Prof. Dr. Christian Fischer
Christian Fischer is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Educational Effectiveness at the Hector Research Institute at the University of Tübingen. His research is situated in the intersections of STEM education, teacher education, and educational technologies. He empirically examines factors that may lead to increases in educational effectiveness. In particular, he is interested in the role of digital technologies to transform teaching and learning. In some of his current projects, he examines teacher change in response to nationwide science curriculum reforms, as well as student success in higher education settings. In his research, he mostly applies a broad range of research methodologies ranging from data science approaches related to learning analytics and educational data mining to more traditional experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference, as well as survey research and measurement.
Prior to coming to Tübinen, Christian Fischer was a distinguished postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Irvine working under the mentorship of Mark Warschauer and Richard Arum. He received his Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the School of Education at the University of Michigan. Notably, his dissertation received the Robert Schuck Distinguished Dissertation in Teacher Education Award from the Association of Teacher Educators. Previously, he studied Education, Physics, and Mathematics at the Ruhr University Bochum, the ETH Zurich, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Publications
Journal Articles
2021
- Aguilar, S., Rosenberg, J., Greenhalgh, S., Fütterer, T., Lishinski, A., Lawson, M., & Fischer, C. (in press). A Different Experience for a Different Moment? Teachers’ Social Media Use Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. AERA Open.
- Wu., L. L., Fischer, C., Rodriguez, F., Washington, G., & Warschauer, M. (in press). Project-based Engineering Learning in College: Associations with Self-Efficacy, Effort Regulation, Interest, Skills, and Performance. SN Social Sciences.
- Moeller, J., Keyserlingk, L., Spengler, M., Gaspard, M., Lee, H. R., Yu, R., Fischer, C., & Arum, R. (in press). College students' emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of neuroticism, mental health, and household resources. AERA Open.
- Fischer, C., Baker, R., Li, Q., Orona, G., & Warschauer, M. (2021). Increasing success in higher education: The relationships of online course taking with college completion and time-to-degree. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737211055768 [request pdf]
- Hübner, N., Fischer, C., Fishman, B., Lawrenz, F., & Eisenkraft, A. (2021). One Program Fits All? Patterns and Outcomes of Professional Development During A Large-Scale Reform in a High-Stakes Science Curriculum. AERA Open, 7(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211028601 [request pdf]
- Wörner, S., Fischer, C., S., Kuhn, J., Scheiter, K., & Neumann, I. (2021). Video analysis to examine Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. The Physics Teacher, 59, 660-661. https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0006924 [request pdf]
- Zitzmann, S., Wagner, W., Hecht, M., Helm, C., Fischer, C., Bardach, L., & Göllner, R. (2021). How many classes and students should ideally be sampled when assessing the role of classroom climate via student ratings on a limited budget? An optimal design perspective. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09635-4 [request pdf]
- Rosenberg, J., Borchers, C., Dyer, E., Anderson, D. & Fischer, C. (2021). Understanding Public Sentiment About Educational Reforms: The Next Generation Science Standards on Twitter. AERA Open, 7(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211024261 [request pdf]
- Rodriguez, F., Fischer, C., Zhou, N., Warschauer, M., & Massimelli, J. (2021). Student spacing and self-testing strategies and their associations with learning in an upper-division microbiology course. SN Social Sciences, 1, Article 38, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-020-00013-5
[request pdf] - Nguyen, H., Lim, K. Y., Wu, L. L., Fischer, C., & Warschauer, M. (2021). “We’re Looking Good”: Social Exchange and Regulation Temporality in Collaborative Design. Learning and Instruction, 74, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2021.101443
[request pdf] - Fütterer, T., Hoch, E., Stürmer, K., Lachner, A., Fischer, C., & Scheiter, K. (2021). Was bewegt Lehrpersonen während der Schulschließungen? – Eine Analyse der Kommunikation im Twitter-Lehrerzimmer über Chancen und Herausforderungen digitalen Unterrichts. [Concerns of Teachers During School Closings: Analyzing Communication in the Twitter-Lehrerzimmer Regarding Opportunities and Challenges of Digital Teaching]. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-021-01013-8
[request pdf]
2020
- Fischer, C., Pardos, Z., Baker, R. S., Williams., J. J., Smyth, P., Yu, R., Slater, S., Baker, R., & Warschauer, M. (2020). Mining big data in education: Affordances and challenges. Review of Research in Education, 44(1), 130-160. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X20903304
[request pdf] - Fischer, C., Foster, B., McCoy, A., Lawrenz, F., Dede, C., Eisenkraft, A., Fishman, B., Frumin, K., & Levy, A. (2020). Identifying levers related to student performance on high-stakes science exams: Examining school, teaching, teacher, and professional development characteristics. Teachers College Record, 122(2), 1-64.
