Our research is structured around three themes. For examples of current projects, please click a theme below.
Theme 1: Digital Society
Digital Polarization - the Dutch Search Engine Project When you use a search engine, do you see the same results as your colleagues, friends, or family do? If not, why is that? Are search results personalised especially for you? If so, what are the criteria? Which topics do search engines suggest to you and other users? We want to find out. With your help. 
Digital Inclusion and Poverty People in poverty do not always have the means or possibilities to use the digital infrastructure, while they have relatively much to gain. In this four year project we develop an integral multi-stakeholder digital incluson intervention to support families that are living in poverty. - Any Thing for Anyone? Digital inequality and the Internet-of-Things To ensure more equal access to the Internet-of-Things, this 6 year research project aims to investigate inequalities in IoT skills among the general user population from an individual and social-contextual perspective. First, two large-scale performance tests are conducted in which subjects (sampled for gender, age and education) are asked to complete assignments. One tests concern the use of health wearables, the other a smart home lab environment. Second, three data-collection methods are employed to conduct a detailed investigation of how IoT skills are applied and learned in the home context: IoT log data, a diary study that captures data from participants as they live through certain experiences, and a series of semi-structured interviews to understand both how the participants resolved their IoT skill issues and the roles played by other members of the home environment in resolving those issues. The underlying idea of the project is that technologies offer more capital-enhancing opportunities for those of higher socioeconomic status, and that when technologies become more complex, comparative advantages further increase. Many of the possibilities enabled by IoT that are emphasized in popular media seem techno-utopian promises that stress the autonomous power of the technology. So far, behavioral factors that are necessary for understanding the impact of the IoT have been ignored. Sponsors: NWO (VIDI Scheme) Contact: Alexander van Deursen
- Trendrapports on Digital Inclusion As the Internet becomes an increasingly embedded part of everyday life for many people, research on digital inclusion has been criticized. There are concerns about the lack of strong theoretical developments within the field and the limitations of the survey measures typically used in research and evaluations of initiatives. In this project, we aim to address these criticisms through developing theoretically informed survey measures of people's digital skills, engagement with the Internet, and the tangible outcomes this Internet use has in their lives. Annually, measures take place among the Dutch population. In parallel to the development of #DiSTOsurvey measures, collaborations with government, third sector and academic institutions have been put into place using the DiSTO framework as a guide to visualise the links between digital and social exclusion in the #DiSTOmap projects. This combination of large scale national survey research and mapping of inequalities at the smaller local level makes cross-national, community and individual level comparisons possible, allowing us to answer questions about the processes that drive socio-digital inequalities at the micro, meso and macro level. This project develops and tests questionnaires on digital skills, Internet uses, and outcomes of Internet use that can be used by the wider academic community in full or in short item versions. Originally developed and tested in the UK and the Netherlands,
Qual-AI-ty Engagement Project Fostering Student Engagement through AI-driven Qualitative Quality Assurance Practices
Qual-AI-ty Engagement is a forward-looking project aimed at disrupting the higher education through artificial intelligence (AI) and genuine commitment to quality as derived from student engagement with society. 
Children’s and adolescent’s media use, development and (in)equality Children’s and adolescent’s media use, development and (in)equality
In the last few decades, the digital media landscape has expanded rapidly. With the rise of the internet, smartphones other smart devices, and social media, digital media have become an integral part of everyday life. Children and adolescents of the 21st century belong to the first generations that grow up with these technologies. This broad media landscape provides both benefits and disadvantages for young people’s development. However, some children and youth benefit more from media use, whereas others experience more risks. Furthermore, the Covid pandemic painfully revealed inequal opportunities for C&Y to use digital media. There are not only differences in access to digital media, but also in C&Y’s motivation and skills to use them, and in the ways key persons (parents, teachers, and peers) support them. Understanding risk and resilience factors in C&Y’s digital media use related to their cognitive, identity and social development will help them and key persons to act in evidence-informed ways to reduce inequality. A better understanding of these factors is especially important during transition periods such as the transition from kindergarten to primary school or the start in secondary school. This project is part of the JEDI consortium. - Network. transfOrm. groW. Citizen Science: NOW aims to explore potential futures in the broader engagement of citizens in Citizen Science (CS) and identify citizen competencies needed to achieve this. The outcomes of this project will help us develop digital CS capacity-building resources for and with citizens. So, educational resources for citizen scientists, scientists involved in citizen science, facilitators, and other actors who are interested in 'activating' citizen science.
- EUSL Energy EUSL-Energy (European Union, Sri Lanka) is an Erasmus+ capacity building project that aims to create a joint, stackable, and accredited MSc program in the country of Sri Lanka. The theme of the MSc program is Energy for Circular Economy. It aims to have a direct impact on the energy-sector in Sri Lanka. The consortium exists of four universities in Sri Lanka, the Swedish digital learning materials platform Learnify, and several higher education institutions in the European Union, such as the University of Twente.
- Managing Digital Transformations, Managing Digital Transformations, MDT, is an Erasmus+ project. This project addresses the shortage of ‘digital leaders’ by developing a 30 ECTS program called ‘Managing Digital Transformation’ (MDT). The program will be designed for students and professionals with a high interest in entrepreneurship and management.
