Bachelor's Seminar
SM 452 for Bachelor's program (Business Informatics)
General Information
| Lecturer | Prof. Dr. Armin Heinzl |
|---|---|
| Course Format | Seminar |
| Credit Points | 5 ECTS (WI after Fall 2013), 4 ECTS (WI before Fall 2013) |
| Language | English |
| Grading | Seminar paper (70%), presentation (20%), discussion (10%) |
| Exam Date | See course information below |
| Information for Students | Registration: Please see information below! |
Dr. Désirée Zercher
Contact person for Bachelor's Seminar
For further information please contact Désirée Zercher.
Course Information
New Frontiers in Digital Transformation
Brief Description
Digital technologies and the ever-growing amounts of data are radically reshaping our daily lives as well as the economy. Embedded at the very core of the products, operations, and strategies of many organizations, digital technologies are rapidly transforming existing businesses throughout all industries. New market offerings, business processes, as well as business models are emerging around the use of these digital technologies, yielding digital innovation1. The pervasive nature of digital technology is fundamentally transforming our understanding of information systems (IS), especially regarding their development, coordination, use, and the way we interact with them. At our chair, we offer a wide range of research topics in IS, focusing on new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). In our research, we take human-computer interaction, system design, value creation or organizational perspectives.
In our seminar, we will examine the design of digital technologies as well as their impact on individuals and organizations. In doing so, we link the offered topics to our ongoing research, which has been and is currently being published at leading international outlets.
1. Nambisan, S., Lyytinen, K. & Yoo, Y. Handbook of Digital Innovation. 2–12 (2020) doi:10.4337/9781788119986.00008.
Interested in learning more about digital innovation? Feel free to have a look at our master course IS 607 (https://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/en/heinzl/teaching/digital-innovation/) and/
or see Nambisan, S., Lyytinen, K. & Yoo, Y. Handbook of Digital Innovation, (2020), doi:10.4337/9781788119986. Objectives of the Seminar
In this seminar, you will acquire the ability to identify, classify, and evaluate existing research. You will learn how to develop your own research agenda as well as to present and discuss it with the participants of the seminar. You will be taught different techniques of scientific work and writing so that you will be prepared in the best possible way for the conception and writing of your Bachelor's thesis. We offer various different topic areas, which hopefully raise your interest.
Spring 2026
Registration
You may register via our online registration tool (accessible inside the university network or via VPN). During the registration period, you can select the seminar in the registration form (under ‘Application Details’ à ‘Purpose’)
Registration period: see schedule
Requirements:
- Short informal letter of motivation (maximum 1 page):
Please select a topic and give reasons for your choice, i.e., what are you particularly interested in and what do you want to learn. Please also provide two alternative topics.
- Provide your CV and your transcript of records.
We will not consider applications via e-mail or with incomplete data in the registration tool.
Topics
Students are asked to write a short letter of motivation (maximum 1 page) to choose a topic and briefly justify your choice. This letter of motivation will be considered as the key reference for seminar entry, in addition to the CV and the transcript of records.
Topic Description Supervisor AI Avatars This seminar thesis investigates the emotional responses of human participants during interactions with AI-generated avatars of varying sizes. The study aims to examine how differences in avatar scale influence users’ emotional reactions and overall interaction experience. Emotional responses will be systematically evaluated using specialized emotion-tracking software, allowing for an objective and data-driven analysis of affective states. By combining principles from human–computer interaction and affective computing, this research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of how avatar design parameters impact user emotions in AI-mediated environments. Keywords: Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), AI Avatars, Emotion Tracking Bastian Schieck Mobile Health Applications Mobile health applications (mHealth), especially mental health apps, aim to help individuals improve their emotion regulation (ER) behavior. Research shows that ER supports wellbeing when strategies are used flexibly and in accordance to contextual demands. Due to their specific features and interactive nature, mHealth apps promise to uniquely support such flexible ER. However, it is still unclear whether and how current mHealth apps actually support such flexible emotion regulation in everyday use. For this seminar thesis, students will work with a large dataset of user traces consisting of time-stamped feature-use sequences that reflect and shape users’ evolving ER behavior over time. The task is to analyze and interpret these sequences based on ER theory and theoretical models of ER flexibility. Through qualitative coding and comparison of multiple use trajectories, students will identify and visualize different patterns of ER behavior and assess whether they speak to the theoretical concepts of ER flexibility. The expected outcome is a clearer understanding of how specific app features and design choices can support the development of flexible ER behavior. Good starting points on the topic are: · Pieper, M., Rehse, J. R., & Fallon, M. (2024). Digitally Supported Emotion Regulation: A Conceptualization Based on Trace Data Analysis of mHealth Use. ICIS 2024 Proceedings, 8, 1377. https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2024/ishealthcare/ishealthcare/8 · Aldao, A., Sheppes, G., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion Regulation Flexibility. