Theses & Project seminars
Open Topics
If you are interested in writing a bachelor or master thesis or a (WING) project thesis on one of our advertised topics, please contact the indicated contact person.
Master: Empirical studies on harassment in the metaverse
For example, examining the unique factors, the effectiveness of protective measures, or the impact of the bystander effect
Contact: Runjie Xie
Bachelor/Master: What influence does virtual commerce have on purchasing behavior in real world: A systematic literature review.
Contact: Benedikt Morschheuser
Please apply by sending your CV, a letter of motivation and an overview of previous academic achievements and grades!
Research Interests
If you do not find a suitable topic in the announcements, you can also submit your own topic proposals that fit our research interests. If you would like to propose your own topic, please send a motivation letter with brief description of your interests along with a short CV and an overview of previous academic achievements and grades to the appropriate contact person.
Jeanine Kirchner-Krath
Postdoctoral researcher
- Gamification, Game-based Learning
- Green Information Systems
- Sustainability
- Employee Motivation, Engagement
Runjie Xie
Doctoral Researcher
- Metaverse, virtual worlds, Virtual Reality
- Privacy, cyber bullying, online harassment, ethics, regulation
- User interaction, collaboration
- New internet phenoma
Finished theses and theses in progress
Type | Topic | Student | Supervisor | Submission |
---|---|---|---|---|
Master | How to onboard the user? A study on designing fun on the first click
Game designers are experts when it comes to designing engaging activities that motivate from the very first second. This knowledge can also support and optimize the adoption of educational solutions. Within the serious game “INFLAMMANIA“, we would like to try out various onboarding approaches and develop design knowledge for creating more effective learning games. Inflammania is an educational game that combats inflammation in chronic diseases. Targets: |
L. Liu | Benedikt Morschheuser | 2.12.2022 |
Bachelor | Designing Experiments in Roblox | D. Lam | Benedikt Morschheuser | 28.09.2022 |
Bachelor | Gaming meets Mobility: Gamification in proprietary innovation of the automotive industry
This bachelor thesis presents an overview on the use of gamification in proprietary innovation of the automotive industry based on a structured literature review in the database Espacenet of the European patent |
M. te Lake | Benedikt Morschheuser | 06.08.2021 |
Bachelor | Creators of the Metaverse – Who are they and what drives them to build virtual worlds?
Using qualitative interviews with N=14 participants, this thesis examines who creates content in the metaverse and what reasons and motives drive content creators. |
M. Bitz | Benedikt Morschheuser | 25.04.2022 |
Master project | Does adaptive gamification increase motivation and participation in gamified crowdsourcing? An experiment in a text-based adventure game for collecting handwriting data
In collaboration with the STABILO International GmbH, we developed a text-based adventure for the STABILO DigiPen and empirically evaluated whether personalized gamification experience produce better outcomes in gamified crowdsourcing compared to one-size-fits-all approaches. |
M. Weber | Benedikt Morschheuser | 31.3.2022 |
Bachelor | The intrinsic drivers of content creators in the Metaverse – a quantitative study
This thesis examines the intrinsic motivations of content creators related to word of mouth (WOM) and the intention to continue creating content on and for the Metaverse platform Roblox. The results are compared to the findings of previous studies of content creators of Web 2.0 platforms. Data for this study was collected using an online survey of 50 content creators of Roblox and was analyzed using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS. Based on the uses and gratifications theory (U&G), the study provides first insights of a quantitative approach exploring the intrinsic motivations of people creating for the Metaverse Roblox, trying to build the most renowned virtual 3D worlds and games, meet people or to hang out. |
F. Feldmeier | Benedikt Morschheuser | 30.3.2022 |
Bachelor | Gamified Cycling: A literature review and future agenda | F. Gast | Benedikt Morschheuser | 29.9.2022 |
Master | Perspective Switching in Human-AI Teaming – An Empirical Investigation of the Effects of Perspective Switching on AI Technology Acceptance
Recently there is an increasing importance of AI and Robotics in organizations and everyday life, but existing barriers prevent the widespread adoption of AI. Human-Robot-Interaction is widely used in industrial applications, e.g., picking and placing in production lines. So far, the market for personal domestic and service robots, or social robots, is comparably small. Still, mainly domestic and social robots will likely become increasingly prevalent and penetrate our everyday lives. During the Covid-19 pandemic, quarantine measures, contact restrictions, and home office have led to increased social isolation. Social isolation is a risk factor for loneliness and impairing mental health. The use of social robots can potentially prevent or at least minimize these negative consequences. In this master thesis, we investigate the impact of an audio-visual perspective switching exercise on the technology acceptance of a social robot measured by the Technology Acceptance Model by Davis. We also incorporate other related constructs, such as anxiety, perceived enjoyment, and perceived sociability. As a social robot for the experiment, we chose the so-called Gatebox, which is developed and manufactured by the Japanese tech company Vinclu. Gatebox is a virtual home robot that accompanies its owner in everyday life. Azuma Hikari represents an AI assistant; she not only communicates with her voice but is a holographically depicted anime girl who inhabits the Gatebox. In times of a global pandemic and increasing social isolation, the Gatebox is not only a home assistant that is supposed to make everyday life easier but also a social robot companion with which the user lives together. By measuring the constructs before and after the exercise, we would like to determine what impact Perspective Switching has on technology acceptance. The results can inspire the design and implementation of future HRI/HAI systems. |
