The digital transformation is fundamentally changing how knowledge is created, acquired, disseminated, and used. Digital media and artificial intelligence structure learning processes, information offerings, and public communication. They open up new possibilities - and at the same time place new demands on individuals and society.
The Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM) conducts research into how people learn in digital contexts, process information, communicate with each other, and develop knowledge together. The focus is on the empirical analysis of the cognitive, motivational, and social mechanisms that structure these processes. Based on this research, the institute develops evidence-based design principles for digital environments in various contexts.
The IWM's guiding principle is: Research in Action. Research and application are structurally intertwined. Theoretical models are tested in real-world contexts, further developed, and translated into concrete design decisions. At the institute itself, digital technologies are not only analysed but also conceptualised and implemented as prototypes. The application of these technologies in practice is systematically examined empirically, and the findings obtained are in turn incorporated into new research questions and the further development of theoretical models.
Three knowledge environments
The IWM's research is structured around three prototypical knowledge environments:
These knowledge environments describe key social contexts in which people today acquire, use, and develop knowledge.
3 Knowledge Environments