Educational Communications & Technology (EDCT-GE)

In this course, students have hands-on experience with human-centered design methods for designing learning experiences and educational tools. Students apply human-centered design methods, UX, and HCI principles, including conducting user research, synthesizing findings into insights, ideating, sketching, prototyping, and iterating based on user feedback. Students study these methods through group work, critical examination and evaluation of examples, in discussions, and individual assignments.

Prepares students to integrate digital media & technology into learner curricula. Through demonstrations, hands-on use, & application projects, students gain experience with the roles digital tools play to support teaching methods & learning strategies associated with a continuum of learner- & teacher-centered educational approaches & goals. Students develop skills in HTML, podcasting, digital storytelling, use of Web 2.0 tools (e.g., content management systems, social networks, e-portfolios), digital video, & virtual worlds in order to design and formatively assess engaging learning communities.

Educational technologies have become essential for international exchange as a ‘leapfrog’ technology for development, as a way of bridging distance in education, & as an important means for the preservation & dissemination of local cultures & contexts. Educational technology is a significant & growing force worldwide, & not only in industrialized nations. E-learning, open educational resources, m-learning, & educational media are transforming not only formal primary, secondary, & postsecondary education, but also rural economic development, agriculture, & women’s empowerment. In this course, we look at how educational communications & technology shape, & are shaped by, their context internationally.

This course examines collaborative and connected learning in social media environments, and how social media technologies shape how individuals and societies think and interact. Through reading, discussion, writing, and experimenting with communicating on different online platforms, students consider how these technologies impact learning, attention, beliefs, and social interaction; and consider questions of privacy, authorship, knowledge production, and ethics, particularly in an age of artificial intelligence and misinformation. Through projects, students apply course concepts, and critically engage with the possibilities of social media for designing for, and understanding how people learn.

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, multimedia production and interactive multimedia for novice students or to attain higher levels of mastery for students with previous experience.

The two-semester capstone thesis experience gives students the opportunity to apply theories, methods, and design principles learned throughout the program to a real-world or scholarly inquiry of their choosing. The thesis demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct independent research or design-based inquiry. Students design and propose a project in the first semester and execute and defend their capstone thesis in the second semester.

Learning designers must take the changing expectations of digital natives with extensive experience with social media, immersive media, and interactive video games and simulations into account in their approach to design. Topics include the dynamics of social media, participatory interactivity, the potential of information overload, peer-linkage processes, the special character of mobile technologies and social networking.

This course introduces the fundamentals of AI, explores its application in educational settings, and examines the social, cultural, and ethical implications of AI systems. Through readings, reflections, guest lectures, and hands-on assignments, students design, critique, and build AI tools for learning. Topics include machine learning, neural networks, large language models, human-centered AI, and creative AI. The course culminates in a team-based final project where students design a learning-focused AI system.

This course is an introduction to entrepreneurship in education where students learn how to critically evaluate ideas, companies, and markets related to educational technology, especially in relation to some of the key problems and challenges of educating all people to their fullest potential. Students hear from guest experts, explore in-depth case studies, and do field work with companies in the NYU Edtech Accelerator. Students may also participate in a concurrent optional internship (permission of instructor required).

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

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.

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 reading 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.

The course combines theory and practice for researching, designing, and prototyping tangible educational technology. Students will gain experience applying theoretical frameworks for learning and design as they develop an educational experience with a client. Learners will analyze a learning context, conduct primary & secondary research, engage in ideation & prototyping, and iterate on their designs with stakeholders. Students will learn how to use microcontrollers to interface with sensors and actuators, in order to implement their designs and gain feedback.

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.

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 measure

This course provides an overview of the broader field of educational media and technology with a focus on identifying personal and professional goals in relation to various career pathways and trends in the field. Through guest speakers, site visits, reflective learning, and research activities students will gain an appreciation for the types of qualifications, skills and mindsets related to various career pathways.

Steinhardt/Tandon joint course combines theory and practice for researching, designing, and prototyping tangible educational technology. Students conduct a practice-based research project, including analyzing a learning context, identifying learning objectives, conducting primary research, and working collaboratively with a client in the field to develop and iterate on their designs. Techniques for rapid prototyping, overview of physical computing, and using microcontrollers to interface with sensors and actuators to implement their designs and gain feedback.

