Institute of Education

Prof. Dr. Andreas Lachner

investigates how educational technologies can be integrated into teaching and learning processes in classrooms to make education more effective and equitable.

Co-Director of the Tübingen Center for Digital Education (TüCeDE)

Andreas Lachner is professor of education with a focus on teaching and learning with educational technology at the University of Tübingen. His work centers on evidence-informed practices for technology integration, bridging cognitive learning theories, instructional design, and teacher education. He is particularly interested in developing and investigating scalable and adaptive teaching frameworks that address classroom heterogeneity and contribute to equitable education.

To systematically advance adaptive technology integration, his research explores the cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms that shape how learners engage with digital tools—such as computer-based feedback, video explanations, or AI-driven systems. These tools are studied for their potential to foster motivation, self-regulation, and knowledge construction. A complementary focus lies in identifying the boundary conditions for successful implementation, including the roles of teachers, students, instructional contexts, and professional development. Together, these lines of research aim to understand and shape the dynamic interplay between students, teachers, and technologies in educational settings.

Andreas has secured over €2.6 million in third-party funding as principal investigator. He serves on the editorial board of Learning and Instruction and regularly reviews for leading international journals in educational research. His work has been recognized in several ways, including being listed among the Top 50 most productive educational researchers (2017–2022) and among the Top 10 early career researchers in a combined-methods analysis of publication output. He also received a Top Cited Article Award (2022–2023) in Applied Cognitive Psychology. In addition, he actively collaborates with education administration and school leadership initiatives on the digital transformation of education.

Selected publications

Cognitive and Metacognitive Mechanisms of Technology Integration

Lachner, A., Hoogerheide, V., van Gog, T., & Renkl, A. (2022). Learning-by-teaching without audience presence or interaction: When and why does it work? Educational Psychology Review, 34, 575–607. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09643-4

Russ, H., Sibley, L., Flegr, S., Kuhn, J., Hoogerheide, V., Scheiter, K., & Lachner, A. (accepted). Combining non-interactive teaching and drawing fosters conceptual knowledge but not monitoring accuracy from guided inquiry in science learning. Journal of Educational Psychology.

Sibley, L., Fabian, A., Plicht, C., Pagano, L., Erhard, N., Wellert, L., Bohl, T., & Lachner, A. (2025). Adaptive teaching with technology enhances lasting learning. Learning and Instruction, 99, 102141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102141

Wagner, S., Sibley, L., Weiler, D., Burde, J. P., Scheiter, K., & Lachner, A. (2024). The more, the better? Learning with feedback and instruction. Learning and Instruction, 89, 101844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101844

Boundary Conditions of Technology Integration

Backfisch, I., Lachner, A., Hische, C., Loose, F., & Scheiter, K. (2020). Professional knowledge or motivation? Investigating the role of teachers’ expertise on the quality of technology-enhanced lesson plans. Learning and Instruction, 66, 101300. doi: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.101300

Lachner, A., Backfisch, I., & Franke, U. (2024). Towards an integrated perspective of teachers’ technology integration: A preliminary model and future research directions. Frontline Learning Research, 12(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v12i1.1179

Lachner, A., Sibley, L., & Wagner, S. (2024). Practice recommendations or not? The LoGeT-Model as empirical approach to generate localized, generalized, and transferable evidence. Educational Psychology Review, 36. doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09876-z

Sibley, L.,* Lachner, A.,* Plicht, C., Fabian, A., Backfisch, I., Scheiter, K. & Bohl, T. (2024). Feasibility of adaptive teaching with technology: Which implementation conditions matter? Computers & Education, 105108. 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105108

Tschönhens, F., Backfisch, I., Fütterer, T., & Lachner, A. (2024). TPACK in action: Contextual effects of pre-service and in-service teachers’ knowledge structures for technology integration. Computers and Education Open, 7, 100219.