L. Köhler | Maximilian Wittmann | 4.10.2022 |
Master | Gamification in Inbound Logistics – master thesis in cooperation with Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG | J. Steif | Benedikt Morschheuser | 13.2.2023 |
Master project | Gamification in performance diagnostics and training of team sports | G. Sußner | Benedikt Morschheuser | 13.5.2023 |
Bachelor | Creators of the Metaverse: Why people build virtual worlds in their spare time – a quantitative study regarding internal and external motivations for Roblox | T. Müller | Benedikt Morschheuser | 28.3.2023 |
Master | Perspective Switching in Human-AI Teaming
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered as one of the most important enablers of industry 4.0. Thanks to increasing computing power and the availability of large amounts of valuable data, AI can be used on a large scale in the manufacturing industry. AI can be perceived in different forms. It can have a physical representation. One example are AI-powered robots on the shop floor that are responsible for assembly tasks. But it can also be invisible and embedded in software, such as predictive maintenance software. However, there is still a long way to go before AI is implemented from pilot projects into practice, because there are several obstacles to the introduction of AI-based systems. One main obstacle is people’s lack of trust in AI. This may be due to cognitive barriers. Powerful AI uses complex algorithms. Ordinary users, however, often perceive AI as a “black box” because it is difficult to comprehend an AI’s decision making. In addition, emotional barriers exist. These barriers include, for instance, the fear of being replaced by a robot. To overcome this impediment, a concept from recent research in game design seems very promising, namely perspective switching. Game developers implement elements of perspective switching between human players and Non-Player-Characters (NPC) to improve cooperation and trust. In this way, the NPC can be viewed as a team member rather than a mere tool. Implementing perspective switching as a design pattern is also powerful to elicit feelings towards NPCs as it can help human players to identify and sympathize more easily with the NPC. We will apply this concept to human-AI-interaction in the manufacturing industry to assess if it is possible to achieve the same effect as in the game industry. To carry out this study, a game prototype will first be developed in Roblox, in which the player and a cooperative robot work together to complete tasks on the shopfloor of a manufacturing facility. The unique feature of the game is the player’s ability to switch perspective with the robot. Our research model is based on the Technology Acceptance Model by Davis. To test our hypotheses and investigate the impact of perspective switching on employees’ attitudes toward AI, experiments will be conducted with a few voluntary participants. Pre- and post-game survey data will be collected and analyzed using statistical software. The insights of this work can inspire the design of future human-AI-cooperation scenarios in a manufacturing environment. |
R. Xie | Maximilian Wittmann | 01.08.2023 |
Master | Designing and understanding the effects of gamified VR training on human-robot teaming | M. Weber | Benedikt Morschheuser | 4.10.2022 |
Master | Women in game design: How does game design target actual cross-pressure topics in religion and how would we design and counter such issues? | H. Qarani | Benedikt Morschheuser | 2.03.2023 |
Master | How to gamify football training? An explorative analysis of user demands and synthesis of design patterns | L. Steinkamp | Benedikt Morschheuser | 23.6.2023 |
Master | Privacy in the metaverse | S. Fang Chen | Benedikt Morschheuser | 02.09.2023 |
Master | Triumph Over Tragedy? A Scoping Review about Gameful Interventions for Crisis and Disaster Preparedness |
C. Wüllner | Benedikt Morschheuser | 01.12.2023 |
Master | Gamification of team sports: Impact of using gamification elements on group dynamics in football | R. Rehm | Sandra Birnstiel | 13.11.2023 |
Master | Avatarize Your Quantified Self: Exploring the Impact of Avatar Identification on Football Self-Efficacy | S. Reiß | Sandra Birnstiel | 24.01.2024 |
Master | Can Curiosity-Focused Gamification Increase User Engagement? An Empirical Study in the Context of Corporate Innovation Management | A. Hollendonner | Benedikt Morschheuser | 19.12.2023 |
Master | Gamification in Sports – Examining the needs of different athletes
Gamification can improve performance in sport and also make sport more fun by meeting the needs of athletes. But what are the needs of different athletes? Do individual and team athletes have the same needs? And what about people who don’t play sport at all?To answer these questions, a study will be designed, carried out and evaluated. |
J. Balint | Sandra Birnstiel | 30.09.2024 |
Master | Data Privacy in the Metaverse: Effects of Avatar Design and Information Transparency on User Perceptions | S. Merk | Benedikt Morschheuser | 05.06.2024 |
Master | Inflammania 3D – How to design metaverse games for learning? |
A. Kwiatek | Benedikt Morschheuser | |
Bachelor | Wie gehen Unternehmen mit den ethischen Herausforderungen von Gamification um? | D. Büttner | Gürtler, Christian Benedikt Morschheuser |
22.12.2023 |
Bachelor | Gameful crisis preparedness in the metaverse: A systematic analysis of user-generated games in Roblox | M. Eitel | Runjie Xie |