Design, Informal, and Creative Education

As technology continues to change our world and how each of us lives and works, the field of education is confronted with countless challenges and opportunities. The Digital Media area focuses on the use of new technologies and media in the service of learning and human growth.
This program is designed to help students develop the abilities necessary to participate in scholarly inquiry and publication in concert with the international community of scholars working to improve the area of educational communications and interactive educational technologies through research and theory building. Our goal is to prepare scholars in the critical analysis of design, production, evaluation and use of educational media messages in the schools and society as well as prepare students to assume positions of leadership in professional organizations devoted to the improvement of educational communications and technology at the national and international level.
Area Faculty
- Erica Halverson, Professor, Ph.D. Northwestern University, 2005
Arts education, social media, participatory instructional environments
- Matthew Berland, Associate Professor, Ph.D. Northwestern University, 2008
Computational literacy, systems literacy, and the design of constructionist learning environments
- Peter Wardrip, Assistant Professor, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2014
Informal Education, Educator Professional Development, Makerspaces, Assessment
- Noah Weeth Feinstein, Associate Professor, Ph.D. Stanford University, 2008
Public engagement with science, science museums, climate change, science and technology studies
- Krista-Lee Malone, Faculty Associate, Ph.D. UW-Milwaukee, 2015
Game Design, Learning through Design, Cultural Anthropology, Taiwan
- Rich Halverson, Professor, Ph.D. Northwestern University, 2002
Learning Technologies in and out of Schools, Design of Learning Environments, Game-Based Learning