Interest in AI-assisted audio transcription in research remains high: having already presented the topic at DHd2026, Annika Nolte and Nele Fuchs went on to support teaching at the University of Bremen on 24 March 2026 with a four-hour seminar session for Master’s students.
The session took place as part of the course ‘Master’s Thesis Module (Research Designs)’ and was aimed at students working with qualitative data as part of their final theses. The seminar was held in the Department of Mathematics Education at the MZH, University of Bremen.
AI-assisted transcription for qualitative research
The focus was on how qualitative audio recordings can be transcribed efficiently and in compliance with data protection regulations. The students were first given an introduction to the role of audio transcriptions in qualitative research processes, as well as an overview of different transcription systems and their potential applications.
Building on this, Annika Nolte and Nele Fuchs presented the Open Weight language model ‘Whisper’ and the software ‘NoScribe’, which is based on it. Topics covered included:
• Data protection and GDPR-compliant transcription workflows,
• The opportunities and limitations of automated transcription,
• Differences between manual and AI-assisted methods,
• And practical requirements for using such tools in research projects.
Practical data expertise for students
There was a particular focus on practical application: in a hands-on exercise, students were able to try out the NoScribe software for themselves and test their own audio files from their Master’s theses.
The workshop serves as an example of how the DSC integrates data-related skills into university teaching in a practical way and links current AI methods directly to specific research scenarios. The underlying concepts and materials were developed by Annika Nolte and Nele Fuchs as part of the BMFTR-funded DataNord project and have now been put to further use specifically for teaching Master’s students. This highlights how the DSC and DataNord not only support researchers but also help to embed data and AI skills at an early stage in academic education.
We would like to thank Maike Vollstedt and Aylin Thomaneck for the invitation and the open discussion with the students.
Further links:
https://zenodo.org/records/18693970 (Open Educational Resource: From Audio to Text: Automated Transcriptions with Whisper – An Open Educational Resource)
DataNord
If you have any further questions, please contact:
Nele Fuchs
DSC Data Scientist
Phone: +49 (421) 218 59853
E-Mail: mailto:n.fuchsprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
Annika Nolte
DSC Data Scientist
Phone: +49 (421) 218 59856
E-Mail: mailto:anolteprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
