Thursday, February 12, 2026

In the run-up to the event, participants had already familiarized themselves with the key concepts and issues surrounding e-participation through an ILIAS online course featuring self-study modules. This allowed them to begin the camp’s discussions and working sessions with a shared foundation of knowledge.

The event kicked off on Thursday afternoon with a joint welcome and thematic introduction. Building on a review of the results from the first camp, key questions surrounding digital democracy and participation were addressed. An interactive quiz allowed participants to activate existing knowledge in small working groups, clarify terms, and highlight different perspectives on e-participation.

The rest of the program focused on exchange and discussion. In a moderated discussion format (fishbowl), participants discussed experiences from existing participatory processes and the opportunities and challenges of digital formats – such as transparency, legitimacy, and effectiveness – together with invited experts from KIT and external institutions. In the process, initial concrete issues were identified from the students’ perspective, such as the desire for better information about elections and university decision-making structures, which many students have found difficult to understand so far and which were addressed for further work on the second day of the event.

 Click here to proceed to Friday.

The participating experts were:

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Beckert (KASTEL), Dr. Jonas Fegert (HOP/FZI), Felix Häusler (AStA), Prof. Dr. Michael Mäs (KIT), and Dr. Alexa Maria Kunz (HoC)