New name for textbook research
The Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research in Braunschweig has a new name: ‘Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute’
Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the Institute’s membership of the Leibniz Association, the government of Lower Saxony today (09.11.21) approved a change of name for the Georg Eckert Institute. The new name reflects both the Institute’s research profile and the digital transformation which textbooks as a medium are currently undergoing. The GEI’s new Campus, which awaits its official opening ceremony next year, will therefore also have a fitting new name.
‘The name change brings the Institute’s research profile sharper into focus’ says Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Björn Thümler. ‘The Institute has for some time worked with digital educational media as well as textbooks. But the new name also respects old traditions by maintaining the name of the founder, Georg Eckert. I am delighted that the name change increases the visibility of the broad spectrum of socially important work carried out by the Institute.’
‘Research that serves society, must also adapt to social changes. Textbooks continue to be important disseminators in the field of education. In this age of digitisation, educational media are more diverse and increasingly digital. If a Leibniz Institute’s object of research materially changes, then it is only logical that such changes are reflected in its name. The name change to the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media accommodates these social and academic changes and demonstrates that the Institute remains highly relevant and anchored in the network of the Leibniz Association, with its focus on educational research.’ underlined Prof. Matthias Kleiner, president of the Leibniz-Association.
‘The new name illustrates our long-standing membership of the academic community and the mutual enrichment that exists’ explains Prof. Eckhardt Fuchs, director of the Institute. ‘The new name is also necessary given how the fields in which the Institute conducts research have continued to develop. We have, for many years, been conducting extensive research into digital educational media and a wide range of complementary materials for use in schools. The Institute’s new name now appropriately communicates the diversity of our work and makes our position within the research landscape much clearer.’ says Fuchs.
The Institute will also introduce a new logo to accompany the change of name. The Institute’s motto ‘We change perspectives‘ remains unchanged.
Download logo http://www.gei.de/en/press/bildmaterial-logos/logo.html
Press photos http://www.gei.de/en/press/bildmaterial-logos.html
About the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute (GEI)
The GEI conducts applied and multidisciplinary research into textbooks and educational media, informed primarily by history and cultural studies. It explores the production, content and appropriation of educational media in their socio-cultural, political, economic and historical contexts. The Institute also provides unique infrastructure services, designed by and for researchers, both digitally and on site. At the core of the Institute is its research library, which contains the world’s most comprehensive collection of international textbooks for history, social studies/politics, geography and ethics/religious education. In addition, the Institute develops freely accessible infrastructure tools for research into and using educational media for schools in the fields of cultural studies, humanities and social sciences. It provides transfer services based on critical research for application in national and international education practice, educational media production and education policy.
About the Leibniz Association
The Leibniz Association connects 96 independent research institutions that range in focus from natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance. They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry and the general public. Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities – including in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent, independent evaluation procedure. Because of their importance for the country as a whole, the Leibniz Association Institutes are funded jointly by Germany’s central and regional governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 21,000 people, including almost 12,000 researchers. The financial volume amounts to 2 billion euros.
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