DISA

When? May 22, 14.00-16.00
Where? Onsite: D2272 and via zoom
Registration: Please sign up for the seminar via this link, https://forms.gle/6NV1b1tjJ2zUndcn8 by May 20. This is especially important if you plan to attend onsite so we can make sure there is fika for everyone.

Agenda
14.00-14.10 Welcome and practical information
14.10-14.55 Multiscale Mathematics for Complex Systems: From Individuals to Digital Twins – Wolfgang Bock 
14.55 – 15.05 Coffee break
15.05 – 15.50 Multimodal Assessment of Cognitive Load in Technology-Enhanced Learning-Julia Bend
15.50 -16.00 Sum up and plan for our upcoming seminars

Abstracts

Multiscale Mathematics for Complex Systems: From Individuals to Digital Twins – Wolfgang Bock 
Complex systems are often governed by mechanisms acting simultaneously on several spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. In such settings, neither a purely microscopic description nor a purely aggregate model is sufficient on its own. The key difficulty is to relate local interactions, heterogeneity, and stochasticity to robust macroscopic behavior. 

In this talk, I will discuss the mathematics behind multiscale models for complex systems, focusing on the transition from microscopic agent-based or synthetic population descriptions to effective system-level dynamics. This perspective is particularly relevant in applications where one aims to combine structural modeling, uncertainty, and data, for example in the development of digital twins. Synthetic populations serve here as a useful modeling framework in which individual variability and interaction patterns can be represented explicitly, while also raising mathematical questions about emergence, approximation, and the identification of relevant scales. 

The talk is intended as a conceptual introduction to this multiscale viewpoint. Rather than emphasizing technical formalism, I will focus on the key mathematical principles that help make such complex models understandable, interpretable, and computationally tractable. 

Multimodal Assessment of Cognitive Load in Technology-Enhanced Learning-Julia Bend
Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) systems increasingly incorporate adaptive features aimed at improving learning outcomes and supporting individual learners’ needs. However, adaptive learning requires reliable methods for assessing learners’ cognitive states during interaction with digital learning environments.

This presentation focuses on multimodal assessment of cognitive load using eye tracking, EEG, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Drawing on cognitive load theory and load theory of selective attention, the work examines how perceptual load and working memory load influence visual attention and cognitive processing during learning tasks. Eye-tracking metrics, such as fixation duration, fixation rate, and blink-related measures, provide behavioral indicators of attentional allocation and processing effort, while EEG and fNIRS offer complementary insight into neural dynamics and cortical activation associated with attention, working memory, and cognitive load.

The presentation discusses current and ongoing work related to distinguishing different types of cognitive load, investigating individual differences in cognitive processing, and exploring how multimodal measures can contribute to adaptive learning systems. Particular attention is given to the potential of combining behavioral and neural measures to support the development of more personalized and cognitively efficient educational technologies.