semester 2024

  • AI and data in eduction: an ethical reflection (Seminar, B.Sc. Data Science, B.Sc. Media Informatics, B.A. Computer Science Teaching Qualification, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)

Winter semester 2023-24

  • Psychological foundations of teaching and learning (Lecture, B.A. Teaching Qualification, B.A. Vocational and Technical Education, M.Sc. Technical Education)
  • Children-in-the-loop: Children as a target group for intelligent educational technologies (Seminar, B.Sc. Data Science, B.Sc. Media informatics, B.A. Computer Science Teaching Qualification, B.A. Teaching Qualification)
  • More than bots & blocks - Project seminar on instructional design in computer science education (Seminar, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)

Summer semester 2023

  • Digital media in vocational education and training (Seminar, M.A. Vocational Education and HR)
  • AI and data in eduction: an ethical reflection (Seminar, B.Sc. Data Science, B.Sc. Media Informatics, B.A. Computer Science Teaching Qualification, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)

Winter semester 2022-23

  • Psychological foundations of teaching and learning (Lecture, B.A. Teaching Qualification, B.A. Vocational and Technical Education, M.Sc. Technical Education)
  • Back to the future: Critical thinking in simulation technology (Workshop, SimTech Graduate Academy)

Summer semester 2022

  • Digital media in vocational education and training (Seminar, M.A. Vocational Education and HR, M.Sc. Technical Education)
  • AI and data in eduction: an ethical reflection (Seminar, B.Sc. Data Science, B.A. Computer Science Teaching Qualification, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)
  • More than bots & blocks - Project seminar on instructional design in computer science education (Seminar, M.Ed. Computer Science Teaching Qualification)
  • May reflection be with you (Summer School Workshop, SimTech Graduate Academy)

Winter semester 2021-22

  • Digital media in vocational education (Seminar, B.A. Vocational and Technical Education, M.Sc. Technical Education)
  • Introduction to educational psychology (Lecture, B.A. Teaching Qualification, B.A. Vocational and Technical Education, M.Sc. Technical Education, FÜSQ)
  • How to be a good instructor? (Workshop, IMPRS-IS Graduate School)

Summer semester 2021

  • Digitalization in schools (Seminar, B.A. Teaching Qualification)
  • Didactics of computer science (Seminar, M.Ed. Computer Science Teaching Qualification)
  • More than bots & blocks - Project seminar on instructional design in computer science education (Seminar, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)
  • Back to the future: Critical thinking in simulation technology (Workshop, SimTech Graduate Academy)

Winter semester 2020-21

  • Digital media in vocational education (Seminar, B.A. Vocational and Technical Education, M.Sc. Technical Education)
  • Introduction to educational psychology (Lecture, B.A. Teaching Qualification, B.A. Vocational and Technical Education, FÜSQ)
  • Mentoring for students who need to catch up (Seminar, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)

Summer semester 2020

  • Didactics of computer science (Seminar, M.Ed. Computer Science Teaching Qualification)
  • Digitalization in schools (Seminar, M.Ed. Teaching Qualification)

 

Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyně, Ústí nad Labem (guest lecturer)

Winter semester 2017/2018

  • Designing conducive instructions in digital learning contexts - Insights into psychological foundations and current research (Lecture for teaching degree students within the Erasmus+ programme)

 

TU Chemnitz

Summer semester 2018

  • Interactive Learning Media (Seminar, M.Sc. Media and Instructional Psychology)
  • Scripting (Exercise, B.A. Media and Communication Science)
  • Statistics (Exercise, B.A. Media and Communication Science)

Winter semester 2017/2018

  • Instructional Psychology (Seminar, M.Sc. Media and Instructional Psychology)

Summer semester 2017

  • Statistics (Exercise, B.A. Media Communication)

 

TU Berlin

Winter semester 2014/2015

  • Special methods: Modelling and simulation in human-machine systems (Lecture + Exercise, M.Sc. Human Factors)

Summer semester 2014*

  • Experimental Exercise Human-Machine-Systems (Exercise, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering and B.Sc. Transportation)
  • Interdisciplinary project in systems engineering (Project, M.Sc. Human Factors)

Winter semester 2013/2014*

  • Introduction to Programming for Psychologists (Lecture, M.Sc. Human Factors)
  • Engineering project for psychologists (Project, M.Sc. Human Factors)