- PROMETHEUS PROMETHEUS project is an EIT Horizon Europe Initiative project with a consortium consisting of Universities, Research Centers and Enterprises from Greece, the Netherlands, Italy, Romania and North Macedonia. The project aims to focus on developing impact driven partnership, high quality education programs and support tools and services. All in the areas of Digital Transformation, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Circular economy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
- Dutch publications on polarisation
Theme 2: Changing Organizations
21st Century Digital Skills The main goal of the Human Capital Agenda is to make the Dutch creative sector an international leader by strengthening human capital among the Dutch workforce. In this regard, human capital can be considered an umbrella term covering digital literacy, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, communicating and collaborating. Together, they create a strong base for innovative and competitive power. The goal of this project is to contribute by focusing specifically on 21st century digital skills of which the importance is fundamental to the wider human capital challenge. 
Working Life in the Robot Age The integration of robots into working life is increasing rapidly, and it is crucial to understand their impact on employees, work, and organizations. This project aims to examine the relationship between working with robots and structural collaboration and communication changes in organizations. It investigates how the usage of robots is shaped by materiality and social practices in organizations, and how employees integrate robots into their work. The project also explores how these integrations result in changes to employees’ work practices and role relationships. Using qualitative approaches, the mutual shaping of human-robot collaborations and social practices in organizations are investigated. This will provide valuable insights for understanding the impact of robots on organizational dynamics.
Theme 3: Persuasive Technology
- Moments of connection Project Moments of connection: Combining interactive ambient technology and narrative technology to promote connectedness in older adults People are growing older, but more and more with chronic illnesses. Political strategies mainly focus on self-management and autonomy, but this comes with a risk of social isolation and loneliness. Currently, loneliness is at an all-time high, affecting approximately 50% of all older adults. This is particularly troublesome as it also increases the risk of both physical and cognitive decline. Importantly, exposure to nature enhances feelings of connectedness. However, older persons often have limited or no access to nature because of mobility constraints. For them, developments in interactive ambient technology hold great promise as exposure to designed nature scenes can provide a substitute for actual nature. Furthermore, nature can be an effective prompt for communication and storytelling amongst older adults in everyday social interactions. In this project, we seek to combine the design science of interactive ambient technologies with the technology-mediated analysis of everyday social interactions in order to develop and test prototypes(s) of interactive ambient landscapes in long-term care. Sponsor: BMS Faculty University of Twente Contact: Thomas van Rompay
- Digital Nature Project Delirium is the most common mental complication in critically ill patients, and is characterized by pain, stress, anxiety, and a disrupted sleep-wake cycle. It severely affects not only recovery time, but also leads to cognitive long-term impairment, posttraumatic stress disorders, and reduced quality of life. To prevent delirium, environmental design strategies can be effective. To this end, the Philips VitalMinds venture has developed a luminous ceiling called VitalSky that provides not only circadian-effective lighting to support the sleep-wake cycle of patients in the IC environment, but also allows for presentation of nature-based scenes facilitating patient recovery. The project aims are 1) acquiring fundamental knowledge on specific nature features and their effects on patient experience, 2) investigating how physiological patient data can be used to steer device functioning, and 3) developing the interaction protocols via which patients and other stakeholders in the IC context can communicate with device and contents. By contributing to patient health and wellbeing, our project stimulates quick recovery after treatment and a rapid return to normal daily activities. Sponsors: Philips Research Contact: Thomas van Rompay
- Augmented Welder Project The Augmented Welder (TAW) is a project sponsored by EIT Digital in which an industrial training tool has been designed dedicated to welding companies or welding training centers. It combines virtual and augmented reality, advanced digital technologies with welding parameters acquisition and gesture capture to increase speed up training and practice improvement. The departments of Communication Science at the University of Twente have worked on the development of dashboards based on sensor data to provide insight into the training performance of the welders. Educators and instructors can use these insights for targeted intervention in the development of certain knowledge and skills. We are also involved in designing a data-driven accelerated adaptive learning module for skill acquiring in the welding domain. We use advanced deep-learning techniques to predict the optimal learning route for welding trainees. Sponsor: EIT Digital Contact: Robert Muster and Sjoerd de Vries
Our Research Centres
- Our Research Centres you can find here further info on our research centres.
- Centre for Digital Inclusion The supply of information and services has largely moved to the Internet and offline alternatives are becoming less and less available. Social media and content creation play an important role in everyday life. A growing number of jobs in all industries and organizations require digitally skilled personnel. The possibilities of devices connected to the Internet - the Internet of Things - are constantly expanding by means of Artificial Intelligence. Just a few trends that emphasize that access to the internet is a precondition for participation now and in an increasingly digital future. Digital inclusion suggests that everyone can benefit from the possibilities of Internet (technology). As such, it is an important policy objective. To support parties pursuing digital inclusion - internationally, nationally, provincially and locally, - our research focuses on the identification and explanation of the underlying mechanisms, on mapping the benefits and risks of technology, on identifying those who are at risk being excluded, on formulating policy measures and interventions, and on evaluating best practices. Based on a strong scientific basis, we try to answer questions such as: How can government institutions digitally include difficult-to-reach groups in its services? What digital skills do employees need and how can these be improved? How can developers of smart devices serve less skilled users? What negative effects does internet use have and who experience these the most? What does the transition to a complex Internet of Things system mean for users? How do policymakers ensure a society in which everyone can benefit from digital opportunities? With over 25 years of experience in digital inclusion research, a strong international team, and a base at the University of Twente ( people-first university of technology), answers are sought to these and other questions.
- Research Centre for Science Communication and Engagement
