ECT Course Descriptions

This course offers an in-depth examination of the mental processes underlying knowledge acquisition and understanding, including how our minds encode, store, and retrieve information.The course emphasizes not only the theoretical underpinnings of human thought—such as memory structures, representation systems, and developmental trajectories—but also the ways in which cognitive science can inform the design of technologies for learning.

This course examines theoretical lenses from the Learning Sciences—including constructivism, constructionism, socio-constructivism, situativity, and cultural-context frameworks—and applies them to analyze real-world learning environments. Through weekly readings, collaborative annotations, in-class activities, and a semester-long field observation project, students bridge theory and practice, and develop skills in evaluating and designing learning experiences across material, social, and cultural contexts.

Candidates for the Master of Arts degree conduct their MA Capstone Thesis project, required of all candidates for the degree in the LTXD and G4L programs. The purpose of the capstone thesis project is to give students nearing graduation the opportunity to integrate and apply what they have gained through previous academic coursework and field experiences to major culminating projects while being supervised by ECT faculty members. Options for capstone thesis projects include design and development projects, research studies, and scholarly inquiry papers. 

Explores processes for designing effective learning experiences, bridging theory (cognitive science, psychology, learning sciences) and practice through case studies and a semester‑long challenge project. We cover models from ADDIE to SAM and human‑centered design, examining analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation phases, and their integration with agile and waterfall methodologies. Students apply frameworks to diverse settings—classrooms, online communities, museums, game worlds—designing environments that enable meaningful learning interactions.

Working with a real-world client, students will work collaboratively on an integrated design project to imagine creative solutions to emergent problems, think critically, communicate effectively & manage both human and material resources. On teams with graduate student peers, faculty, and external clients students will develop skills to understand, empathize & ‘frame’ client challenges & opportunities. Students will present solutions to problems and opportunities, and iterate based on feedback. This class builds on topics and skills (UX tools and methods) covered in EDCT-GE 2015 User Experience Design; students will engage with industry experts, site visits and case studies.

Examines the potential of various genres of simulation & games (both analog & digital) as learning technologies through readings, discussion, play, design, & research. Literacy, identity, genre, interactivity, play, story, emotions, presence, & information visualization are among the cultural & cognitive concepts covered in this course. Student-selected assignments typically include reflections on game & simulation play, integrating games & simulations in formal learning environments, designing & developing prototypes of educational games & simulations, & conducting short exploratory research.

This course addresses the role of narrative when designing serious games, simulations, multimedia, emerging media, learning materials and social media. Narrative forms have been used for teaching and learning given their role in memory, cognition, the engagement of learners, as well as in case studies for learning, teaching, and research. This course explores the design principles and constitutive elements of narrative-centered learning through a variety of authoring tools and platforms.

Games are becoming ever-present in educational settings, with classrooms incorporating both commercial & educational games in curriculum, & educational technologists becoming ever more interested in developing “serious” or educational games. However, there are still many unknowns, such as, what genres of games may best be used for certain kinds of learning, & how we can go about studying how games affect players & learners. This course will prepare students to: understand the history of educational video games, & what shaped the development of certain genres; identify theories of learning & play; & describe how they relate to the educational potential of video games; analyze & evaluate commercial & educational video games; & design educational video games with history, theory, learning outcomes, & learner characteristics in mind.

Introduction to user research design, using simulations, games, and other digital tools as products. Learn how to choose the appropriate approach (user research, evaluation, or efficacy research) & the appropriate methods (surveys, interviews, think-aloud protocols, video research, biometrics, user analytics, or A/B testing). Reading assignments, class discussions, & case studies will be used to discuss the purpose, design, & setup of these methods & to prepare students to design & execute their own user research for a product of their choice.

Digital technologies are now an integral part of the design of a growing number of learning experiences.  Modern learning designers need to master several digital skills to effectively and efficiently embed these new technologies into their designs.  Through modular and personalized learning paths, this course will provide practical training and practice to acquire basic skills in graphic design, audiovisual production and interactive multimedia for novice students or to attain higher levels of mastery for students with previous experience. 