[request pdf] - Fischer, C., Fishman, B., Levy, A., Eisenkraft, A., Dede, C., Lawrenz, F., Jia, Y., Kook, J., Frumin, K., & McCoy, A. (2020). When do students in low-SES schools perform better-than-expected on a high-stakes test? Analyzing school, teacher, teaching, and professional development characteristics. Urban Education, 55(8-9), 1280-1314. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916668953
[request pdf] - Fischer, C., Xu, D., Rodriguez, F., Denaro, K., & Warschauer, M. (2020). Effects of course modality in summer session: Enrollment patterns and student performance in face-to-face and online classes. The Internet and Higher Education, 45, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2019.100710
[request pdf] - Fischer, C., Xu, D., Rodriguez, F., Denaro, K., & Warschauer, M. (2020). Data on online and face-to-face course enrollments in a public research university during summer terms. Data in Brief, 29, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.105320
[request pdf] - Zhou, N., Fischer, C., Rodriguez, F., Warschauer, M, & King, S. (2020). Exploring how enrolling in an online organic chemistry preparation course relates to students' self-efficacy. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 32, 505-528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-019-09244-9
[request pdf] - Nguyen, H., Wu, L. L., Fischer, C., Washington, G., & Warschauer, M. (2020). Increasing success in college: Examining the impact of a project-based introductory engineering course. Journal of Engineering Education, 109(3), 384-401. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20319
[request pdf] - Zhou, N., Nguyen, H., Fischer, C., Richardson, D., & Warschauer, M. (2020). High school teachers' self-efficacy in teaching computer science. Transactions on Computing Education, 20(3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1145/3410631
[request pdf] - Ferdinand, J., Engler, S., & Fischer, C. (2020). Lernen mit digitalen Lernressourcen: Beispiel Khan Academy [Learning with online materials: The example of Khan Academy]. Schulmanagement, 5, 24-27.
[request pdf] - Baker, R., Xu, D., Park, J., Yu, R., Li, Q., Cung, B., Fischer, C., Rodriguez, F., Warschauer, M. & Smyth, P. (2020). The Benefits and Caveats of Using Clickstream Data to Understand Student Self-Regulatory Behaviors: Opening the Black Box of Learning Processes. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(13), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00187-1
[request pdf] - Rosenberg, J. M., Reid, J. W., Dyer, E., Koehler, M., Fischer, C., & McKenna, T. J. (2020). Idle Chatter or Compelling Conversation? The Potential of the Social Media-based #NGSSchat Network for Supporting Science Education Reform Efforts. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 57(9), 1322-1355. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21660
[request pdf] - McCoy, A., Levy, A., Frumin, K., Lawrenz, F., Dede, C., Eisenkraft, A., Fischer, C., Fishman, B., & Foster, B. (2020). From the inside out: Teacher responses to the AP curriculum redesign. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 31(2), 208-225. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2019.1685630
[request pdf] - Carpenter, J., Rosenberg, J. M., Dousay, T. A., Romero-Hall, E., Trust, T., Kessler, A., Phillips, M., Morrison, S., Fischer, C., & Krutka, D. (2020). What Should Teacher Educators Know about Technology? Perspectives and Self-Assessments. Teaching and Teacher Education, 95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103124
[request pdf]
2019
- Fischer, C., Fishman, B., & Schoenebeck, S. (2019). New contexts for professional learning: Analyzing high school science teachers’ engagement on Twitter. AERA Open, 5(4), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419894252
- Fischer, C., Xu, D., Rodriguez, F., Denaro, K., & Warschauer, M. (2019). Effects of course modality in summer session: Enrollment patterns and student performance in face-to-face and online classes. The Internet and Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2019.100710
[request pdf] - Fischer, C., Zhou, N., Rodriguez, F., Warschauer, M., & King, S. (2019). Improving college student success in organic chemistry: Impact of an online preparatory course. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(5), 857-864. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b01008
[request pdf] - Fischer, C., McCoy, A., Foster, B., Eisenkraft, A., & Lawrenz, F. (2019). Use of the stages of concerns questionnaire in a national top-down reform effort. Teaching and Teacher Education, 80, 13-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.019
[request pdf] - Zhou, N., Fischer, C., Rodriguez, F., Warschauer, M, & King, S. (2019). Exploring how enrolling in an online organic chemistry preparation course relates to students' self-efficacy. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-019-09244-9
[request pdf]
2018
- Fischer, C., Eisenkraft, A., Fishman, B., Hübner, N., & Lawrenz, F. (2018). Adapting to the large-scale Advanced Placement chemistry reform: An examination of teachers’ challenges and instructional practices. Journal of Chemical Education, 95(10), 1701–1710. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00151
[request pdf] - Fischer, C., Fishman, B., Dede, C., Eisenkraft, E., Foster, B., Frumin, K., Lawrenz, F., Levy, A., & McCoy, A. (2018). Investigating relationships between school context, teacher professional development, teaching practices, and student achievement in response to a nationwide science reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 72, 107-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.02.011 [request pdf]
- Frumin, K., Dede, C., Fischer, C., Fishman, B., Eisenkraft, A., Foster, B., Levy, A., Lawrenz, F., & McCoy, A. (2018). Adapting to large-scale changes in Advanced Placement biology, chemistry, and physics: The impact of online teacher communities. International Journal of Science Education, 40(4), 397-420. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1424962
[request pdf]
2016
- Fischer, C., Fishman, B., Levy, A., Eisenkraft, A., Dede, C., Lawrenz, F., Jia, Y., Kook, J., Frumin, K., & McCoy, A. (2016). When do students in low-SES schools perform better-than-expected on a high-stakes test? Analyzing school, teacher, teaching, and professional development characteristics. Urban Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916668953
[request pdf]
Conference Proceedings
2021
- Borchers, C., Rosenberg, J., Gibbons, B., Burchfield, M., & Fischer, C. (2021). To Scale or Not to Scale: Comparing Popular Sentiment Analysis Dictionaries on Educational Twitter Data. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM). Paris, France.