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39(3), 263–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-014-9662-4 · Bonanno, G. A., & Burton, C. L. (2013). Regulatory Flexibility: An Individual Differences Perspective on Coping and Emotion Regulation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8(6), 591–612. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691613504116 Mechthild Pieper Digital Platform Regulations Digital platforms have become enormously successful, drawing increasing attention from regulators worldwide. Europe has long been at the forefront of data protection, and more recently, regulatory efforts have increasingly targeted digital platforms. With the introduction of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU has implemented strong initiatives aimed at shaping competition, platform governance and access to digital markets. More recently, emerging regulations such as the EU AI Act impose significant requirements on AI-based platforms and data-driven business models. The benefits of this growing body of regulation initiatives, such as fairness, transparency or user protection, notwithstanding, they may also contribute to fragmentation of platform business models, for example through regional product variation, restricted access, or differentiated architectural choices. In a seminar thesis within this topic area, students are expected to systematically discuss selected regulatory initiatives and to develop a study design to examine their impact on digital platform business models. André Halckenhäuser Healthcare innovation, oncology patient journey Background: At the research campus M2OLIE at the University Hospital Mannheim we are developing a digital and MedTech innovation that makes diagnosis and treatment of people with cancer possible within one day. This highly ambitious and potentially life-saving goal requires, in order to be successfully adopted, a strong integration of the patient’s perspective on how such care is best received. Abstract: For this purpose, the seminar paper aims to examine the end-to-end oncology patient journey, ideally with a focus on Germany or Europe, from initial suspicion through diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up. Using a process-oriented Information Systems perspective, the paper describes the key actors involved (e.g., physicians, radiologists, hospitals, laboratories), as well as the associated information flows and handovers. Particular attention should be given to the perspectives of patients and their pain points, including coordination failures, media breaks, delays, and information asymmetries. The analysis draws on medical workflow literature, health information systems research, policy sources, and patient reports, to identify central elements of high importance to patients and potential areas for improvement. This topic not only allows students to contribute to a project of high societal relevance but can also serve as a strong foundation for an engaging and highly relevant master’s thesis. Michael Sternberg Healthcare innovation, go-to-market strategy, delivery model At M2OLIE (for explanation see “background” above) we need a suitable delivery model to be able to bring our innovation to the market and, consequently, treat people in need. Accordingly, this paper provides a structured overview of delivery models in oncology care by conceptualizing them as a multidimensional design space rather than as discrete alternatives. Building on Information Systems and healthcare service literature, the paper identifies key delivery dimensions and analyzes how regulatory, organizational, technical, and economic constraints influence the feasibility, suitability, and scalability of different delivery configurations. Based on this analysis, the paper develops a contingency-based logic to support the informed selection or combination of delivery models. The aim is to enable the selection of an appropriate delivery model based on the parameters identified in your seminar work. Upon successful completion, you will have the opportunity to further develop and design a delivery model that can make a substantial contribution to our business model and business plan. Michael Sternberg Human-AI creativity; human-AI collaboration. human-AI innovation. In this seminar thesis, you will conduct a qualitative analysis of approximately 100 human-AI image generation sessions. Our trace data includes all prompts, generated images, as well as some quantitative measures. The student will review relevant literature in the field of creativity, cognitive psychology, and collaboration literature to identify a suitable theory to apply in analyzing the data. Successful completion will include understanding mechanisms that increase emergence, i.e., the space of possible action, in human-AI collaboration. Mechthild Pieper & Deborah Mateja Avatars in Virtual Try-On: Self- versus Other Avatars How do consumers perceive themselves when represented through avatars, and how does this shape their evaluation of products? This seminar thesis explores the impact of avatar design in virtual try-on (VTO) environments, focusing on the interplay between realism, beautification, and perspective (self vs. other). Based on a fully prepared dataset from an experimental study, the thesis investigates how two combinations of avatar design characteristics influence emotional (e.g., eeriness, affinity, attractiveness) and cognitive (e.g., perceived helpfulness) responses. The study builds on current literature streams in the Uncanny Valley, self-representation, and digital fashion, and opens the door to exploring how photorealistic identity shape user experience and product evaluation. The student will work with structured questionnaire data from a mixed factorial experimental design and develop their own analytical approach (mostly quantitative, but qualitative, or mixed also welcome) to uncover key patterns in the data and link them to relevant theories from marketing, psychology, and information systems. Applicants should be interested in user perception, digital environments, and empirical research. Some familiarity with statistics, experimental logic, or data tools (e.g., SPSS, R, Excel) could beneficial but is not required and can be developed with the supervisor. Rosa Holtzwart AI-native social media This seminar thesis will focus