This class is simultaneously an introductory course about educational technology and an advanced, project-oriented class on designing or researching technology’s intersection with education. As such, the course provides information about a large number of topics within educational technology, including pedagogical strategies, research methodologies, current tools, open problems, and broader issues. The scope of the material provided goes beyond what any one person could reasonably learn in a semester. Instead, you will select those areas that appeal to you or that support your ultimate project ideas. For example, if you’re interested in research, you may focus on the applicable research methodologies to your chosen area of investigation, relevant pedagogical strategies or theories, and the current state-of-the-art within that community. If you’re interested in design, you may focus on the relevant pedagogical strategies or theories for your chosen domain, the current popular tools within that domain, and open problems that need to be addressed.
Course deliverables are a series of essays/papers followed by a final project (group or individual). Students work with a mentor throughout the course to select a topic, conduct research, and complete the project.
This class counts towards the foundational degree requirements, and is an interaction elective in the Interactive Intelligence specialization.