Design Science Research as a Guide for Innovative Higher Education Teaching: Towards an Application-Oriented Extension of the Proficiency Model

Constant technological innovation demands higher education teaching to be reactive in an ever-changing environment. Technology-enhanced learning environments provide a foundation for innovative higher education teaching, but the lack of guidance on how to design elements for these environments constitutes a significant barrier. In this context, Design Science Research (DSR) could provide valuable orientation for the iterative implementation of innovative teaching approaches. While the Proficiency Model for DSR summarizes competencies needed to conduct DSR projects, concrete guidance on how to apply DSR to innovative teaching is lacking. Therefore, we address this research gap by extending the Proficiency Model with concrete guidelines that support conducting DSR. These guidelines are derived from an instantiation of two conducted design cycles within a lecture for information system students, resulting in seventeen guidelines that guide lecturers in higher education on how to implement DSR for the iterative transformation of their courses towards meaningful technology-enhanced learning environments.