* Courses supervised or co-supervised as a tutor

Education

04/2015 – 01/2019 Doctoral program “Psychology” (Dr. rer. nat, summa cum laude), TU Chemnitz
Doctoral thesis: Load-inducing factors in instructional design: Process-related advances in theory and assessment
Submitted: October 26, 2018
Defended: January 22, 2019
10/2012 – 12/2014 Master program “Human Factors” (M.Sc.), TU Berlin
Master thesis: Smart@load? Modeling interruption while using a Smartphone-app in alternating workload condition
04/2009 – 09/2012 Bachelor program “Psychology” (B.Sc.), University of Hagen
Bachelor thesis: Experimental induction of attention distraction within the seductive detail effect
[Original title: Experimentelle Induktion beeinträchtigter Aufmerksamkeit im Kontext des seductive detail Effekts]
03/2008 – 03/2009 Vocational training program “Personal Coach”, European University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg
09/2002 – 01/2006 Diploma program “Inclusive Education” (Heilpädagogik), Protestant University of Applied Sciences, Bochum
Diploma thesis: “It’s easy to be a brother, but hard to be a sister?” – Gender-related perspectives on the situation of disabled childrens’ brothers and sisters
[Original title: “Bruder sein das ist nicht schwer, Schwester sein dagegen sehr?” – Geschlechtsspezifische Betrachtungsweisen zur Situation von Geschwistern behinderter Kinder und Jugendlicher]

Professional positions

03/2020 – present

 Tenure-track professor / Head of department, Teaching and Learning with Intelligent Systems, University of Stuttgart

11/2018 – 03/2020

 Postdoctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen

04/2018 – 10/2018

 Researcher, Psychology of learning with digital media, TU Chemnitz

04/2017 – 10/2018

 Junior lecturer, Psychology of learning with digital media, TU Chemnitz
09/2018 Visiting researcher, Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

04/2015 – 03/2018

 Researcher, Interdisciplinary Research Training Group CrossWorlds (GRK 1780, funded by the German Research Foundation), TU Chemnitz

02/2018

 Guest lecturer (Erasmus+ program), Faculty of Education, Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyně, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic

01/2015 – 03/2015

 Researcher and lecturer, Cognitive Modeling in dynamic Human-Machine Systems, TU Berlin

01/2013 – 09/2014

 Teaching assistant, Human-Machine Systems, TU Berlin

09/2010 – 12/2010

 Research intern, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin

04/2009 – 06/2010

 Lecturer, Vocational Training Center of the Bavarian Economy (bfz), Aschaffenburg

09/2006 – 12/2008

 Pre-primary education professional in Germany and Switzerland

Scientific offices and involvement

10/2023 – present

Member, Center for Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart, Germany

05/2022 – present

Elisabeth Schiemann Fellow, Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg, Max Planck Society, Germany

08/2021 – present

Member of the Executive Board, Artificial Intelligence Software Academy (AISA), University of Stuttgart, Germany
06/2021 – 06/2022 Member, Commission Expert group "AI and Data in Education and Training", European Commission
03/2021 – present Member, SimTech Committee "Platform of Reflection", Cluster of Excellence "Data-Integrated Simulation Science" (EXC 2075, funded by the German Research Foundation), University of Stuttgart

03/2021 – present

 Faculty member, Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science (SC SimTech), University of Stuttgart

02/2021 – present

 Spokesperson, Stuttgart Research Focus "Interchange Forum for Reflecting on Intelligent Systems", University of Stuttgart

09/2020 – 08/2021

 Principal investigator, Interdisciplinary Research Training Group Soft Tissue Robotics in cooperation with the University of Auckland, New Zealand (GRK 2198, funded by the German Research Foundation), University of Stuttgart

07/2020 – present

 Associated faculty, International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS), Tübingen-Stuttgart

03/2020 – present

 Member of the section "Computer Science", Professional School of Education, Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg

03/2020 – present

 Faculty member, Cyber Valley, Tübingen-Stuttgart

07/2019 – present

 National affiliate, LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen
  • Critical Transformers: Psychological perspectives on the human-technology partnership and its impacts on society, Symposium, 53rd Congress of the German Society for Psychology / 15th Congress of the Austrian Psychological Society, Vienna (2024)
  • 3rd Workshop on Mental Effort, funded by the Association for Psychological Science and the Psychonomic Society, Brown University, Providence, USA (2022); https://sites.google.com/view/mental-effort
  • Augmented learning - An emerging field in instructional research? Hot Topics Symposium, 52nd Conference of the German Psychological Society, Hildesheim (2022)
  • 2nd Workshop on Mental Effort, funded by the Association for Psychological Science and the Psychonomic Society, virtual event (2021)
  • Mental effort: One construct, many faces?, Workshop, 42nd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, virtual event (2020)
  • Computer Science & Cognition, Workshop, INFORMATIK 2017, Chemnitz (2017)
  • Extending basic and applied experimental cognitive research with ACT-R, Symposium, 58th Conference of Experimental Psychologists, Heidelberg (2016)
  • Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society
  • Applied Ergonomics
  • Behavioural Brain Research
  • Computers in Human Behavior
  • Conference of the German Psychological Society
  • Frontiers in Neurorobotics 
  • Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
  • Learning & Instruction
  • Topics in Cognitive Science
  • Association of Female Scientists in Baden-Wuerttemberg
  • Association Higher Education and Research
  • German Association for University Teachers and Lecturers
  • German Informatics Society
  • German Society for Psychology
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Europe Chapter
  • Women in Cognitive Science
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