- Burchfield, M., Rosenberg, J., Borchers, C., Thomas, T., Gibbons, B., & Fischer, C. (2021). Are Violations of Student Privacy “Quick and Easy”? Investigating the Privacy of Students’ Images and Names in the Context of K-12 Educational Institution’s Posts on Facebook. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM). Paris, France. BEST POSTER AWARD
- Nguyen, H., Lim, K. Y., Wu, L. L., & Fischer, C. (2021). A Dynamic Social Network Approach to Capturing Shared Regulation Interactions in Collaborative Learning. Proceedings of the 2021 Annual Meeting of the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS), Bochum, Germany.
- Rodriguez, F., Lee, H. R., Rutherford, T., Fischer, C., Potman, E., & Warschauer, M. (2021). Using Clickstream Data Mining Techniques to Understand and Support First-Generation College Students in an Online Chemistry Course. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK '21). Virtual Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/3448139.3448169
2020
- Yu, R., Li, Q., Fischer, C., Doroudi, S. & Xu, D. (2020). Towards Accurate and Fair Prediction of College Success: Evaluating Different Sources of Student Data. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM). Ifrane, Morocco.
- Nguyen, H., Lim, K. Y., Wu, L. L., Fischer, C., & Warschauer, M. (2020). “I Thought We Said”: Perceived Peer Support, Discourse Cohesion, and Regulation in Engineering Design. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS). Nashville, TN.
- Nguyen, H., Wu, L. L., Washington, G., Lim, K. Y., & Fischer, C. (2020). Collaboration Patterns and Design Practices in First-Year Project-Based Engineering. Proceedings of the 2020 annual conference and exposition of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). Montreal, Canada.
- Yu, R., Li, Q., Fischer, C., Xu, D., & Doroudi, S. (2020). Predicting College Success: What Data Are Useful and for Whom? In the Companion Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK '20). Frankfurt, Germany.
2019
- Carpenter, J., Rosenberg, J. M., Dousay, T., Romero-Hall, E., Trust, T., Kessler, A., Phillips, M., Morrison, S., Fischer, C. & Krutka, D. (2019). What do teacher educators think of teacher education technology competencies? In K. Graziano (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 796-801). Las Vegas, NV.
2018
- Wu, L. L., Fischer, C., Rodriguez, F., & Washington, G. (2018). Evaluation of online learning in a first-year engineering design course. Proceedings of the 2018 annual conference and exposition of the American Society of Engineering Education, Salt Lake City, UT.
2016
- Fischer, C., Frumin, K., Dede, C., Fishman, B., Eisenkraft, A., Jia, Y., Kook, J., Levy, A., Lawrenz, F., & McCoy, A. (2016). Non-users, lurkers, and posters in the online AP teacher community: Comparing characteristics determining online engagement. In L.-J. Thoms, & R. Girwidz (Eds.), Selected Papers from the 20th International Conference on Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning (pp. 109-117). Mulhouse, France: European Physical Society. SELECTED PAPER AWARD
- Fischer, C. & Dershimer, R. C. (2016). Preparing teachers to use educational games, virtual experiments, and interactive science simulations to engage students in the practices of science. In L.-J. Thoms & R. Girwidz (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning (pp. 263-270). Mulhouse, France: European Physical Society.
