Freie Universität Berlin (FU) / Germany

The Freie Universität Berlin (FU) was founded in 1948. Today it is one of the leading universities in the world. It is also one of the largest universities in Germany, offering degree courses in more than a hundred subjects for 35 500 students – of which 15 per cent come from other countries. Without including Medicine, the Freie Universität is currently the lead university for eight collaborative research centres of the German Research Foundation DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and also has three DFG research units. The Freie Universität canvasses a significant proportion of its income from third party funds and maintains wide ranging international contacts to other universities and organisations which provide key impulses for research and teaching. It has 117 partnerships world-wide, and every year some 600 visiting scientists contribute to the university’s teaching and research. In the life sciences and earth sciences, research work is carried out on applications of direct relevance for everyday life. Interdisciplinary research is particularly encouraged at the Freie Universität with the Clusters of Excellence, including “Global Governance”, “Diversity”, as well as “Security Research” and “Humanities: “Dynamic Cultural Transformation”. Since 2004, a Children’s University for primary school pupils and a Summer University for Natural Sciences and Technology for secondary school students were organised.

Prof. Dr. Claus Bolte, Professor at the Freie Universität Berlin since 2004, focussed his research activities on the investigation of the student-teacher-communication and interactions during science lessons, on the analyses of students’ interest development in science subjects from primary and secondary schools’ students and especially of the motivational learning environment in science classes. His work also deals with STS-approaches and scientific literacy and with the development of learning environments witch promote students’ ability in science as well as their interests. Together with W. Gräber he organized the first international IPN symposia on scientific literacy 1996 in Hamburg-Rissen. Since 2002 he cooperates in the ParIS-Project (Partnership Industry School) with a special research focus on the question how to promote students’ ability on critical thinking and reasoning.


 Link to the Homepage of the FUB with PARSEL-Material