Project aims
Artificial intelligence (AI) holds the potential to become a central component in the education of more than 23,000 students in 73 Bachelors and 95 Masters programs at the University of Stuttgart. Possible applications include everything from intelligent assistants on smartphones, to the adaptive planning of logistics flows using realtime data, to research investigating molecular bonds in the laboratory. However, there are still departments and user groups across the University that could benefit from a stronger integration of AI-topics and software solutions.
A project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) called "Integrated AI in Teaching at the University of Stuttgart" (IKILeUS) will bring together multidisciplinary AI expertise from across the university in order to achieve this goal. IKILeUS is pursuing a holistic approach that involves bringing both AI "for" teaching and AI "in" teaching to the entire student body across all stages of study. One goal is to provide students both an understanding of the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and practical experience with AI in an interdisciplinary and sustainable way. At the same time, IKILeUS will introduce AI-based technologies that can improve instruction, for example through the automated grading of tests or applications that can support physically disabled students.
The University of Stuttgart's focus on technology offers outstanding scientific and pedagogical potential not only to provide solutions such as these but also to optimize and transfer AI-supported materials and concepts. HLRS is serving as the coordinating institute for this project and will strengthen several subprojects by contributing both its expertise and an AI computing cluster with specialized hardware.
Project achievements
To address this need, the project “Integrated AI in Teaching at the University of Stuttgart” (IKILeUS), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), brought together multidisciplinary AI expertise from across the University. IKILeUS integrated both AI for teaching and AI in teaching across all stages of study. A key objective was to provide students with a solid understanding of AI fundamentals alongside practical, interdisciplinary, and sustainable hands-on experience. In parallel, the project introduced AI-based technologies to improve teaching and learning processes, including semi-automated exercise systems and applications supporting students with physical disabilities. Building on the University of Stuttgart’s strong technological focus, the project successfully developed, optimized, and transferred AI-supported teaching materials and concepts. The High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) served as the coordinating institute. It strengthened several subprojects by contributing both its expertise and access to an AI computing cluster with specialized hardware. The project concluded successfully, meeting its objectives. The developed lectures, teaching materials, and concepts proved sustainable and are used beyond the project’s duration, supported by commitments from the participating institutes.