Book Chapters
- Glick, D., Bergin, J., & Fischer, C. (2022). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement in online courses: Theoretical perspectives and practical implications. New York, NY: Springer Nature
- King, S., Zhou, N., Fischer, C., Rodriguez, F., & Warschauer, M. (2019). Enhancing student learning and retention in organic chemistry: Benefits of an online organic chemistry preparatory course. In S. Kradtap Hartwell & T. Gupta (Eds.), From General to Organic Chemistry: Courses and Curricula to Enhance Student Retention (pp. 119-128). Washington, DC: American Chemical Association. https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2019-1341.ch009 [request pdf]
Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations
2022
- Fischer, C., Morina, F., Borchers, C., Klein, L., & Eich, M. (2022, April). Informal Professional Development in Online Communities of Practice at Scale: Mapping Nationwide Educational Twitterspheres. Poster to be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
- Morina, F., Hübner, N., Eisenkraft, A., & Fischer, C. (2022, April). Examining Laboratory Investigations in Advanced Placement Biology: Teachers’ Perceived Challenges and their Classroom Practice. Poster to be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
- Fütterer, T., Hübner, N., Fishman, B., Eisenkraft, A., & Fischer, C. (2022, April). Teacher Professional Development and Self-Efficacy during the AP Science Reform: A Longitudinal Perspective. Paper to be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
- Morina, F., Fütterer, T., Hübner, N., Zitzmann, S., Trautwein, U., & Fischer, C. (2022, April). Effectiveness of Online Professional Development for Teachers: A Meta-Analysis. Paper to be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
- Schunn, C., Lonn, S., Vincent-Ruz, P., & Fischer, C. (2022, February). Forcing students to retake courses they could skip using AP credit only hurts them. Paper to be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Philadelphia, PA.
2021
- Fischer, C., Witherspoon, E., Nguyen, H., Feng. Y., Fiorini, S., Vincent-Ruz, P., Mead, C., Bork, W., Matz, R. L., & Schunn, C. (2021, June). Advanced Placement Course Credit Policies: Examining Student Success in College Science Gateway Courses. Paper presented at the 2021 Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses Summer Meeting, Virtual Conference.
- Fischer, C., Witherspoon, E., Nguyen, H., Feng. Y., Fiorini, S., Vincent-Ruz, P., Mead, C., Bork, W., Matz, R. L., & Schunn, C. (2021, May). Examining Student Success in College Science Gateway Courses: The Impact of Advanced Placement Course Credit Policies. Paper presented at the Indiana University Annual Learning Analytics Summit, Bloomington, IN.
- Fischer, C., Collins, P., Estrella, G., & Nguyen, H. (2021, April). Examining Benefits of Lectures and Inquiry-Based Laboratories for Language Minority Students in Science Gateway Courses. Roundtable at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual Conference.
- Waveren, L., Fütterer, T., Hübner, N., Fischer, C., & Sälzer, C. (2021, April). Is Teachers’s Job Satisfaction Contingent on Formal Teacher Training? Insights from PISA 2015. Paper at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual Conference.
- Rosenberg, J., Borchers, C., Gibbons, B., Dyer, E., Anderson, D., & Fischer, C. (2021, April). Don't worry, be happy? A sentiment analysis of the #NGSSchat Twitter community. Paper at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Virtual Conference.
- Fischer, C., Morina, F., Borchers, C., & Klein, L. (2021, March). Using Big Data to Support Educational Change: Twitter as a Platform for Informal Professional Development. Paper presented at the 2021 annual meeting of the Leibniz Education Research Network, Hannover, Germany.
2020
- Fütterer, T., Hübner, N., Fischer, C., & Stürmer, K. (2020, December). Heading for new Shores: Moving from Traditional to Modern Teacher Professional Development. Poster at the 5th International NEPS Conference, Bamberg, Germany. BEST POSTER AWARD
- Yu, R., Li, Q., Fischer, C., Doroudi, S., & Xu, D. (2020, September). Predicting College Success: What Data Are Useful and for Whom? Poster at the 2020 AERA Satellite Conference on Educational Data Science, Palo Alto, CA.
- Rosenberg, J., Dyer, E., Anderson, D., & Fischer, C. (2020, September). If you’re happy and you know it, post a tweet? A study of the sentiment of posts to the #NGSSchat hashtag on Twitter. Poster at the 2020 AERA Satellite Conference on Educational Data Science, Palo Alto, CA.
- Rodriguez, F., Lee, H. R., Rutherford, T., Fischer, C., & Warschauer, M. (2020, September). Can Learning Analytics Help Us Understand Differences in Behaviors and Achievement Among Diverse Learners? Results from an Online Chemistry Course. Poster at the 2020 AERA Satellite Conference on Educational Data Science, Palo Alto, CA.
- Yu, R., Li, Q., Fischer, C., Doroudi, S., & Xu, D. (2020, August). Towards Accurate and Fair Prediction of College Success: Evaluating Different Sources of Student Data. Poster presented at the Fourth Workshop on Mechanism Design for Social Good, Online Conference.
- Nguyen, H., Fischer, C., Witherspoon, E., Feng, Y., Fiorini, S., & Schunn, C. (2020, July). Examining the Impact of Advanced Placement Course Credit Policies on Student Performance in Science Gateway Courses. Poster presented at the Virtual Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses Meeting, Irvine, CA.
