AIMS – AI-based Mentoring for Women in STEAM Studies

Title: AIMS – AI-based Mentoring for Women in STEAM Studies
Project duration: 2025-2028
Research Area: Responsible AI

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Erasmus+ National Agency for Higher Education (German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Project Description

AIMS promotes gender equality in higher education through AI-driven mentoring and STEAM oriented methodologies, strengthening digital readiness and innovative teaching and learning to increase women’s participation and success in STEAM. Addressing persistent barriers such as underrepresentation, imposter syndrome, limited access to mentoring, and gaps in mathematical and digital competencies, the project builds on a comprehensive needs analysis including literature review, focus groups and expert consultation. AIMS develops an AI Mentor based on adaptive learning algorithms and explainable, ethical AI to provide transparent, bias-aware and personalized mentoring. By integrating arts, design thinking and ethics into STEAM, the project establishes a holistic, pedagogically sound and ethically robust mentoring framework for inclusive STEAM education.

Aims

AIMS develops an AI-based mentoring system that provides individualized academic and socioemotional support for women in STEAM study programmes. The project:

• Enhances digital competencies and resilience in higher education,
• Promotes equal opportunities through gender-sensitive learning pathways,
• Integrates STEAM methodologies linking technology, creativity, and ethics,
• Establishes AI literacy and responsible AI use in higher education teaching.

Problem

Women in STEAM continue to face structural barriers, including underrepresentation, gender bias, limited access to role models and mentoring, and insufficient personalized support, which negatively affect retention, confidence and academic progression. At the same time, higher education institutions lack scalable, ethical and AI-based mentoring solutions that combine digital transformation with STEAM-oriented, gender-sensitive learning and guidance frameworks.

Practical example

The AI Mentor will be piloted with first-year female STEAM students at partner universities, providing personalized study planning, competency development and career guidance. In addition, project results will be implemented through MOOCs and E-Courses integrated into institutional learning management systems and teacher training programmes, supporting AI-based mentoring, STEAM-oriented pedagogy and gender-sensitive teaching practices within regular higher education curricula.

Technology

AIMS uses an AI-driven mentoring system based on learning analytics, large language models and adaptive recommender technologies to generate personalized mentoring and learning pathways. The AI Mentor integrates explainable and ethical AI, user profiling, competency tracking and feedback mechanisms, and is implemented as SCORM-compatible modules embedded in existing university learning management systems.

Outlook

AIMS establishes a scalable and sustainable model for AI-based, gender-sensitive mentoring in higher education. Its results will support the long-term integration of STEAM-oriented and ethical AI mentoring into institutional strategies, contribute to increased retention and success of women in STEAM, and provide a foundation for further research on adaptive learning, explainable AI in education, and inclusive digital support systems across European universities.

Team

Lead

Dr. Sandra Hummel

TUD Dresden University of Technology

Center for Interdisciplinary Digital Sciences (CIDS)

Team Members

• Mana-Teresa Donner, MSc MA
• Gitanjali Wadhwa, MSc
• Syed Hur Abbas, MSc
• Prof. Dr. Rudolf Egger (University of Graz)
• Carina Koch, BA (University of Graz)
• Anneliese Pirs (University of Graz)
• Dr. Gulizar Karahan Balya (METU)
• Prof. Dr. Halil Turan (METU)
• Ezgi Pehlivanli, PhD (METU)
• Dr. Büşra Akkökler Karatekeli (METU)
• Hüseyin Aydin (METU)

Partners

• University of Graz, Austria
• Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Associated Partners

• BILTEMM
• SisterLab
• Bildungsportal Saxony
• Gesellschaft für Medien in der Wissenschaft (GMW)
• Orient Express