Designing the Future of Learning: Technology, Innovation, and Education

EDU BT576 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

*Only Offered for Online Ed.M. Students* Education systems are being reshaped by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, digital platforms, simulations, assistive technologies, and new forms of connected learning. These developments create possibilities for expanding access, improving feedback, supporting educators, and designing more responsive learning experiences. Yet, as research on education technology has consistently shown, these possibilities do not automatically translate into better educational experiences. This raises the fundamental question of what role, if any, technology should play in strengthening learning and how learning design and the learning sciences can inform that judgment.
For educators and education leaders, this creates a need for evidence-informed judgment about when technology can strengthen learning and how it should be designed to do so. This course prepares students to develop that capacity by exploring the design of technology-enabled learning experiences that are impactful, inclusive, and feasible. Rather than beginning with a technological tool, students will begin with a problem of practice drawn from their own professional context. They will examine the learners and educators involved, clarify the outcomes that matter, and determine how technology might contribute to an effective response.
Drawing on research, real-world case studies, and guest expert sessions, students will examine the affordances and limitations of emerging technologies. They will also consider what effective, responsible, and contextually relevant education technology requires in practice.
Throughout the course, students will apply a structured learning-design process to an individual project connected to their professional interests or experiences. Each week will focus on a different stage of that process, moving from inquiry and analysis to design, prototyping, testing, and refinement. Through preparatory work, case discussions, simulations, design activities, project updates, and peer consultation, students will progressively develop their ideas. The course welcomes professionals with varied levels of experience in technology and learning design, and no technical background is required. By the end of six weeks, students will have developed an evidence-informed proposal, tested an initial prototype, and identified the next steps required to advance their idea in practice.