- Fischer, C., Nguyen, H., Feng. Y., Fiorini, S., Kalender, Y., Schunn, C., Vincent-Ruz, P., Whitcomb, K., Witherspoon, E., & Warschauer, M. (2020, April). Advanced Placement Course Credit and Undergraduate Student Success in STEM Gateway Courses. Paper at the 2020 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. (Conference cancelled)
- Rosenberg, J. M., Reid, J. W., Dyer, E., Koehler, M. J., Fischer, C., & McKenna, T. J. (2020, April). A New Context for Professional Networks: Understanding the Social Structure of #NGSSChat through Social Network Analysis. Paper at the 2020 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. (Conference cancelled)
- Jacob, S., Garcia, L., Montoya, J., Nguyen, H., Prado, Y., Stehberger, D., Barquin, B., Marsland, B., Fischer, C., Richardson, D., & Warschauer, M. (2020, April). CONECTAR: Collaborative Network of Grade 3-5 Educators for Computational Thinking for English Learners. Roundtable at the Presidential Session at the 2020 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. (Conference cancelled)
- Fischer, C. (2020, March). Leveraging Big Data to Enhance Educational Effectiveness: Examples from Teacher Education and Higher Education. Paper at the 2020 annual meeting of the Leibniz Education Research Network, Frankfurt, Germany. (Conference cancelled)
- Fischer, C., Fishman, B., & Schoenebeck, S. (2020, March). Lehrerbildung in den sozialen Netzwerken: Twitter als Lehrerfortbildung? [Social media in teacher education: Twitter as a form of professional development?]. Paper at the 8th annual GEBF conference, Potsdam, Germany. (Conference cancelled)
- Hübner, N., Fischer, C., Göllner, R., Fishman, B., Lawrenz, F., & Eisenkraft, A. (2020, March). One Size Fits All? Differentielle Erträge verschiedener Lehrerfortbildungsformen zur Advanced Placement Reform in den Naturwissenschaften [One size fits all? Differential impacts of professional development formats related to the Advanced Placement reform in the sciences]. Paper at the 8th annual GEBF conference, Potsdam, Germany. (Conference cancelled)
- Fütterer, T., Hübner, N., Fischer, C., & Stürmer, K. (2020, March). Muster der Fortbildungsaktivität von Lehrpersonen im Längsschnitt [Longitudinal analysis of teacher professional development patterns]. Paper at the 8th annual GEBF conference, Potsdam, Germany. (Conference cancelled)
2019
- Warschauer, M., Rodriguez, F., Fischer, C., Rivas, M., Orona, G., Yu, R., McPartlan, P., Li, Q., Cung, B., Baker, R., Rutherford, T., Sato, B., & Xu, D. (2019, December). How and why to support self-regulation among online learners. Paper to be presented at the 34th Directors of Educational Technology / California Higher Education Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
- Fischer, C., Baker, R., Li, Q., Orona, G., & Warschauer, M. (2019, April). Does course-taking increase distal student success? Examining impacts on college graduation rates and time-to-degree. Paper presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada.
- Reid, J. W., Rosenberg, J. M., Koehler, M. J., Fischer, C., & McKenna, T. J. (2019, April). An exploration of #NGSSchat through social network analysis. Paper presented at the 2019 annual international conference of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching, Baltimore, MD
- Rosenberg, J. M., Reid, J., Koehler, M. J., Fischer, C., & McKenna, T. J. (2019, January). Bridging the Gap or Stuck in Silos? A Social Network Analysis of the Science Education-Focused Twitter Hashtag #NGSSchat. Paper presented at the Association for Science Teacher Education International Meeting, Savannah, GA. FINALIST JOHN C. PARK AWARD
2018
- Fischer, C., Baker, R., Li, Q., Rodriguez, F., Xu, D., & Warschauer, M. (2018, October). Online learning in higher education: Examining short-term and distal outcomes. Poster presented at the 2018 CRESST Conference, Los Angeles, CA.
- King, S. M., Rodriguez, F., Fischer, C., & Zhou, N., (2018, July). Enhancing student learning and retention in organic chemistry: Benefits of an online organic chemistry preparatory course. Paper presented at the 25th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Notre Dame, IN.
- Fischer, C., Orona, G., McPartlan, P., & Yu, R. (2018, May). Summer Sessions at a Large Public Research University: Evaluating Student Success in Undergraduate Online Courses. Paper presented at the Digital Learning in the Humanities and Beyond Symposium, Irvine, CA.
- Fischer, C., Fishman, B., & Schoenebeck, S. (2018, April). Professional development in 140 characters? Analyzing Twitter as a professional learning platform for science teachers. Paper presented at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
2017
- Fischer, C., Foster, B., McCoy, A., Eisenkraft, A., Levy, A., Fishman, B., Dede, C., Frumin, K., & Lawrenz, F. (2017, August). National curriculum revision and teacher professional development: The understanding professional development and adoption variation related to revised Advanced Placement curriculum (PD-RAP) project. Poster presented at the 12th Conference of the European Science Education Research Association, Dublin, Ireland.