on the dark side of AI-native social media platforms (e.g., Sora 2) and explore how AI-supported content and identity creation shape users’ experiences and behavior. The student’s core task is to develop a theoretically grounded empirical research design (preferably a quantitative or qualitative experiment) that investigates a research question specific to this context, for example related to the Proteus Effect, self-objectification, or malicious manipulation of self-presentation with AI. The thesis should (1) identify a gap in extant literature, (2) motivate and define a clear research question, (3) derive hypotheses from an appropriate theoretical framework, (4) propose a concrete study design including measures and manipulations, and (5) if feasible, conduct a small pretest of the design to assess clarity and plausibility or to evaluate potential stimuli/ manipulation. Rosa Holtzwart & Deborah Mateja Graph Neural Networks, Patient Similarity, Explainable AI Providing similar examples with comparable or contrasting outcomes represents a promising strategy for explaining healthcare AI decisions. However, finding similar patients is inherently difficult due to challenges in defining meaningful similarity and black-box model behavior. Graph Neural Networks can be utilized to learn patient relationships and extract meaningful similarity representations for generating interpretable example-based explanations. This thesis should review how GNNs are applied for patient similarity computation and example-based explanations in healthcare AI. Students should implement a small prototype demonstrating GNN-based patient similarity for explanation generation or conduct/ plan an experiment based on an existing solution. Basic coding skills are advantageous. Florian Rüffer Hospital platform ecosystems, AI platforms Digital platform ecosystems are increasingly discussed as a means to improve coordination, innovation, and value creation in healthcare systems. In particular, hospitals are expected to play a central role in platform-based arrangements that integrate digital technologies and AI-driven applications to support clinical and operational processes. At the same time, healthcare is characterized by strong regulatory constraints, professional autonomy, and complex organizational structures that challenge the transferability and scalability of AI-enabled platform models from other industries. In this seminar thesis, students are expected to systematically review digital platform ecosystems in healthcare and to critically assess the role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the design and governance of hospital-centered platform ecosystems. Michael Sternberg EU-AI Act The European Union is at the forefront of regulating artificial intelligence systems globally, positioning itself as a pioneer in establishing a comprehensive governance framework for AI, with the risk-based regulation of AI systems being a central rationale for this effort. The EU AI Act is the world’s first comprehensive legal framework governing the development, deployment, and use of AI systems based on their potential risks to safety, fundamental rights, and society. Adopted in 2024, the Act will be implemented in a phased manner, with different obligations becoming applicable between 2025 and 2027 depending on the risk classification and type of AI system. This staggered implementation timeline creates substantial challenges for organizations, which must ensure compliance at specific points in time while often facing uncertainty about how abstract regulatory requirements can be translated into concrete technical and organizational measures. In particular, many open questions remain regarding how compliance obligations can be operationalized in practice, taking into account AI system characteristics, risk categories, application domains, and organizational contexts. Against this background, the seminar thesis aims to provide a structured overview of the EU AI Act, examine how organizations have approached its implementation so far, and develop a practice-oriented guideline that follows a science-for-practice approach and supports organizations in implementing safe, human-centric AI systems in alignment with the EU AI Act. (Reference) Désirée Zercher, (André Halckenhäußer) Course Outline & Schedule (preliminary)
Event Time Period / Deadline Deliverables Registration Period 02.02. – 05.02.2026 Registration via the online tool – Attach your CV, transcript, and motivation letter Sending of Confirmations 12.02.2026 Withdrawal Deadline 13.02.2026 Kick-Off Meeting 17.02.2026 Participation in the kick-off introductory event
Contact and meeting with your supervisor1st Milestone 03.03.2026 Submit first draft to your supervisor: Detailed outline – Bibliography 2nd Milestone 14.04.2026 Submit second draft to your supervisor: Table of contents – Introduction: fully formulated – Methodology: fully formulated – Results: structured draft – Discussion: structured draft Submission of Paper 28.04.2026 (noon) The seminar paper must be submitted in digital and printed form on the submission day. Send the PDF version by 12:00 pm at the latest via email to Désirée Zercher (zercher@uni-mannheim.de) and CC the chair's secretariat (wifo1@uni-mannheim.de) as well as your *supervisor*. Additionally, two printed copies must be submitted to the secretariat on the same day. The submission is only considered complete if all three steps are completed on time. Submission of Presentation 07.05.2026 (noon) Optional: Ask your supervisor for feedback on the presentation in advance – Send your presentation in PDF format via email to Désirée Zercher Presentation 12.05 / 13.05.2026 Attend the seminar and actively participate in the discussion on the seminar day – Present and discuss your seminar paper in the joint workshop – Discussion and feedback for at least one seminar paper of other students Literature
- Webster, J., & Watson, R. (2002). Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review. MIS Q., 26.
- Leidner, Dorothy E. (2018) “Review and Theory Symbiosis: An Introspective Retrospective,” Journal of the Association for Information Systems: Vol. 19 : Iss. 6 , Article 1.
To access the literature you have to be in the VPN of the University of Mannheim.