IFS in a nutshell
The Center for Research on Education and School Development (IFS) at the TU Dortmund University is committed to all areas of education research – from the description, explanation, and improvement of the organization and management of schools and the school system, to the analysis of educational processes and educational outcomes of students of different age groups in different contexts. Not limited to students, the research takes into account parents, teachers, school administration, and institutional frameworks. A special focus is research into the reform and development processes of schools and the school system, as well as the necessary conditions for these processes and their outcomes.
Research areas at IFS

Empirical Educational Research with a Focus on Teaching and Learning (Team McElvany)

Empirical Educational Research with a focus on Educational Trajectories and Determinants of Teaching (Team Lauermann)

Empirical Educational Research with a Focus on Individual Developmental Trajectories and Institutional Contexts (Team Becker)

Empirical Educational Research with a Focus on Social Heterogeneity (Team Deputy Professor PD Dr. Gaspard)

Empirical Educational Research with a Focus on Promoting Cognitive and Motivational-Affective Learning Processes (Team Dignath)
Latest news from the IFS
The Longitudinal Development of Students' Well-Being in Adolescence: The Role of Perceived Teacher Autonomy Support
In this publication, Ruben Kleinkorres, Justine Stang-Rabrig and Nele McElvany demonstrated negative trends in well-being during adolescence.

Promotion of Young Researchers at IFS: Doctoral Conference on January 25
During PromoKon, the current status of the dissertation projects was presented and discussed.

IFS Virtual Keynote Series with Jutta Heckhausen and Kaspar Burger
Professor Jutta Heckhausen and Professor Kaspar Burger presented their research at the IFS Virtual Keynote Series on January 23, 2023.

Successful launch of the IFS Virtual Keynote Series 2023
Professors Claudia Buchmann and Mieke Van Houtte were guests at the IFS Virtual Keynote Series on January 16.

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Location & approach
The most convenient highway exits are on the B 1/A 40 (Dortmund-Barop) (closer to the North Campus) and on the A45 (Dortmund-Eichlinghofen). The university is signposted at both exits. In the local road network you will find signs to Campus Nord, where the Campus Treff is also located. From Emil-Figge-Strasse, entrance no. 18 and from Vogelspothsweg entrance no. 23 lead to parking spaces near the venue.
From Dortmund main station, take the S-Bahn "S1" in the direction of Solingen on track 7 to the stop "Dortmund-Universität" (price level A). The S-Bahn runs every 15 minutes during peak hours on weekdays and takes about 6 minutes. From Düsseldorf, the S-Bahn runs every 30 minutes. Directly at the S-Bahn station you will find the CDI building, which houses the Center for Research on Education and School Development.
One of the university's landmarks is the H-Bahn, which has two terminuses on the North Campus. One is located directly above the S-Bahn station and is easily accessible from it by elevators. The other is located in the center of Campus North at the bridge between the University Library and the Mensa, right next to the Audimax. The H-Bahn runs from here to the South Campus and the Eichlinghofen district.
Dortmund has an airport connected with some destinations in Central Europe. There are regular flights, for example, to Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden, Katowice, Krakow, Leipzig-Halle, London, Munich, Nuremberg, Paris, Poznan, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich. For the approximately 20 kilometers from the Dortmund airport to the campus, you can take the bus to the main train station and from there the S-Bahn. Faster is usually the use of a cab. Far more international flight connections are offered by the Rhine-Ruhr Airport in Düsseldorf, about 60 kilometers away, which can be reached directly by S-Bahn from the university station.