- Eisenkraft, A., Fishman, B., Dede, C., Frumin, K., Levy, A., Fischer, C., Lawrenz, F., & McCoy, A. (2017, April). Which professional development improves AP scores? Paper presented at the 2017 National Conference on Science Education of the National Science Teachers Association, Los Angeles, CA.
- Fischer, C. (2017, March). Exploring science teachers’ engagement on Twitter: How microblogging complements traditional professional development. Paper presented at the 2017 GSCO/BET Graduate Student Research Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
2016
- Eisenkraft, A., McCoy, A., Kook, J., Levy, A., Jia, Y., Fishman, B., Fischer, C., Dede, C., Frumin, K., & Lawrenz, F. (2016, April). The AP Science Redesign: Teachers’ Perspectives on their Schools’ AP Culture and Implications for Student Success. Paper presented at the 2016 annual international conference of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching, Baltimore, MD.
- Frumin, K., Fischer, C., Dede, C., Fishman, B., Eisenkraft, A., Jia., Y., Levy, A., Lawrenz, F., & McCoy, A. (2016, April). Non-users, lurkers, and posters: Profiles of engagement in a large-scale online teacher community. Paper presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
- Eisenkraft, A., McCoy, A., Fishman, B., Fischer, C., Kook, J., Levy, A., Jia, Y., Dede, C., Frumin, K., & Lawrenz, F. (2016, March). Supporting large scale change in science education: Understanding professional development and adoption variation related to revised advanced placement curriculum. Paper presented at the 2016 National Conference on Science Education of the National Science Teachers Association, Nashville, TN.
- Fischer, C. (2016, March). Navigating a large-scale science reform: The difference between being the only AP teacher in a school and having local colleagues. Paper presented at the 2016 GSCO/BET Graduate Student Research Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
2015
- Kneff, T., Huynh, M., Fischer, C., Hwang, H., & Yankson, K. (2015, September). “Borrowing” from Britain: A typology of the educational systems of India, Jamaica, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Ghana. Paper presented at the 2015 focal meeting of the World Education Research Association, Budapest, Hungary.
- Eisenkraft, A., Levy, A., McCoy, A., Frumin, K., Dede, C., Fishman, B., Fischer, C., Kook, J., & Lawrenz, F. (2015, July). Preparing for the AP Redesign: Science Teachers’ Professional Development Choices and Student Outcomes. Paper presented at the 2015 College Board AP Annual Conference, Austin, TX.
- Fischer, C., Fishman, B., Levy, A., Eisenkraft, A., Dede, C., Lawrenz, F., Kook, J., Frumin, K., & McCoy, A. (2015, April). When low-SES students perform better-than-expected on a standardized test: The role of professional development. Paper presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
- Eisenkraft, A., McCoy, A., Levy, A., Lawrenz, F., Kook, J., Fishman, B., Fischer, C., Dede, C., & Frumin, K. (2015, April). Supporting large scale change in science education: What we have learned so far. Paper presented at the 2015 annual international conference of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching, Chicago, IL.
- Fischer, C. (2015, March). Supporting low-SES students to perform better-than-expected on the AP science examinations: The impact of professional development. Paper presented at the 2015 GSCO/BET Graduate Student Research Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
- Kneff, T., Fischer, C., Huynh, M., Hwang, H., & Yankson, K. (2015, March). “Borrowing” from Britain: Comparing the educational systems of India, Jamaica, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Ghana. Paper presented at the 2015 GSCO/BET Graduate Student Research Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
- Fischer, C. (2015, March). Implementing digital technologies for learners in standards-based science instruction: Designing a professional development workshop. Roundtable presented at the 2015 GSCO/BET Graduate Student Research Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
- Eisenkraft, A., Fishman, B., McCoy, A., Levy, A., Kook, J., Fischer, C., Frumin, K., Dede, C., & Lawrenz, F. (2015, March). Professional development for the revised AP science courses. Paper presented at the 2015 National Conference on Science Education of the National Science Teachers Association, Chicago, IL.
2014
- Fishman, B., Fischer, C., Kook, J., Levy, A., Jia, Y., Eisenkraft, A., McCoy, A., Lawrenz, F., Dede, C., & Frumin, K. (2014, April). Professional development for the redesigned AP Biology exam: Teacher participation patterns and student outcomes. Paper presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
2013
- Fischer, C., Urch, R., Neumann, I., & Tjus, J. (2013, February). Planetenbahnen im Schülerlabor [Planetary orbits in a school laboratory]. Poster presented at the 2013 spring meeting of the German Physical Society, Jena, Germany.
Invited Talks
2022
- Fischer, C. (2022, January). Gameful Learning und Pädagogische Psychologie: Wege zu neuen Bewertungssystemen [Gameful Learning and Educational Psychology: Pathways Towards New Assessment Systems]. Invited talk at the University of Tübingen Studium Generale Lecture Series, Tübingen, Germany.
