BWP team represented at the AERA Congress 2025 in Denver, Colorado, USA

Prof. Dr. Michael Goller and Verena Pfeiffer from the Department of Vocational and Business Education at the University of Kassel took part in the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in Denver, Colorado, USA, from April 23 to 27. The AERA conference is regarded as one of the world's most important platforms for educational research and this year once again offered an extensive program with international contributions.

The focus of Prof. Goller and Verena Pfeiffer's involvement was on the topic of workplace learning. In his role as Program Chair of the new AERA Special Interest Group (SIG) "Career & Technical Education and Workplace Learning", Prof. Goller moderated several sessions and thus facilitated important discussions on current research findings relating to learning in the workplace. Together with Prof. Dr. Josef Guggemos (PH Schwäbisch Gmünd), Prof. Goller presented a methodological topic on reflective and formative measurement instruments in workplace-related research. He also presented current results from a joint research project with Prof. Dr. Andreas Rausch (University of Mannheim) and Alina Gierosz (University of Kassel) on the topic of "Digital Communication in Office Workplaces: Tool Use, Perceptions, and Effects on Learning and Knowledge Sharing", which focuses on the changes in communication and cooperation among employees at VDU workplaces and the associated changes in work process-related learning.

As part of the AERA Conference 2025, Verena Pfeiffer presented a poster paper on current trends in professional development and learning in the workplace against the backdrop of digital transformation, which presented an overview of innovative approaches and empirical findings and was met with great interest.

The active participation enabled an intensive professional exchange with international scientists and offered valuable impulses for the further development of research in the field. The insights gained will be incorporated into future projects and courses on digital learning processes and self-directed learning in the work context.