The BOX Lab (Behavior, Observation & EXperience) at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is part of the XpeRTiSE laboratory network within the Faculty of Society & Economics. It is primarily associated with the Early Childhood Education (B.A.) program and is directed by Prof. Dr. Corinna Titze.
The BOX serves to provide students with application- and practice-oriented training—and thus prepare them for their careers—as their daily professional lives, across a wide variety of fields, will always be characterized by a high degree of interpersonal and communication skills.
It provides a space where participants can engage with psychosocial interaction, communication, and counseling situations; observe their own behavior (via video); reflect on their own experiences; and develop a professional demeanor. The room is equipped with modular furniture and appropriate counseling materials, allowing it to be flexibly adapted for various settings (groups of up to about 15 people). In addition, an integrated camera and audio system can be used to observe, record, and evaluate relevant interaction sequences (in compliance with applicable data protection regulations) and can serve purposes of documentation, reflection, and supervision.
This program links theory and practice, allowing participants to gain practical experience in recognizing the importance of their own attitude, as well as linguistic and interactive soft skills, for their daily professional lives—particularly in roles involving leadership and consulting.
In a safe environment, participants can acquire, apply, and deepen skills such as conversation techniques (including nonviolent communication). The program offers the opportunity to (further) develop an ethical and professional attitude, to reflect on one’s own behavior, and to critically examine one’s attitudes when necessary.
In addition, various methodological approaches from systemic and diagnostic work will be taught (e.g., mediation, sandplay, family board), which are to be actively applied and tested initially through peer-to-peer practice. External partnerships (e.g., with daycare centers, schools, and family education and counseling centers) are intended to complement the program by enabling, for example, work with “real” families and children in the local community, thereby facilitating an even greater transfer of knowledge to practical settings. Likewise, preventive group programs are to be increasingly integrated (e.g., social skills training, encouragement groups, anger management groups, resource training, self-esteem building, etc.), the implementation of which is desirable in a school setting but often cannot be carried out due to limited personnel resources.
In the BOX Lab, students in the Early Childhood Education (B.A.) program have access to an extensive testing library that currently includes more than 40 different testing procedures and diagnostic instruments.
Here, students have the opportunity to learn about, apply, and evaluate various assessment and diagnostic procedures related to, among other things, general development, language, perception, attention, mathematics, motor skills, intelligence, emotional development, and school readiness.
An overview of the available assessment procedures can be found on-site or in the corresponding Moodle course.
For more information, see the “Testothek” course on Moodle
Contact
Room: 02 EG 010
BOX-FGO(at)
Head of the Laboratory: Prof. Dr. Corinna Titze