Digital education is on the rise: Schwäbisch Gmünd is setting new standards!

Digital education is on the rise: Schwäbisch Gmünd is setting new standards!

On May 14, 2025, remarkable advances in educational technology and digital training were recognized by the Sparkassenstiftung Ostalb. For the 26th time, the foundation awarded prizes for outstanding theses at three regional universities. As part of this event, Elena Thumm from the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Education received the university prize for her bachelor's thesis entitled “Didactic conception of a planetary path with a focus on primary school”.

Thumm's work represents an innovative approach to modernizing the concept of a planetary path. The digital planetary path includes a total of ten stations that are specifically designed for children in the transition from primary to secondary school as well as for interested laypeople. Users can travel virtually through the solar system using a QR code and experience interactive animations and knowledge elements. Quizzes to check what you have learned are also part of the project. The planetary path is currently being implemented at the Schäferfeldschule Lorch, and the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd has expressed interest in installing additional digital stations in the city center, which underlines the importance of this project.

Digital education and school innovation

Digitalization in the education sector is increasing rapidly. On November 12, 2021, State Secretary Sandra Boser and Thomas Sattelberger honored schools in Baden-Württemberg for special achievements in digitalization. This honor emphasizes the importance of science and digital education for students' professional development and recognizes schools that skillfully combine digital and analog learning methods. The Neubulach community school was again honored in this context, which illustrates its ongoing efforts in digital education.

The pandemic has brought the role of digitalization in education to the fore. As part of this, the national initiative “Creating the MINT Future” awards the “Digital School” seal to recognize exemplary digital education concepts. The application process requires a careful assessment of the position in the area of ​​digitalization using a catalog of criteria that is based on the KMK strategy “Education in the Digital World”.

Innovation at the Neubulach community school

The catalog of criteria for obtaining the “Digital School” seal includes five central modules: pedagogy & learning cultures, teacher qualifications, regional networking, concept and continuity as well as technology and equipment. Dr. Dominik Bernhart emphasizes that successful digital education requires coherent concepts. In 2018, the Neubulach Community School was one of the first schools in the region to be recognized as a “digital school” and has since then further consolidated its digital concepts.

The significant developments at the community school include the introduction of a high school profile subject in the areas of computer science, mathematics and physics as well as the expansion of internal training for teachers in the digital sector. Collaboration with educational partners and foundations has also been intensified. OStR Jan Pflugmacher describes the school culture as holistic and as part of a continuous development that goes far beyond individual initiatives by teachers.

In addition, various programs, such as the “programming” elective course and an initiative to promote gifted students in the computer science department, promote students’ digital skills. Head of the elective course, Antje Braun, sees these awards as an incentive to continuously develop digital concepts, which sustainably supports the importance of digital education at educational institutions.

The developments at the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Education and the Neubulach Community School show how important innovative approaches and digital educational concepts have become in today's education system. The awards and prize ceremonies illustrate the growing influence of digitalization on the educational landscape in Baden-Württemberg.

As the period of change continues, both students and teachers face the challenge of navigating an increasingly digitalized world. The key to successful learning could lie in the combination of sound concepts and the support of modern technology.