This is an online course with SMALL ZOOM GROUP MEETINGS 1 x per week on Wednesday (the time will be determined by the instructor, based on his and your schedule and which module you choose).

(Pre-requisite: EDCT-GE 2015 User Experience Design)

Working with a real-world client, students will work collaboratively on an integrated design project to imagine creative solutions to emergent problems, think critically, communicate effectively & manage both human and material resources. On teams with graduate student peers, faculty, and external clients students will develop skills to understand, empathize & ‘frame’ client challenges & opportunities. Students will present solutions to problems and opportunities, and iterate based on feedback. This class builds on topics and skills (UX tools and methods) covered in EDCT-GE 2015 User Experience Design; students will engage with industry experts, site visits and case studies.

Examine digital media for learning in museums (e.g., XR, games, mobile apps, and more). Activities include hands-on exhibit design projects (group and individual), student presentations, museum visits, and case studies. Apply learning theories and design frameworks to analyze an existing museum exhibit, or design your own. Home skills in user research, rapid prototyping, public piloting, iterative design, and securing resources. Accept the challenge of stepping out of your academic comfort zone and developing your own professional success measures.

This course offers a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts, case studies and through field work with an edtech startup.

You will create a case study on a startup company, hear from guest experts including startup founders, education leaders, policy-makers and funders, explore already developed in-depth case studies and gain an understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the educational marketplace from early learning to lifelong learning. We welcome a diverse mix of students across multiple disciplines and skills sets.

This course examines the evolution and use of learning technologies with a focus on the rise of artificial intelligence in education. Students explore foundational concepts in machine learning, large language models, and other AI architectures, while also considering established and emerging digital tools for education. Through theoretical analysis, hands-on experimentation, and structured critiques, the course builds skills needed to assess and design with AI-driven technologies that enhance learning while addressing ethical, social, and pedagogical implications.

Analysis of the exponential expansion of digital communication and computation and the resultant impact on social interaction, cultural creation, education and business enterprise. Key topics include: artificial intelligence, machine learning, neural network architectures, natural language processing, viral information dynamics, interactive immersive displays, data mining and data analytics.

Students are placed in field internships in a variety of professions related to digital media design for learning including product development, user experience, instructional design, educational technology, media design and development and educational research. Students learn through supervised participation in professional settings including corporate, cultural, communications, non-profit, health, K-12 and higher education, among others.

This course is designed to prepare digital-era students in all fields of study for professional achievement in a technologically sophisticated, global, networked environment. The course is structured around three central elements of “digital literacy” -- 1) human perception & cognition, 2) computers & electronic intelligence, & 2) the network architecture of the digital web. It is a rigorous intellectual introduction to the fundamental principles on which these technologies are based. There are no perquisites & those from the technologically challenged to the techno-geeks are welcome. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of human attention, how sound waves, light waves & electromagnetic waves work & what computers and routers do. . This is a “flipped course” – what would normally be in-class lectures and demonstrations are available online as curricular modules & can be viewed at students’ convenience (& reviewed as appropriate) much like traditional reading assignments. In-person class sections are used for dialog, discussion & Q & A with the instructor.

Analysis of the exponential expansion of digital communication and computation

and the resultant impact on social interaction, cultural creation, education and business enterprise. Key topics include: cyber security, artificial intelligence, machine learning, neural network architectures, natural language processing, viral information dynamics, block chain technologies, data mining and data analytics. No prerequisites.

Are modern generative AI systems capable of true creativity or are they simply stochastic parrots, unthinkingly repeating sequences in their training data? We begin with an examination of human creativity and the science of human cognition, followed by an accessible review of the inner workings of modern generative transformer models with a focus on pattern recognition and creative pattern expansion. The course concludes with group and individual projects applying new knowledge and skills to creative tasks.