I am researcher. A part of my biography which is not really new, if I look at my life closely. On the other hand: If someone would have asked me a year ago to tell something about me, “researcher” wouldn’t come up. Last year I met Prof. Christian Spannagel, he teaches in a university in Heidelberg and is not only a math-crack, a mooc-expert  and also uses several innovative didactic approaches like flipped / inverted classroom. He asked me if I am interested to work on a thesis. And I said: Why not? And he also encouraged my idea to focus on applied improvisation. And to do research in this field.

So I am building upon many years, I used applied improvisation in workshops, in facilitating, in team building, in teaching and also on different improv stages. Important questions I will focus in the next three years are:

• How is it possible to integrate approaches and methods from the Applied Improvisation into  online or offline learning environments and how should they be adapted here?
• How should approaches and methods of Applied Improvisation be designed so that they promote the readiness of students for participation and cooperation in learning environments?
• In what ways well planned and implemented improvisation techniques foster the self-efficacy and self-esteem of learners?
• What conditions are necessary to implement Applied Improvisation approaches and methods in different didactical settings?
• How can applied improv methods support research projects?

I will use a design based research approach.

I started to organise and collect literature on Zotero and links on RebelMouse and to publish posts with the hashtag #improflair. And I also started to make videos, which will be a very important part of the project. I am looking for more experts who use applied improvisation or similar approaches of theatre for change in the fields of higher education – also for co-creating approaches how to apply improve in higher education. I am looking for literature, best practise models, links, videos…

I will publish some results in English and more in German. And I am looking forward to an fascinating improv-journey 🙂