Relaunch of the AI Campus: New design, more orientation, better learning experience

Five years after launching our learning platform, we have thoroughly revamped the AI Campus. With a modern design and clear focus on target groups, we aim to noticeably improve the user experience for learners, lecturers, and institutions. Here you can find out what's new and how the relaunch was carried out.

The Path to the Relaunch

Since the beginning of the year, the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft e. V. has been operating the AI Campus. Following the previous research projects, this was an important step to ensure the long-term, sustainable, and public-interest-oriented operation of the platform. We thank the many partners and supporters who make the work of the AI Campus possible!

As part of this restructuring, we launched an extensive process for relaunching the website and the LMS (Learning Management System) – with the aim of aligning the AI Campus even more closely with the needs of our target groups.

The basis for this was an updated product strategy which we developed with external support. This strategy provides guidance for the coming years and helps us to implement our vision of an AI-competent society, with a particular focus on the significant contribution of universities.

In team workshops, we made the strategic objectives and target groups of the AI Campus more concrete:

• By 2030, we want to have reached 500,000 people with our learning opportunities—through direct registrations on the AI Campus and through the use of learning opportunities that are embedded elsewhere.
• At least 100 universities should by 2030 have used the AI Campus to strengthen AI competences across their entire institution.

In addition to universities, companies and the public administration are also among the most important target groups, who expect to be addressed directly on the AI Campus. In the school sector, we (together with universities) particularly address state institutions and initiatives that support teachers in their initial, further, and continuing education.

From the outset, it was important to us to closely involve the community: Together with users, our university partners from the R&E project AI Campus 2.0, the AI Campus advisory board, and other stakeholders, we discussed how the AI Campus could be further improved. This input flowed directly into the relaunch and was further refined through systematic user testing.

The New Portal

Together with the digital agency LOOM, we have redesigned the Drupal-based frontend of the portal—that is, the website of the AI Campus. We retained the distinctive corporate design, developed with our design agency TAU Berlin since 2020, and have reinterpreted it as part of the relaunch.

Here are the most important new features:

• Modern design: The learning platform has become brighter and higher in contrast. In this way, we want to offer our target groups an even more attractive presentation. Design elements from the Stifterverband have been incorporated. The AI Campus illustrations by Robert Samuel Hanson have been adapted and expanded to include new motifs.
• Clear address of target groups: Alongside individual learners, we particularly address our institutional target groups—i.e. universities, companies, and administrations—on the homepage and new target group pages. This enables them to have a tailored access to the AI Campus’s offerings.
• Simplified navigation: Optimised filter and menu structures make it easier to search for suitable learning opportunities. There is also a dedicated page for the AI tools that can be used on the AI Campus, and we are continually expanding this offering.
• Better display: Thanks to the responsive design, the AI Campus now works much more comfortably on mobile devices. In consultation with federal authorities, we have improved the barrier-free design and are continuing to expand it.
• Background optimisations: For editorial work on English-language content, a AI translation tool has been integrated into the Drupal CMS. Additionally, search engine visibility (SEO), the URL structure, and the cookie banner have been optimised.

Moodle in a New Look

In parallel to the portal, our service provider Baltys has extensively updated the Moodle learning environment run by FernUniversität in Hagen:

• Update to version 4.5: The new user interface of Moodle 4.5 enables, among other things, a more flexible course structure and optimised media integration.
• Design revision: To provide learners with a seamless transition between portal and LMS, we adapted the design of the Moodle environment in line with the new portal.
• User ratings: Courses can now be rated directly in Moodle upon completion. The rating results are transferred to the portal via an interface and are visible on the AI Campus without registration.

Feedback Welcome

We hope you like the new AI Campus as much as we do. Try out the learning platform, enrol in your next course, and make use of our microformats like videos and podcasts.

With your support, we are continuously developing the AI Campus to strengthen AI competences for everyone through free, digital learning opportunities. We look forward to your feedback!