Who Are We?
We are an international group focused on teaching, learning, and research with emerging technologies such as VR, AR, MR, and VR/AR w/ AI. Our purpose is to encourage, promote, and support research on emerging technologies for the design and development of teaching and learning. The general focus of this group is learning about and using V.R., AR, MR, and VR/AR w/ AI. technologies to enhance instruction and learning.
Dr. Lowell’s scholarship focuses on developing and integrating instructional methods and technologies (web apps, virtual, augmented, mixed reality, etc.) for collaborative, situated, experiential, and authentic learning experiences.
Stuart (Stu) White is a Biology Lecturer and PhD student in Learning Design Technology. His research interests are in how technology is used by teachers to leverage best practice learning experiences. He is especially interested in immersive learning experiences within STEM contexts, instructional design strategies using immersive technology, and applications of integrated STEM within life science education.
Denis is a PhD Student in Learning Design and Technolgy and a graduate advisor in the study abroad office. He is interested in seeing how VR can be integrated to help better prepare students for their study abroad experiences. He is also interested in using VR for language and cultural development.
Anthony is a PhD student in the Learning Design and Technology program at Purdue. His current research delves into the utilization of emerging technologies to offer immersive and authentic learning experiences, particularly within STEM-related courses. Additionally, he has a keen interest in learning analytics, game-based learning, environmental sustainability education, and exploring how systems thinking approaches can be employed to foster educational reform and change.
Kevin has taught middle school science in the Michigan City Area Schools district located in Northwest Indiana for 10 years. He graduated in May of 2023 from Purdue University with MSEd in Curriculum & Instruction with an EdTech focus. Currently, he is researching how Augmented Reality (AR) may impact STEM classrooms both in middle school and higher educational settings.
Weijian (Michelle) Yan is Ph.D student in Learning Design and Technology program and a testing assistant at Oral English Proficiency Program (OEPP) at Purdue. She is interested in integrating emerging technologies, especially VR into Second Language Acquisition (SLA), language testing and cross-cultural communications. She is also investigating how to adopt system thinking perspective to design immersive learning experience.
Liu is a PhD student in the Learning Design and Technology program at Purdue. Currently, her research focuses on the use of Virtual Reality technology for assisting English language learning and improving intercultural competence. Moreover, she is interested in using visualization techniques to enhance social interaction, model knowledge construction and understand learners’ sentiments within online learning environments.
Ola is a master’s student in the Learning Design and Technology program at Purdue. Her current research interests primarily revolve around the field of language teaching and learning, with a particular focus on blended and online learning. Moreover, she is enthusiastic about exploring innovative pedagogical approaches, such as Game-based Learning (GBL) and Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to create immersive and engaging language learning experiences that foster active participation and knowledge retention, and cater to different learning styles and preferences. She aims to contribute to the advancement of effective and inclusive language education practices in the digital age. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Ola worked as an English/Arabic translator in multiple organizations in Egypt until 2021.