- Fischer, C. (2021, December). Digitale Hochschullehre mit Gameful Learning: Wege zu neuen Lehr- und Prüfungsformaten [Digital Education in Higher Education with Gameful Learning: Pathways to New Forms of Instruction and Assessments]. Invited talk at the Digitale Lehre: Erfahrungen – Chancen – Herausforderungen Lecture Series, University of Tübingen, Germany.
2021
- Fischer, C. (2021, December). Gameful Learning: Ein neuer didaktischer Ansatz für Lehr- und Prüfungsformate in der Hochschullehre [Gameful Learning: A novel approach for instruction and assessments in higher education]. Invited talk at the Oberseminar Fach- und Hochschuldidaktik, Department of Mathematics, University of Tübingen, Germany.
- Fischer, C. (2021, March). Chancen zum informellen Austausch über soziale Netzwerke: Teilnahmegewinnung und Partizipationsmuster. [Affordances of informal collaboration on social media: Recruitment and participation structures]. Invited talk at the Virtual Lunch Talk Series of Jugend Präsentiert, Wissenschaft im Dialog, Berlin, Germany.
2020
- Fischer, C. (2020, December). Lehrerfortbildungen in Zeiten der Abstandsregel: Sind Fortbildungen über Twitter eine gute Alternative? [Teacher professional development in Covid-times: Is Twitter a potential alternative?]. Invited talk at the Virtual Lecture Talk Series of the LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Fischer, C. (2020, November). Merkmale von erfolgreichem virtuellem Lehren und Lernen [Characteristics of successful virtual teaching and learning]. Invited talk at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Reutlingen, Germany.
- Fischer, C. (2020, September). Chancen und Herausforderungen von Fortbildungen auf Twitter. [Challenges and Affordances of Professional Development on Twitter]. Invited talk at the 2020 Corporate Learning Camp, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Fischer, C. (2020, July). Effektivität von Online-Lehre im Hochschulkontext [Examining the Educational Effectiveness of Online Learning in Higher Education].Invited talk presented at the Virtual Lecture Series of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Tübingen, Germany.
- Fischer, C. (2020, June). Online Learning in Higher Education: Insights from large-scale research projects. Invited talk at the Verbund TRAFO - Netzwerk transferorientierter Lehre in Baden-Württemberg, Esslingen, Germany. (Conference cancelled)
2019
- Fischer, C. (2019, October). The impact of Advanced Placement credit policies on student success in STEM gateway courses. Invited talk to be presented at the Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar Series, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
- Fischer, C. (2019, October). Pathways to improve educational effectiveness: Examples from higher education and teacher education. Keynote address at the LEAD-Retreat in Heiligkreuztal, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany.
- Fischer, C. (2019, May). Learning analytics in the wild: Examples of micro-, meso-, and macro-level big data in educational contexts. Invited talk at the UCI Learning Analytics Group, University of California, Irvine.
- Fischer, C. (2019, April). Leveraging technologies to enhance education systems: Insights from large-scale studies in K-12 and university settings. Invited talk at the School of Education Brown Bag Seminar Series, University of California, Irvine.
- Fischer, C. (2019, February). Examining forms and frames for science teacher learning related to large-scale reforms. Invited talk at the 2019 annual meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators, Atlanta, GA.
2018
- Fischer, C. (2018, March). How can online learning environments transform educational landscapes? Examples from science teacher education and higher education. Invited talk at the FOCUS Seminar Series, University of California, Irvine.
2017
- Fischer, C. (2017, October). Understanding technology-enhanced forms of professional development: Teachers' adoption of a national science curriculum reform in the United States. Invited talk at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany.
Workshops
2019
- Fischer, C. (2019, March). How to use R-Markdown effectively. Workshop led at the Introduction to R for Educational Data Science Workshop Series, Irvine, CA.
2018
- Fischer, C. (2018, May). Applied social network analysis for educational research with the open source software Gephi. Workshop led at the Digital Learning in the Humanities and Beyond Symposium, Irvine, CA.
