Dr Nicolai ter Horst
Dr Nicolai ter Horst
Habilitation project
Modern and realistic chemistry lessons - between didactic reconstruction, extracurricular learning locations and the use of digital technologies
Research focus
- Digital (basic) competences of students
- Student laboratory research (motivation, learning success)
- Digitally differentiated learning modules
- Interest-orientated chemistry lessons
- Development and testing of innovative teaching and learning materials
Topic of the dissertation: digitalchemlab - conception, implementation and evaluation of digitally differentiated learning modules for the student laboratory
- Differentiation matrix as a method for inclusive science lessons
- Interactive eBooks and iPads in chemistry lessons
- Development of digitally differentiated learning modules
2022-2024 Funding from the Joachim Herz Foundation (€ 15,000) for the research project "digitalchemlab - digital and differentiated in the school laboratory"
2024 3rd prize in the "Digital school laboratory" category of the LeLa Prize (€ 2000) for the contribution "The digitally differentiated learning module nanomedicine - modern chemistry meets modern subject didactics"
Memberships
- Associate member of the working group DiCE (Digitalisation in Chemistry Education) of the Division of Chemistry Education, German Chemical Society
- Member of the research initiative RIDE (Research Initiative Digital Education)
- Junior Fellow in the 5th year of the "Kolleg didaktik:digital" of the Joachim Herz Foundation
Short vita
- 1993 born in Hanover
- 2009: A-levels in Hanover
- 2009 -2015: Studied chemistry & Latin as a teacher at the GAU Göttingen
- 2013-2014: ERASMUS stay at Durham University (Great Britain)
- January 2015: Graduation with the Master of Education
- 2015-2017: Trainee teacher at OHG Springe/ STS Hameln
- February 2017: Graduation with the State Examination
- 2017-2019: Probationary teacher at RGS Stadthagen
- 2020-2025: Research assistant (pre-doc) at the FSU Jena
- August 2025: Completion of the doctorate (summa cum laude)
- since October 2025: Visiting researcher at the FSU Jena
- since November 2025: Research assistant (post-doc) at the CvOU Oldenburg
Publications
- L.-J. Thoms, T. Bruckermann, C. Thyssen, M. Meier, L. von Kotzebue, J. Arnold, N. Belova, S. Z. Lahme, B. Heuckmann, S. Lenzer, B. Schorn, M. Hornberger, A. Finger, N. ter Horst, S. Peter, E. Kremser, S. Ciprina, J. Huwer, S. Becker-Genschow, DiKoLAN-SK - Development of a measurement instrument for academic self-concept of digitalisation-related competencies in science education, Computers and Education Open, 2026, 100338, ISSN 2666-5573, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2026.100338
- N. ter Horst (2025), digitalchemlab: Conception, implementation and evaluation of digitally differentiated learning modules for the student laboratory. Dissertation, Friedrich Schiller University Jena. https://doi.org/10.22032/dbt.67925
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke (2024): Digitalchemlab - Digital and Complexity-Differentiated Learning Modules in an out of School Student Laboratory. doi. org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c01228Externer Link .
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke (2024): Digital-differentiating learning modules in a student laboratory context: a pilot study. DiCE conference 2023 - Digitalisation in Chemistry Education. doi. org/10.22032/dbt.59413Externer Link .
- A. Fruntke, N. ter Horst, C. Bley, B. Blümbott, M. Behnke, L. M. Stafast, A. Vollrath, U. S. Schubert, T. Wilke (2023): Nanomedicine in Chemistry Education: Development of a digital learning environment with real life experiments. W. J. Chem. Educ. 11(3), 97-103.https://doi.
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke (2023): Digital and difficulty-differentiated Learning Modules in a Student Laboratory Context: A Pilot Study. New Perspectives in Science Education, Conference Proceedings 2023, Filodiritto Publisher, 36-41. ISBN 979-12-80225-55-9.
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke (2022): Digital and differentiated in the student laboratory - the digitalchemlab concept. Conference Proceedings FGCU-Tagung 2021, CHEMKON 29 (S1), 227-232, doi.org/10.1002/ckon.202100095Externer Link
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke (2022): Reimagining student laboratories: creating a digitalised chemistry lab. New Perspectives in Science Education, Conference Proceedings 2022, Libreriauniversitatia.it, 62-67. | ISBN: 979-12-80225-41-2
- M. Simon, N. ter Horst & T. Wilke (2021): Reimagining Student Laboratories: Design and Evaluation of Two Innovative Concepts. New Perspectives in Science Education, Conference Proceedings 2021, Libreriauniversitatia.it, 92-98.| ISBN: 979-12-80225-14-6.
