We are delighted to share that Cleo M. Schulten has successfully defended her PhD dissertation, “Learning in Hackathons: Proposing a methodological framework for the design, implementation and evaluation of interest-driven, community-based events”, at the Faculty of Computer Science, Universität Duisburg-Essen. The dissertation was awarded magna cum laude, a testament to the quality and rigor of four years of dedicated research.
Cleo joined the COLAPS research group in 2021, and from the very beginning she threw herself into the work with enthusiasm and commitment. Over the course of her doctoral studies, she organized four hackathons, each one building on the lessons of the last, ultimately contributing to the development of the HackEDX framework, a practical, empirically grounded set of guidelines for educators and organizers who want to use hackathons as intentional learning environments.
But her contributions extended well beyond the dissertation itself. Cleo attended the JTEL Summer School, broadening her engagement with the Technology Enhanced Learning community. She published her research in high-quality international journals and conferences, including Education and Information Technologies, Educational Technology & Society, CollabTech 2025, and Mensch und Computer 2025. She carried out praxis projects, supervised bachelor’s and master’s theses, and in doing so helped shape the next generation of researchers in our group.
Cleo also became a core and active member of the Hack the Hackathon community — a community of researchers and practitioners dedicated to understanding and improving hackathons — where she made her mark as a thoughtful and engaged colleague.
We are proud of everything Cleo has achieved and deeply grateful for the energy, care, and creativity she brought to COLAPS over these four years. We wish her all the best for the exciting endeavors that lie ahead.
Congratulations, Cleo — well deserved!