In this course, students will learn HTML, CSS, and Javascript while gaining hands-on experience with issues that are specific to coding and designing educational applications and web-based instructional materials. Students will learn the skills required to develop websites and design applications that work across devices. Furthermore, students will explore the affordances that the web and multimedia offers a learning designer, how to apply various perspectives on learning and how to build interactive prototypes and wireframes. No knowledge of programming is assumed.

This course explores how AI is transforming the collection, analysis, and use of educational data to understand and improve learning. As digital platforms and sensor-based systems generate increasingly rich data, educators and researchers use machine learning and large language models to uncover patterns, generate insights, and support decision-making at scale. The course introduces AI methods for data analysis through three lenses: conceptual foundations for interpreting evidence, hands-on experience with AI-augmented analysis and visualization, and critical examination of ethical, institutional, and societal implications. Students work with real educational datasets to study data preparation, exploratory, predictive analysis, dashboards, and analytic sense-making, while addressing validity, bias, data rights, and responsible AI use. No prior technical background is required.

Students engage with concepts, theories, designs, and examples of learning experiences that may or may not be seen as “creative” by learners and stakeholders in China. Explores what creative learning might be in Chinese contexts through hands-on projects, qualitative data collection/analysis, and applications of theories of learning, design, and creativity to experiences and sites across the lifespan. Students create case studies which critique, problematize, and challenge traditional notions of creative learning and assembled into a shared online resource publication.

This course prepares students to conceptualize, design, and critically evaluate AI-enhanced applications that address real challenges and opportunities in learning contexts. The course centers on understanding learning processes from the perspective of diverse stakeholders and applying a learner-centered, human-AI design process to build supporting solutions. Students investigate how AI—particularly large language models and multimodal systems—can augment teachers, learners, and other educational actors by providing feedback, scaffolding, analytics, or new forms of interaction. Through iterative design, ethical reflection, and evidence-informed evaluation, students create and refine an AI-enhanced prototype that meaningfully supports learning or teaching practices.

It should be noted that independent study requires a minimum of 45 hours of work per unitt. Independent study cannot be applied to the established professional education sequence in teaching curricula. Each departmental program has established its own maximum credit allowance for independent study. This information may be obtained from a student?s department. Prior to registering for independent study, each student should obtain an Independent Study Approval Form from the adviser.

Designed for students interested in the evolving fields of online & technologically enhanced pedagogy in all academic & professional disciplines. Course focuses on post-secondary teaching & reviews the fundamental theories & best practices in online instruction including instructional design, assessment techniques, models of peer instruction, learning management systems, evaluating learning modalities, gamification, & interaction design

Video 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.

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.

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

Working with a real-world client and building on topics and skills covered in EDCT-GE 2015 User Experience Design, students will work collaboratively to imagine creative design solutions to emergent problems. Students will develop skills to understand, empathize & ‘frame’ client challenges & opportunities, develop and iterate on prototypes, and present solutions to problems and opportunities. Throughout the semester, students will engage with industry experts and explore a range of case studies.

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 responsive to challenging times. Students will present solutions to problems and opportunities, and iterate based on feedback.

In addition to developing the candidacy paper this course provides an overview of the profession. Students become familiar with the components of the candidacy paper & begin to research & develop information related to those components. Profession-related topics include vita construction, identifying & pursuing faculty positions in higher education, the major conferences & publications in the profession, the critical steps & major benchmarks in doctoral training & funding sources for doctoral research.

This seminar examines the challenge of artfully framing research questions and hypotheses and then matching them to appropriate qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In addition to common readings, students identify and individually research articles related to their research interests and critically assess the studies. The major task is to develop a research proposal that informs the direction of the student’s candidacy papers and serves as an initial draft of their dissertation.

Research in education, technology, and other applied areas of social science often involves studying the combination of the properties of designed interventions and human behavior. This research methods course takes up design-based research methodology and some of its variants including social design experiments and design-based implementation research. Students learn both the epistemology of design-based research methods and techniques for conducting research with these methods, as well as studying when and why the methods are appropriate or inappropriate for particular aims.