New course for chemistry didactics: Paderborn introduces groundbreaking steps!

New course for chemistry didactics: Paderborn introduces groundbreaking steps!

On September 26, 2025, Prof. Dr. Sabine Fechner elected speaker of the board of the “Society for Didactics of Chemistry and Physics” (GDCP). This decision marks a significant step for the GDCP, which is relocating its headquarters to the University of Paderborn. The new managing director of the GDCP is Dr. Pascal Pollmeier, who works as a research assistant in the chemistry didactics working group led by Prof. Fechner. The GDCP has defined the promotion of research, teaching and development in chemistry and physics didactics as its central task and now has more than 750 members in German-speaking countries since it was founded in 1973 uni-paderborn.de reported.

In her new role, Prof. Fechner emphasizes the growing relevance of science education, especially in the context of current social challenges such as climate change. Its goal is to actively shape the national educational landscape through evidence-based teaching and learning concepts. Dean Prof. Dr. Wolf Gero Schmidt added that scientific didactics at the University of Paderborn are very important and can be further strengthened through this new appointment.

Research and innovation in chemistry education

Prof. Fechner's research interests lie particularly in the teaching-learning processes in chemistry and the evaluation of learning environments that enable innovative chemistry teaching. Her current focus on digital media and education for sustainable development is also reflected in her initiative “VirtuChemLab”, a virtual chemistry laboratory that uses VR glasses and AI to prepare for internships. In this context it is German Federal Environmental Foundation particularly active and calls for the integration of education for sustainable development into the curricula.

This integration is seen as crucial to sensitize and train prospective teachers. The demand for greater consideration of these topics plays a central role, particularly in chemistry education. Teacher training must introduce fundamental changes to meet the challenges of today.

Education for sustainable development

As part of the United Nations World Decade on Education for Sustainable Development, various key issues such as climate change and the global availability of resources are addressed. Education is seen as a prerequisite for sustainable development, which is why various institutions, including the German Bundestag and the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, are increasingly committed to this issue. Despite the existence of environmentally relevant topics in the school system, fundamental ideas of education for sustainable development often play a subordinate role.

The project, which was carried out between June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2012 at the University of Bremen, aimed to strengthen teacher expertise in dealing with BnE topics in chemistry lessons. The participatory action research model was used to develop materials that prepare the basic ideas of BnE in a chemical context, for example Green Chemistry, for specialist teaching at secondary level I.

The results and materials from this project are intended to serve as a basis for the development and investigation of modules for the implementation of education for sustainable development in specialist teacher training and advanced training in the subject of chemistry. Prof. Fechner and Dr. Pollmeier are faced with the challenge of incorporating these advances into the implementation of chemistry didactics at the University of Paderborn.