About Me

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany, and the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education. My work focuses on the intersection of responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI), Learning Analytics (LA), and educational innovation.

In my current research, I integrate responsible AI practices into the design and application of educational technologies (EdTech). This includes supporting educators and institutions with the use of LA, guiding the selection of meaningful indicators, and contributing to evidence-based course design.

A major part of my work involves exploring the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) to enhance student assessment and personalized feedback. I investigate how LLMs can improve the quality of extracted knowledge from educational data and how this knowledge can be transformed into actionable insights that foster effective teaching and learning.

Ultimately, my goal is to bridge cutting-edge AI research with practical educational applications, ensuring that innovations are not only technically robust but also ethical, transparent, and beneficial for both learners and educators.

I completed my PhD with a thesis titled “Uncharted Territories: Learning Analytics Indicators from a Learning Design Perspective”, in which I developed the Learning Analytics and Design Alignment (LADA) framework to systematically align Learning Design and Learning Analytics. During my PhD, I developed and evaluated OpenLAIR, which is an evidence-based LA indiactor repository. Additionally, this work combined systematic literature reviews with advanced methods such as machine learning (NLP), visual analytics, and knowledge extraction to generate deeper insights.

Beyond research, I am actively involved in teaching at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels, including course instruction and thesis supervision. To date, I have supervised around 13 bachelor’s and master’s theses and am currently supervising PhD students.

JOURNEY

Work Experience

• Postdoctoral Researcher at Goethe University Frankfurt and DIPF - Germany (2024 - Present)

• Research Associate at DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education - Germany (2018 - 2024)

• Student Assistant at RWTH Aachen University - Germany (2016 - 2018)

• Software Engineer - Pakistan (2013 - 2015)

Education

• PhD in Computer Science at Goethe University Frankfurt - Germany

• M.Sc. at RWTH Aachen University - Germany (2015 - 2018)

• B.Sc. at IIU Islamabad - Pakistan (2010 - 2014)

• Higher Secondary School Certificate - Pakistan (2008 - 2010) *(University Entrance Qualification)

• Secondary School Certificate - Pakistan (1996 - 2008)


Contact Details

Atezaz Ahmad
Eschersheimer Landstr. 155-157,
60323 Frankfurt am Main
Email 1: ahmad@studiumdigitale.uni-frankfurt.de Email 2: a.ahmad@dipf.de

Download CV

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Ahmad, A. (2025). Uncharted Territories: Learning Analytics Indicators from a Learning Design Perspective. PhD Dissertation at Goethe University Frankfurt. Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg. Pages 192, DOI: 10.21248/gups.93965
  2. Ahmad, A.; Schneider, J.; Schmitz, M.; Schiffner, D. and Drachsler, H. (2024). Students Want to Experiment While Teachers Care More About Assessment! Exploring How Novices and Experts Engage in Course Design. In Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU; ISBN 978-989-758-697-2; ISSN 2184-5026, SciTePress, pages 15-26. DOI: 10.5220/0012537900003693 * Best paper nominee!
  3. Ahmad, A.; Schneider, J.; Schiffner, D.; Islamovic, E. & Drachsler, H. (2023). LAxplore: An NLP-Based Tool for Distilling Learning Analytics and Learning Design Instruments out of Scientific Publications. In Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management - Volume 1: KDIR, ISBN 978-989-758-671-2, ISSN 2184-3228, pages 230-239. DOI: 10.5220/0012163600003598
  4. Ahmad, A., Kiesler, N., Schiffner, D., Schneider, J., and Wollny, S. (2023). Caught in the Lifelong Learning Maze: Helping People with Learning Analytics and Chatbots to Find Personal Career Paths. In International Journal of Information and Education Technology. vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 423-429, 2023..
  5. Ahmad, A., Yordanov, I.I., Yau, J., Schneider, J., Drachsler, H. (2023). A Trusted Learning Analytics Dashboard for Displaying OER. In: Otto, D., Scharnberg, G., Kerres, M., Zawacki-Richter, O. (eds) Distributed Learning Ecosystems . Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-38703-7_15
  6. Ahmad, A.; Schneider, J.; Weidlich, J.; Di Mitri, D.; Yau, J.; Schiffner, D. and Drachsler, H. (2022). What Indicators Can I Serve You with? An Evaluation of a Research-Driven Learning Analytics Indicator Repository. In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1, ISBN 978-989-758-562-3, ISSN 2184-5026, pages 58-68.
  7. Ahmad, A., Schneider, J., Griffiths, D., Biedermann, D., Schiffner, D., Greller, W., Drachsler, H. (2022). Connecting the dots – A literature review on learning analytics indicators from a learning design perspective. Special Issues Article in Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12716
  8. Karademir, O., Ahmad, A., Schneider, J., Mitri, D. D., Jivet, I., & Drachsler, H. (2021, October). Designing the Learning Analytics Cockpit-A Dashboard that Enables Interventions. In International Conference in Methodologies and intelligent Systems for Techhnology Enhanced Learning (pp. 95-104). Springer, Cham.
  9. Ahmad, A., Schneider, J., & Drachsler, H. (2020, September). OpenLAIR an Open Learning Analytics Indicator Repository Dashboard. In European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (pp. 467-471). Springer, Cham.
  10. Ahmad, A., Schneider, J., Drachsler, H., (2020).Open Learning Analytics Indicator Repository., The 10th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference LAK20 (2020), pages 41-43. * Best poster award!
  11. Hiebl, J., Ahmad, A., Scharnberg, G., Drachsler, H., Heck, T., Hölterhof, T. (2019). Designing Multi-faceted Open Informational Ecosystems for Learning and Teaching. Forschungsworkshop auf der ECER 2019, Hamburg

Recent Activities and Events

Client Testimonials

  • Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

    Steve Jobs

  • No research without action, no action without research

    Kurt Lewin

  • Research is seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.

    Albert Szent-Györgyi

  • Research is creating new knowledge.

    Neil Armstrong

  • Research means that you don’t know, but are willing to find out

    Charles F. Kettering

  • As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.

    Antoine de Saint Exupery

  • It is not enough to know – one must also apply. It is not enough to want – one must also do.

    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Get In Touch.

Should you have any inquiries or are interested in collaboration, feel free to reach out via email. I'm eager to respond and look forward to our interaction.