Overview

The Learning & Education Studies, BS with a concentration in Educational Technology will provide students with a strong background in the design, development and implementation of technology for a range of learning environments. Courses will introduce students to learning theory, designing and using technology to support learning, and issues encountered when deploying technology to schools, workplaces and informal learning spaces. The program culminates in a capstone course in which students work on a design project under the direction of one or more faculty members.

Graduating students will be prepared to engage with various stakeholders interested in using technology to support learning in a range of different contexts. Examples include selecting and deploying appropriate technology to support pedagogic goals for schools, corporations, or informal learning environments such as museums and afterschool clubs, designing educational games or toys and educational application development. One of the main objectives for students in to build new ways to support learning, and prepare them for leadership roles in formal and informal environments, technology design and implementation strategies. They will also be prepared to pursue graduate study in a range of programs, such as educational technology, learning sciences, or instructional technology at the University of Illinois or elsewhere.

Students are encouraged to pursue a relevant minor or coherent set of electives from several related departments. Suggested minors include: computer science, communication, psychology, informatics, media and cinema studies or sociology. Students may also consider a minor in a specific content area from the arts and sciences to develop expertise in a particular field.

Our courses and research interests highlight the following:

• Designing Learning Spaces
• Educational Game Design
• Attention, Learning, & Technology
• Computer Programming & the Classroom (K-8)
• Interactivity & Learning
• Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
• Educational Data Mining
• Introduction to Digital Environments
• Child Development and Technology
• Social Learning and Multimedia
• Learning and the Body
• Collaborative Learning and Instruction

Who Should Apply

Students, teachers, unit heads, principals, managers and program coordinators who want to:

• Pursue research and practice across diverse organizations and institutions (e.g. academia, industry, and non-profits) 
• Advise and consult on public and private initiatives of varying scale
• Lead entrepreneurial efforts on design, development, and learning related to innovative digital environments