- T. Wilke, N. ter Horst & T. Waitz (2015): Experiments with Fluorescent Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: A Teaching Course Design for Upper Secondary Chemistry Class. New Perspectives in Science Education, Conference Proceedings 2015, Libreriauniversitatia.it, 112-116. | ISBN: 978-88-6292-600-3
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke & T. Waitz (2015): A Guided Learning Introductory Course on Nanotechnology for Secondary Schools. New Perspectives in Science Education, Conference Proceedings 2015, Libreriauniversitatia.it, pp. 173-178. | ISBN: 978-88-6292-600-3
- A. Sdunek, E. Irmer, N. ter Horst & T. Waitz (2014): Creative chemistry lessons with chain reaction machines. PdN-ChiS, 6 (63), 41-45
Lectures, workshops & important work
Presentations & Posters:
- N. ter Horst: re:Che Rethinking chemistry - A real-life approach to chemistry teaching (FGCU conference 2025)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Digital and/or differentiated? Effectiveness of different learning modules in the student laboratory (GDCP conference 2025)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Complexity-differentiated learning to support students' lab work in out-of-school student laboratories (ESERA conference 2025)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: The digitalchemlab concept: digitally-differentiated learning modules in student laboratories, research workshop presentation (LeLa conference 2025)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Digitally differentiated learning modules in the student laboratory - an overview, poster (LeLa conference 2025)
- T. Wilke, N. ter Horst: Development of an AI assistant for chemistry lessons, presentation (FGCU Annual Conference 2024)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Digitalchemlab - digitally differentiated learning modules in the school laboratory, poster (FGCU Annual Conference 2024)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Digitally differentiated learning modules: an alternative to the classic school laboratory? Presentation (GDCP Annual Conference 2024)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Digital and complexity-differentiated learning modules - a step towards adaptive learning? Presentation (ECRICE conference 2024)
- A. Fruntke, N. ter Horst, T. Wilke: Das digital-differenzierte Lernmodul Nanomedizin - moderne Chemie trifft moderne Fachdidaktik, award lecture (LeLa-Tagung 2024)
N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Digital-differenzierte Lernmodule für das Schülerlabor: erste Erkenntnisse, flashlight lecture + poster (LeLa-Tagung 2024) - N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Potentials of digitally differentiated learning modules for chemistry lessons, presentation (DiCE conference, 2024)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: digitalchemlab - digitally differentiated learning modules in the school laboratory, presentation (GdCP annual conference 2023)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: digitalchemlab - digital and differentiating learning modules in the school laboratory context, poster (Wissenschaftsforum Chemie 2023)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dietrich, T. Wilke: Digital-differentiating learning modules in the school laboratory context: a pilot study, presentation (DiCE conference, 2023)
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke: Digital and Difficulty-Differentiated Learning Modules in a Student Laboratory Context: A Pilot Study, presentation (New Perspectives in Science Education - 12th Edition, 2023).
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke: Digitalchemlab digitale und differenzierende Lernmodule im Schülerlaborkontext, poster and talk (18th LeLa Annual Conference, 2023).
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke: Household cleaners: Acid-base chemistry made easy! . A digital differentiation matrix for the school laboratory, poster (38th advanced training and lecture conference of the chemistry education section, 2022)
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke: Reimagining student laboratories: creating a digitalised chemistry lab, Poster (New Perspectives in Science Education Virtual Conference, 2022).
- N. ter Horst & T. Wilke: Digital und differenziert im Schülerlabor - das Konzept digitalchemlab, lecture (37th Advanced Training and Lecture Conference of the Chemistry Education Group, 2021).
- N. ter Horst & T. Wilke: Digital und differenziert im Schülerlabor - das Konzept digitalchemlab, poster (Digitale NAWIgation von Inklusion, 2021).
- M. Simon, N. ter Horst & T. Wilke: Reimagining Student Laboratories: Design and Evaluation of Two Innovative Concepts, presentation (New Perspectives in Science Education Virtual Conference, 2021).
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke & T. Waitz: A Guided Learning Introductory Course on Nanotechnology for Secondary Schools, Poster (New Perspectives in Science Education, Florence 2015).
- J. Dege, E. Irmer, N. ter Horst, T. Wilke & T. Waitz: Vom Tensid zur Biomembran - Ein Public Outreach Projekt zur Verbindung von Schule und Universität (61st MNU Bezirkstagung Bremerhaven, 2014).
Workshops & further education:
- N. ter Horst: Digitally differentiated learning modules: a new method for chemistry lessons? (DiCE conference, 2025)
- N. ter Horst: Digitally differentiated learning modules: a new method for chemistry lessons? (Network digitalised chemistry teaching 2025)
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke, A. Fruntke: Digitally differentiated learning modules - nanomedicine (DigiProMIN 2024 summer conference)
- N. ter Horst, A. Fruntke, T. Wilke: Exploring nanomedicine experimentally and digitally - modern research meets modern specialised didactics (MNU Bundestagung 2024)
- N. ter Horst, E. Dietel, T. Wilke: Teaching with iPads - MINT (LFBZ Jena-Leipzig 2024)
- N. ter Horst, E. Dietel, T. Wilke: Teaching with iPads - an introduction (LFBZ Jena-Leipzig 2024)
- N. ter Horst, M. Wejner, T. Wilke: Experiments for Christmas (LFBZ Jena-Leipzig 2023)
- N. ter Horst, A. Fruntke, T. Wilke: Exploring nanomedicine experimentally and digitally - modern research meets modern didactics (Mitteldeutscher MINT-Kongress 2023)
- N. ter Horst, A. Fruntke, T. Wilke: Exploring nanomedicine experimentally and digitally - modern research meets modern specialised didactics (Wissenschaftsforum Chemie 2023)
- N. ter Horst, E. Dietel, T. Wilke: Teaching with iPads - an introduction (LFBZ Jena-Leipzig 2023)
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke: Experiments for Christmas (LFBZ Jena-Leipzig 2022)
- N. ter Horst, T. Wilke: digital learning module household cleaners (LFBZ Jena-Leipzig 2022)
- N. ter Horst, J. Dege, K. Wolf & T. Wilke: Nano - A dimension with high didactic potential for chemistry lessons (Regionaler MNU-Nachmittag Göttingen, 2014).
- J. Dege, E. Irmer, N. ter Horst, T. Wilke & T. Waitz: Vom Tensid zur Biomembran - Ein Public Outreach Projekt zur Verbindung von Schule und Universität (61st MNU Bezirkstagung Bremerhaven, 2014).