2016
- Fischer, C. (2016, March). Introduction to qualitative data analysis with NVivo. Workshop led at the School of Education of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
- Fischer, C. (2016, March). Introduction to Qualitative Comparative Analysis with the software programs fsQCA and Tosmana. Workshop led at the School of Education of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
2014
- Fischer, C. & Dershimer, R. C. (2014, December). Teaching secondary school science: Technology workshop. Workshop led at the School of Education of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
2012
- Fischer, C. (2012, December). Die Physik der Musikinstrumente [The physics of musical instruments]. Workshop led at the Department of Physics of the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
Blog Posts
2021
- Fischer, C., Baker, R., Li, Q., Orona, G., & Warschauer, M. (2021, November 22). Access to online college courses can speed students‘ degree completion. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/11/22/access-to-online-college-courses-can-speed-students-degree-completion/
- Eich, M., Morina, F., & Fischer, C. (2021, October 6). Forschen mit archivierten Datensätzen: Wie ein Datenarchiv die Bildungsforschung vorantreibt [Research with data archives: How a data archive can support education research]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/forschen-mit-archivierten-datensaetzen-wie-ein-datenarchiv-die-bildungsforschung-vorantreibt/
- Kopatz, M., Morina, F., & Fischer, C. (2021, September 15). Wie die Unterrichts- und Schulentwicklung von Vergleichsarbeiten (VERA) profitieren kann [Statewide testing to benefit instructional planning and school development?]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/wie-die-unterrichts-und-schulentwicklung-von-vergleichsarbeiten-vera-profitieren-kann/
- Wottrich, L. & Fischer, C. (2021, June 9). Virtuelle Lernplattform fördert Lernprozesse: Ein Blick darauf, was guten Unterricht ausmacht [Online Learning can help learning processes: Perspectives on high quality classroom teaching]. Retrieved from http://lead.schule/blog/virtuelle-lernplattform-foerdert-lernprozesse/
- Eich, M., Thomas, J., & Fischer, C. (2021, May 19). Digitales Storytelling: Programmieren lernen durch Geschichtenerzählen [Digital Storytelling: Learning how to Program with Storytelling]. Retrieved from http://lead.schule/blog/digitales-storytelling-programmieren-lernen-durch-geschichtenerzaehlen/
- Schröder, S., Vochatzer, S., & Fischer, C. (2021, May 5). Fortbildung to go: Twitter als Ratgeber für Lehrkräfte [Professional Development to go: Twitter as a Guidebook for Teachers]. Retrieved from http://lead.schule/blog/fortbildung-to-go-twitter-als-ratgeber-fuer-lehrkraefte/
- Heinle, S., Kopatz, M., & Fischer, C. (2021, March 31). Forschendes Lernen virtuell: Wie Kinder auch im Netz zu Entdecker*innen werden [Inquiry learning: How children can become explorers on the web]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/forschendes-lernen-virtuell-wie-kinder-auch-im-netz-zu-entdeckerinnen-werden/
- Kammerer, I. & Fischer, C. (2021, March 18). Gameful Learning: Was sich aus Videospielen über Motivation lernen lässt [Gameful learning: What we can learning from video games about motivation]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/gameful-learning-was-sich-aus-videospielen-ueber-motivation-lernen-laesst/
2020
- Weynand, M., Ferdinand, J., & Fischer, C. (2020, April 14). Lehrkräftefortbildung durch soziale Medien!? [Teacher professional development with social media?!].Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/lehrkraeftefortbildung-durch-soziale-medien/
- Karossa, N., Ferdinand, J., & Fischer, C. (2020, April 7). Programmieren kinderleicht: Schnelle Erfolgserlebnisse mit Scratch. [Easy programming: Quick successes with Scratch]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/scratch/
- Borchers, C., Ferdinand, J., & Fischer, C. (2020, March 18). Inquiry-based Learning: Forschendes Lernen im Unterricht. [Inquiry-based learning in classroom instruction]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/forschendes-lernen-im-unterricht/
- Philipp, J., Ferdinand, J., & Fischer, C. (2020, March 18). Gravitationskraft im Unterricht verändern: PhET macht es möglich. [Changing the gravitational force in classroom instruction: Potentials of PhET]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/phet-simulationen-im-unterricht/
- Engler, S., Ferdinand, J., & Fischer, C. (2020, March 17). Khan Academy: Lernen mit einem „digitalen Nachhilfelehrer“. [Khan Academy: Learning with a “online tutor”]. Retrieved from https://lead.schule/blog/khan-academy-lernen-mit-einem-digitalen-nachhilfelehrer/
Curriculum Vitae
Since 10/2019
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Educational Effectiveness
Hector Research Institute of Educational Science and Psychology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
2019
Offer of a Tenure Track Assistant Professorship
in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University, USA
2019
Offer of a Tenure Track Assistant Professorship
in Learning Design and Technology at North Carolina State University, USA
2019
Offer of an Assistant Professorship
in Empirical Education Research Methods, University of Hamburg
2019
Offer of an Assistant Professorship
in E-Learning in Universities and Adult Education at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
2017 - 2019
Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar
(Teaching and Learning Research Center, School of Education), University of California, Irvine
2013 - 2017
Doctoral Student
School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2017
Doctor of Philosophy
in Educational Studies/Learning Technologies University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2007-2013
Student in Education, Physics, and Mathematics
Ruhr University Bochum, ETH Zurich, and the University of California, Berkeley
2013
Master of Science (Physics)
Ruhr University Bochum
2013
Master of Education (Physics, Mathematics)
Ruhr University Bochum
2013
Teaching Certificate for Teaching in German College-Track Secondary Schools (Physics, Mathematics)
Ruhr University Bochum
2010
Bachelor of Arts (Physics, Mathematics)
Ruhr University Bochum