Daniela Schmitz

Daniela Schmitz is a Junior Professor at the University of Witten/Herdecke, affiliated with the Faculty of Health and the Department of Human Medicine. Her work centers on designing and evaluating innovative, digital teaching and learning methods for multi-professional healthcare education. She focuses on establishing shared understanding among diverse professional groups and applying cybernetic principles to healthcare education.

Research Interests:

• Innovative and digital teaching methodologies in healthcare
• Interdisciplinary and multi-professional learning frameworks
• Application of Normalization Process Theory to collaborative learning
• Self-directed learning during crises (e.g., family, career, and pandemic challenges)
• Didactic strategies for caregivers and chatbot-assisted learning

Projects:

• Leading the BMBF eDEM-CONNECT research project, focusing on didactic design of digital content for multi-professional healthcare education.
• Contributing to the BMFTR-funded project "Influence Factors on Teaching-Learning Concepts at Private Universities," analyzing instructional flexibility and interprofessional training integration.

Awards:

• Recognized in October 2022 for contributing to innovative teaching formats addressing societal challenges (e.g., climate crisis) at the University of Witten/Herdecke.

Advising & Collaboration:

• Leads a team of scientific staff: Jan-Hendrik Ortloff, Manfred Fiedler, and Lena Lorenz.
• Provides didactic consultation for educators at the University of Witten/Herdecke.