EdTech Fellow, Educational Consultant
at ProLehre | Media and Didactics,
& PhD Student at the Chair of
Applied Education Technologies
January 20, 2026
Eight Episode: Ben Lenk-Ostendorf
In this episode, Ben Lenk-Ostendorf shares his insights on what AI can do for universities and what challenges and opportunities these systems raise when integrated in educational settings.
Listeners can enjoy the podcast directly here below or on our Spotify page.
I try to understand what AI is really meaning for universities. What do we have to change in teaching? What new capabilities for students? And maybe, how can we make it easier to make good teaching available to everyone?
Ben Lenk-Ostendorf
Interview
1. Can you briefly introduce yourself and your current role at the TUM?
Hi, I am Ben Lenk-Ostendorf, and I am currently working for ProLehre, which is the didactic unit, and I work as a PhD student and try to explore what AI can do for us here at TUM.
2. Within the field of educational technologies, what is your core research focus, and what part of the work fascinates you most?
Well, I try to understand what AI is really meaning for universities. What do we have to change in teaching? What new capabilities for students? And maybe, how can we make it easier to make good teaching available to everyone?
3. What are key challenges and promising opportunities that arise from the use of artificial intelligence in educational settings?
I would say we have three things we have to talk about. The first thing being, what do we want to teach? Because if AI can produce knowledge on the click of a button, what is this knowledge worth anymore? The second thing is, can AI teach us stuff? So can we just ask for stuff, and then get a good explanation without, you know, much of a hassle. And the third thing is, can we actually help young professionals in academia to make good lectures without so much of a struggle to understand what their tactics are? And can we make that process easier?
4. What role does your work play in ensuring meaningful, sustainable and resource-efficient integration of AI in higher education?
I work for ProLehre and we very much have the environment in mind. And therefore I try to take political influence and talk to many people that do make decisions about how AI is costing us all, and how we can connect this with the great output we get from it. And that is kind of a tough cookie, I have to say.
5. I heard that you are passionate about improvisational theatre. Do you have a favourite performance, and what makes it significant to you?
I love improvisational theater. There is nothing more fun than creating a story in the blink of an eye. I especially like Jacob Banigan. He has one show and he is alone on stage, and he just can make a play of an hour and has nothing prepared. And this is amazing! I really love that!
Websites
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X25001778?via%3Dihub#fig0020
https://www.prolehre.tum.de/prolehre/ueber-uns/team/ben-lenk-ostendorf/
