I am a senior lecturer in Chinese at Brandeis University and part-time Ph.D. student at WPI in Learning Sciences & Technology. My research interests include second language acquisition, language learning science, as well as technology-assisted language learning. Some of my past research includes the complexity of Chinese word acquisition, the efficiency of handwriting or typing Chinese, and the effects of feedback timing. I hope my research can benefit both second language learners and educators and make language learning more efficient. Here is the link to my Dissertation.

I am a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). As a researcher, I am interested in exploring the various aspects of HCI, learning science, and statistics. My current research revolves around several teacher-facing components of Computer Aided Learning Platforms, such as classroom orchestration tools and teaching augmentation modalities. I explore the overall effectiveness of these classroom interventions and their effects on teacher behavior and their students' performance in real-time. As an engineer, I am interested in designing systems that facilitate teachers' classroom performance at scale. Here is my website and my Dissertation. 

Renah earned her Ph.D. in 2023 in Learning Sciences and Technologies at WPI. She is the Math & Computer Science Department Head, Worcester Public Schools and is interested in interventions that can improve student learning in math.

Renah Defended her Dissertation in April, 2023!

Hannah Smith is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Learning Sciences & Technologies program at WPI. She was a commonwealth honors student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where she received her B.A. in Mathematics and her B.A. in Psychology and was a four year member and two year captain of the softball team as well as NCAA woman of the year nominee. She was also an undergraduate math tutor and teaching assistant. She came to WPI in 2018 to combine her interests in psychology, mathematics, and education. Her research interests include using games as learning tools, teacher professional development, early childhood education, and improving math ed.

Hannah Defended her Dissertation in April, 2023!

I'm currently getting a PhD in Data Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. At WPI, I work in the ASSISTments lab, which develops new features for the ASSISTments online learning platform. In the lab, I organize various student projects and grants. These projects mostly revolve around collecting data from students and building machine learning models that either predict student behavior or provide students with personalized tutoring via reinforcement learning. 

Ethan Defended his Dissertation in April, 2023!

I am a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). I work with Professor Neil Heffernan in the ASSISTments Lab, which develops features and conducts research for the ASSISTments platform. My work specifically involves improving student learning on-demand through content generated by teachers. In addition, I research, collect, and disseminate Open Science and Reproducibility information such that researchers have a better understanding on how to implement these practices themselves.

Alena is a second-year PhD student in the Learning Sciences & Technologies program. She got her Psychology Diploma from Moscow State University, where she investigated how emotional burnout develops in teachers. After graduation, Alena studied how people interact with digital tools, working as a User Experience Researcher and Designer in several internet projects for over 7 years. She came to WPI to learn the ways new technologies and data could be used to improve education. Her current research interests include affect dynamics in learning and digital interventions targeting cognitive and metacognitive skills.

I am a second-year PhD student working in the CEDAR (Creativity, Education, Affect, and Reasoning) Lab and the MAPLE (Math, Abstraction, Play, Learning, and Embodiment) Lab. I am currently working with Dr. Jake Whitehill on the utilization of artificial intelligence, neural networks, and multimodal inputs (i.e. Eye-gaze, facial expression, auditory emotion) to provide teachers with insights into their teaching practices and interactions with students using an interactive dashboard. My goal is to promote equitable teaching practices and close the achievement gap found throughout the education system. My research interests include equity in education, teacher-student interaction, and improving accessibility to educational materials in developing countries. Website | Twitter 

Jennifer St. John is a part-time Ph.D. student in the Learning Sciences and Technology department. She earned her BA in Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross in 1995. She earned her MA in Urban Education from Clark University in 1998. She has been a teacher for 27 years and has taught Math, English, and Spanish. Jennifer is fascinated by how, when, and why learning occurs. She is interested in studying how students come to understand mathematics, how technology can enhance understanding, and how gestures can both impact and demonstrate understanding. 

Kirk Vanacore is a Ph.D. student in Learning Sciences and Technologies at WPI. He earned his Masters at Tuft University from the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study Human and Development. At Tufts, he worked as a graduate research assistant at the Center for Reading and Language Research studying and implementing effective pedagogy for dyslexic students. Currently, Kirk works as a Senior Analyst at Lexia Learning, where he uses data science to inform the development and improvement of educational technologies. Kirk's research interests include learning analytics, education data mining, causal inference in big data analysis, and effective pedagogies for neurodiverse populations. 

Tamisha is a PhD student in Learning Sciences and Technologies at WPI. She is a veteran math teacher and is currently the Math and Science Coach at Shaw Elementary School in Millbury MA. 

Avery is a now a post doc at Purdue University. She worked in the MAPLE (Math, Abstraction, Play, Learning, and Embodiment) Lab. She study the impact of perceptual features and embodied experiences on student performance and learning in algebra. For example, she's examined the impact of spatial proximity in math expressions (e.g., viewing "2*5 + 2" vs. "2 * 5+2”) on student performance in an online problem set. Feel free to read more here! She is also interested in exploring how to apply (and help others apply) methodological approaches from multiple fields to address research questions in the learning sciences. My goal is to provide recommendations to improve online learning platforms and to advance methodological practices in the learning sciences through collaborative research. | Website - averyhclosser.com | Twitter: @averyhclosser

Paul got his Master's degree in LST studying how first generation student experiences with rest and burnout with the CEDAR and MAPLE lab. His interests are in STEM teaching and learning, and he has recently taken a position as a high school biology teacher in Burncoat High School. 

Vy got her Master's in the MAPLE (Math, Abstraction, Play, Learning, and Embodiment) Lab. I study how perceptual cues impact cognitive processing and performance during problem-solving in math. As a passionate project on the side, I consider the effects of intersectionality of gender and race on Asian and Asian-American women’s experiences and sense of belonging in STEM. My overarching goal is to promote equity and reducing gender gaps in education and work environment. As I am graduating in 2022, I am looking for full-time positions as Research Analyst/Project Manager at research institutes. Website - https://sites.google.com/view/vyngo/home 

Luisa earned her Master's degree in 2022 and is now working at a non-profit!