While some SAGE professions boast a long tradition of teaching and learning research, emerging disciplines such as Midwifery Science and Early Childhood Education are only at the beginning of their discipline-specific inquiry into teaching and learning. Nevertheless, all disciplines are affected by current societal developments and technological—particularly digital—inventions that bring about changes both in the future fields of action for students and in teaching and learning processes at universities and in practical settings. In addition to new learning environments (third learning space/skills labs; AR/VR in teaching, interdisciplinary learning), demographic change, diversity issues, the increasing complexity in the fields of action of the SAGE professions, and shifts in responsibilities (professional regulations) are significant for higher education.

These challenges are being addressed at EHB through both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary approaches in qualitative and quantitative research. The focus is on issues of pedagogical professionalism, which include, for example, educators’ self-understanding and professional identity, reflection on one’s own biography, learning and educational processes such as the development of professional identity and personality development, as well as teaching and learning arrangements at the micro- and meso-levels of pedagogical practice. The latter encompasses, among other aspects, learning for sustainable development, aesthetic, play, and theater pedagogical approaches, the use of digital tools, issues of cooperation between learning sites, and curricular processes. Participatory approaches are also pursued in order to involve students and future users in the field (e.g. parents) in research projects.

a) Pedagogical Professionalism

• Pedagogical beliefs, attitudes, positioning, and professionalism
• Education in the context of professional practice and the development of professional identity
• Reflexivity in professional and higher education

b) (Academic) Teaching and Learning Research

• Development of teaching and learning arrangements
• Development, implementation, and evaluation of higher education didactic approaches and concepts
• Learning for sustainable development, approaches to aesthetic education, play, and theater pedagogical approaches
• Research on cooperation between learning sites
• Learning and education in the medium of the profession
• Self-(learning) competencies in higher education, self-reflection, and the development of professional identity
• Digitalization

For research and transfer activities in this research area, the following colleagues from EHB can be contacted:

• Altmeppen, Sandra (Chair of Educational Sciences and Professional Didactics in Health and Nursing): sandra.altmeppen@eh-berlin.de
• Bohrer, Annerose (Chair of Nursing and Health Sciences and Their Professional Didactics): annerose.bohrer@eh-berlin.de
• Born, Aristi (Chair of Developmental and Educational Psychology): aristi.born@eh-berlin.de
• Dick, Judith (Chair of Social Law): judith.dick@eh-berlin.de
• Engels, Sidonie (Chair of Early Childhood Education and Aesthetic and Cultural Education in Childhood): sidonie.engels@eh-berlin.de
• Grieshop, Melita (Chair of Midwifery Science): melita.grieshop@eh-berlin.de
• Keßler, Hildrun (Chair of Protestant Religious and Community Pedagogy): hildrun.kessler@eh-berlin.de
• Naujok, Natascha (Chair of Language and Communication): natascha.naujok@eh-berlin.de
• Pannier, Anke (Research Associate): anke.pannier@eh-berlin.de
• Rückmann, Jana (Research Associate): jana.rueckmann@eh-berlin.de
• Völkel, Petra (Chair of Fundamentals of Developmental Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Early Childhood Education): petra.voelkel@eh-berlin.de
• Wihstutz, Anne (Chair of Sociology): anne.wihstutz@eh-berlin.de
• Zarnow, Christopher (Chair of Systematic Theology and Ethics): christopher.zarnow@eh-berlin.de

The following research and transfer projects have already been realized in this research area at EHB:

• Recognition of Competencies from Continuing Education for the Higher Education of Educators (2005–2008, Pannier)
• Auto/Biographical Research of Educators (since 2022, Wihstutz)
• Influence of Personal Biographies on Childhood Concepts Discussed with Undergraduate Students from Ghana and Germany, an Intersectional Intercultural Approach (since 2023, Wihstutz & Acquaye)
• Berlin is More (Bim!) – Interprofessional Collaboration among Prospective Early Childhood and Primary School Educators (since 2022, Naujok & Stammerjohann)
• Community Pedagogical Impulses for a Theory of Professionalism and Volunteering in the Church (2017–2019, Keßler)
• Identity Concepts of Students: "Keeping Oneself in Focus" (since 2022, Born)
• Teaching Innovation Projects in Collaboration with the BZHL (Engels)
• Ecumenical Dogmatics from a Didactic Perspective for Religious Educators (since 2018, Zarnow)
• Utilizing the Potential of Digitalization – Future-Proofing EHB (2021–2024, Grieshop)
• Anchoring Competency-Oriented Scientific Continuing Education at the Evangelical University Berlin (2011–2017, Völkel)
• Diversity of Learners in Nursing Education (since 2019, Altmeppen & Bohrer)
• Scientific Advisory and Training for “Sprachpat*innen für KiTa-Kinder e.V.” (since 2023, Naujok)