LT instructors Angel Pazurek and Ann Fandrey along with doctoral students Yu-Hui Chang, Jennifer Englund, and Jayden Zhang recently attended the International Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) in Kansas City, Missouri. AECT is a professional organization that aims to connect educators and researchers in educational technology and instructional design from around the world to explore practical applications, scholarship, and provide professional development workshops on new approaches for integrating technology in a variety of teaching and learning contexts. “Learning for All” was the theme of this year’s conference, highlighting the value of learning from peers and experts in the field with a special focus on inclusion and serving underrepresented groups.

Angel Pazurek presented her research in a presentation titled, “Dialogic Design in College Courses to Honor and Amplify Learner Agency.” This ongoing study investigates how instructional design and facilitation strategies grounded in dialogue and shared decision-making impact the learning experiences of undergraduate students in completely online college courses. Pazurek also participated in a presidential panel on ways innovative technology labs are engaging learners. In collaboration with Aaron Doering, she presented “Designing and Building for Powerful Learner Engagement: A View From the Learning Technologies Media Lab.” She showcased some of the many ways that teams of researchers at LTML are inspiring learners to engage with real-world issues and serve as agents of change, both within their local communities and beyond, through projects like The Changing Earth, SciGirls Code, WeExplore, and in urban learning spaces (e.g., schools, libraries, and community-based organizations) that help young people become engaged learners through digital technologies.

Yu-Hui Chang presented two research studies that were led by Fan Ouyang, an alumnus of the LT doctoral program and Assistant Professor at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. The first presentation was titled, “Relationships Between Students’ Social Participatory Role and Cognitive Engagement Level within Asynchronous Online Discussions” and was co-authored by Ouyang and Chang. The second presentation was co-authored by Ouyang, Chang, Cassie Scharber, and Tianhui Huang and titled, “A Shared Responsibility Between the Instructor and Students Within an Online Community of Inquiry.”

Jennifer Englund facilitated a session sponsored by the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) and presented by Indiana University graduate student Mike Karlin that provided fellow graduate students and GSA members with an overview of the sights, dining options, and cultural attractions in the Kansas City area during the conference. Englund is also the editor of the Graduate Member Musings column in the AECT-sponsored journal, TechTrends. At this year’s conference she connected with other graduate students to increase awareness of publication opportunities available to them in various AECT journals.