DEEP is a research consortium that aims to clarify the foundations, challenges, and consequences of the digital transformation for Swiss primary schools. The aim is to contribute to an equitable and sustainable digitalization in the early years of school education.
Seven universities work together in DEEP, reflecting the institutional, disciplinary, methodological, and regional diversity of Swiss educational research.
The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH) jointly run the DEEP Coordination Office. As a tandem, EPFL and PHZH are in charge of the strategic and operational alignment of DEEP.
DEEP is supported by the Jacobs Foundation. DEEP’s research and translational activities started in 2024 and will run for a total of eight years. A second four-year period is foreseen for 2028–2031. The DEEP consortium is part of Jacobs Foundation’s initiative Education in Digitality, together with the project Chance Digitality operated by staatslabor and ProEdu.
Coordination Office
The DEEP Coordination Office coordinates and supports partners and projects in their research and translational activities. The Coordination Office also organizes consortium events, takes care of reporting and monitoring, and ensures the operation of the consortium’s different bodies and boards. It collaborates closely with the Jacobs Foundation and with DEEP’s various practice partners, among others within the initiative “Education in Digitality”.
Coordination Office Team
Prof. Dr. Kenneth Horvath (Head)
Dr. Jessica Dehler Zufferey (Head)
Dr. Dominique Krebs-Oesch
Frédérique Chessel-Lazzarotto
Partners
The DEEP consortium is a collective effort of the following seven Swiss universities.
Projects
A total of seven projects, each bringing together two to three of the partner institutions, has been selected for the first period of DEEP (2024 to 2027). These projects pursue a wide range of research goals and employ various measures to integrate the acquired knowledge into the Swiss educational system. Each of these projects aligns with the overarching goals of the DEEP consortium. A call for associate research activities by other universities will be published in 2025.
DEEP – Differentiated Instruction
Enabling Equity-based, Digitally Supported, Differentiated Instruction in Swiss Primary School Classrooms
Focus
The project’s aim is to clarify conditions for differentiated instruction with the aim of ensuring equitable education, regarding the possibilities and challenges digital tools can provide.
Project lead at partner institutions
Prof. Dr. Raphael Zahnd, PH FHNW
Prof. Dr.Tobias Röhl, PHZH
Prof. Dr. Sascha Schneider, UZH
DEEP – Professionalization
Towards a sustainable and equitable culture of teacher professionalization in the digital age – A mixed-methods study for Swiss primary education
Focus
The project’s aim is to identify the implications of digital transformation for the professionalization of teachers at Swiss primary schools and analyze the conditions and requirements for establishing an appropriate training culture.
Project lead at partner institutions
Prof. Dr. Barbara Getto, PHZH
Prof. Dr. Sascha Schneider, University of Zurich
Dr. Josef Buchner, PHSG
DEEP – Development
Teacher continuous professional development in a moving field: equitable and transversal digital education for children in the first years of primary school with role-play and robotics
Focus
The project evaluates continuous development needs of teachers regarding equitable digital education focusing on “unplugged” learning environments that employ role-play and robotics.
Project lead at partner institutions
Dr. Lena Hollenstein, PHSG
Prof. Dr. Francesco Mondada, EPFL
Prof. Dr. Franziska Vogt, PHSG
DEEP – SRL
Empowering primary school teachers to foster self-regulated learning (SRL) in digital learning environments while taking learner variability into account
Focus
This project aims to clarify how we can employ learning analytics to empower teachers to design and use digital learning environments that equitably promote SRL skills in primary school students of different abilities and motivational orientations.
Project lead at partner institutions
Prof. Dr. Doreen Prasse, PHSZ
Prof. Dr. Tanja Käser, EPFL
Prof. Dr. Beat Döbeli Honegger, PHSZ
Dr. Michael Hielscher, PHSZ
DEEP – Space
Virtual learning environments to foster spatial thinking and perspective taking:
Co-design with teachers of collaborative game-based activities
Focus
This project employs a design-based research approach to explore how best to promote spatial thinking by means of collaborative game-based learning.
Project lead at partner institutions
Prof. Dr. Mireille Bétrancourt, University of Geneva
Prof. Dr. Michael Kickmeier-Rust, PHSG
Prof. Dr. Gaëlle Molinari, University of Geneva and UniDistance
Prof. Dr. Eric Sanchez, University of Geneva
DEEP - Scafalle
Scaffolds to Support all Learners in STEM Education
Focus
The project investigates digital scaffolds in innovative learning environments (inquiry-based learning and maker education) characterized by open-endedness and collaboration with design-based research approach.
Project lead at partner institutions
Prof. Dr. Julia Arnold, PH FHNW
Prof. Dr. Christoph Gütersloh, PH FHNW
Prof. Dr. Robbert Smit, PHSG
DEEP – myMoment
Digital literary participation
Focus
The project uses digital writing platforms, such as myMoment, as a showcase to clarify how interactive writing technology and large language models (LLMs) can be integrated into learning activities in order to promote writing skills and participation in writing communities in an equitable manner.
Project lead at partner institutions
Claudia Fischer, PH FHNW
Fabienne Senn, PH FHNW
Prof. Dr. Afra Sturm, PH FHNW
Dr. Valentin Unger, PHSG
Fabian Grünig, PHSG
Prof. Dr. Esther Wiesner, PH FHNW
Prof. Dr. Mireille Bétrancourt, Université de Genève
