Creative Technologies Lab | dokuWiki

Siehe auch: Vergleich der Generation Z, Alpha und Beta

Die Generation Alpha wird nicht nur Nutzer*in, sondern Mitgestalter*in der Zukunft sein – technologisch, kulturell, gesellschaftlich. Hochschulen, die diesem Anspruch gerecht werden wollen, müssen sich von tradierten Formen lösen und neue Modelle erproben. Creative Technologies ist ein solcher Modellstudiengang: Er verbindet technologische Exzellenz mit gestalterischer Freiheit, gesellschaftlicher Verantwortung und struktureller Offenheit.

Damit ist er nicht nur eine Reaktion auf die Bildungsbedürfnisse einer neuen Generation – sondern ein aktiver Beitrag zur Neugestaltung von Hochschule im 21. Jahrhundert ¹⁾.

• ca. 2010–2025 ⇒ Geboren ab ca. 2010 (erste iPad-Generation)
• Kinder der Millennials (Gen Y)
• Wächst mit künstlicher Intelligenz, Sprachassistenten, AR/VR auf
• Individualisiertes Lernen, schnelle Reizverarbeitung, kurze Aufmerksamkeitsspannen
• Stark geprägt durch globale Krisen: Klimawandel, Pandemie, geopolitische Spannungen
• Erwartet Sinn, Beteiligung und sofortige Relevanz in Bildung und Arbeit
• Erste Generation, die mit einer Mischung aus realen und digitalen Umgebungen selbstverständlich umgeht

Die tiefgreifenden gesellschaftlichen, technologischen und kulturellen Veränderungen, die mit der Generation Alpha einhergehen, fordern auch die Hochschullehre heraus. Studierende dieser Kohorten bringen neue Erwartungen, Denkweisen und Lerngewohnheiten mit, die mit klassischen Formaten, Curricula und Rollenverteilungen oft nicht mehr kompatibel sind. Für zukunftsfähige Studiengänge wie Creative Technologies bedeutet das: Lehre muss neu gedacht und neu gestaltet werden – flexibler, partizipativer, technologiegestützt und werteorientiert. In den folgenden Absätzen werden zentrale Aspekte dieses Wandels beleuchtet und konkrete Ableitungen für die Gestaltung von Lernsettings, Prüfungsformaten, Rollenmodellen und Lehrmethoden aufgezeigt.

Generation Alpha grows up in a hyperlinked, highly visual media environment, leading to shorter attention spans but increased ability to digest complex information in micro-units. Research confirms that “microlearning”—the use of short, focused learning units—can significantly improve engagement, knowledge retention, and learner confidence ²⁾. In teaching, this means breaking content into modular “learning islands” connected by overarching narratives. In Creative Technologies, this translates into offering compact AR/VR tutorials or focused design micro-lessons that students can navigate independently within cohesive project structures.

Today’s students don’t just use AI—they co-create with it. Concepts of AI literacy now extend beyond technical understanding to include ethical awareness, critical interpretation, and reflective judgment ³⁾. Higher education must therefore incorporate AI both as subject and tool—embedding generative AI in creativity labs, while guiding students in evaluating algorithmic biases and social implications. In Creative Technologies, this could mean workshops where students use tools like ChatGPT to prototype ideas and then critique their underlying assumptions.

A key demand from Generation Z and Alpha is that education provide more than credentials—it should offer meaningful engagement and visible impact. Studies show that today’s students seek value-driven learning environments that align with their ethical and social priorities ⁴⁾. Traditional lectures alone no longer suffice. Creative Technologies addresses this by enabling students to engage in semester-long design collaborations with NGOs, municipalities, and cultural partners. Projects like sustainable data visualizations or inclusive tech prototypes are developed iteratively with real-world stakeholders and feedback loops.

Digital natives grow up curating and performing their identities online, blending public and private selves across platforms. This calls for educational models that foster authenticity and agency. Narrative formats such as reflective journals, video diaries, and portfolio-based assessment better align with how students express themselves. Creative Technologies supports this shift by encouraging student-led research tracks published through open platforms, complemented by peer coaching and collaborative critique instead of standardized exams.

As learning becomes more fluid and interdisciplinary, educators must evolve into facilitators, mentors, and curators of learning processes. This requires universities to adopt flexible assessment methods, hybrid classroom models, and collaborative pedagogies. The transformation also calls for power-sharing with students and external communities. In Creative Technologies, this might include team-teaching formats, co-designed modules, and studio settings where projects are developed with—and not just for—partner organizations.

Game-based learning and narrative immersion have been shown to enhance motivation and cognitive outcomes among digital-native learners. Meta-analyses indicate that gamified and story-driven education improves engagement, especially when tied to real-world behaviors or missions ⁵⁾. Creative Technologies offers an ideal framework for implementing such strategies: students can develop immersive media prototypes, AR-based storytelling tools, or collaborative “quests” that combine gameplay with experiential learning and technical mastery.

Today’s education must not only equip students with digital skills, but also cultivate civic literacy, ethical awareness, and critical thinking. Especially in the context of AI, students need to understand how technological systems shape society—and vice versa. Experts call for integrating ethical and political dimensions of technology design directly into curricula ⁶⁾. In Creative Technologies, this can manifest through modules in speculative design, technoethics, and participatory prototyping, where students are encouraged to ask not only “what works?” but “what matters?”

Generation Alpha is multilingual, multicultural, and globally networked from birth. Their education must reflect this reality through international collaboration, intercultural design, and global storytelling. Programs should include COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), bilingual projects, and multi-site virtual studios ⁷⁾. Creative Technologies can become a platform for global creative exchange by embedding design sprints with international partners, encouraging cross-border research, and showcasing outcomes in multilingual formats.