People
EmIT Director
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Robb Lindgren is Director of the EmIT Group and a Professor of Educational Psychology and Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Illinois. His research examines theories and designs for learning within emerging media platforms (e.g., simulations, virtual environments, mobile devices, video games, augmented and virtual reality, etc.). He seeks to understand how digital technologies can be used to construct new identities and generate new perspectives that lead to stronger comprehension of complex ideas, particularly in STEM content areas. His work investigates how physical, body-based interactions with learning content can facilitate new understandings, and how games and simulations can be effectively designed to take these types of interactions as input. He is also interested in how digital technologies can provide new approaches to assessing learning, such as examining where learners focus their attention, what choices they make, and how well they adapt to new situations.
Additional information about Dr. Lindgren is available on his profile page for the College of Education at the University of Illinois.
Graduate Students
Carter Boyce
Carter is a 3D Technical Artist for the Imaging Technology Group out of Beckman Institute. He is interested in researching the ways in which visualizations and interactive systems can help people build a stronger visual intuition, and help them better understand how systems work in many different areas of life.
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Dejan Trencevski
Dejan is interested in designing augmented reality (AR) tabletop games for mobile learning environments. He is researching the 3D spatial affordances of AR technology to facilitate mathematics and geometry learning.
Logan Lauren
Logan is a PhD student with an interest in visual communication and learning interactives in science education. They graduated with a M.S. in Biology from UIUC in 2013 and have certificates in Graphic Design and Technical Writing. Previously, Logan has designed and developed educational content for clients such as the National Geographic Society and Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington.
Website: loganlauren.com
Sourabh Garg
Sourabh is a PhD student researching how mathematics is communicated in digital environments to create engaging, effective learning experiences. With previous experience in the Ed-tech industry at Byjus(Byjus.com), he developed and supervised K-12 math content. His research interests include Learning technologies for Math Education, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and Visual Communication.
Shafagh Hadinezhad
Shafagh is a PhD student with a focus on educational technology. She has a background in industrial design and an interest in design for social justice and equity in education internationally. She is dedicated to designing diverse and inclusive learning environments through multisensory techniques considering individual differences of the learners and their access to technology.
Website: shafaghdesign.com
Kevin Hall
Kevin is a PhD student with a focus on educational technology and equity in STEM education. He is currently a research assistant with the EMPOWER Enacting Materials to Promote Ownership, Engagement, and Relevance research project, where he works collaboratively with science teachers in adapting their curriculum. Kevin also has a focus on the design and utilization of technologies such as machine learning for usage in qualitative research methodologies.
Casey Smith
Casey is a PhD student who is interested in exploring technologies for supporting collaborations in post-secondary and community makerspaces. He is currently leading the REACH project.
Alumni
Brian Guerrero
Brian Guerrero is a 2023 alumni who followed his passion in video games to explore the role they play in education. Within games, Brian explored motivation, interest, trends in communication, and team mental models to learn how games played a role in learning. By investigating commercial games, he hopes to inspire future gamers and researchers to think critically about the power of their favorite games.
James Planey
James defended his thesis spring of 2023 exploring how students leverage an immersive VR drawing platform he designed to explain the mechanisms behind the lunar phases. Broadly James is interested in the integration of immersive science learning experiences into formal classroom environments. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher with the Molecule Maker Lab Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he is helping shape the NSF-funded institute’s vision for AI supported chemistry research into meaningful learning experiences and digital tools across K-12 and undergraduate settings.
Taehyun Kim
Taehyun Kim is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the AICE lab. Before joining AICE, he earned his PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on theories and designs for learning within emerging media platforms and explores how AI can be utilized in various educational environments, particularly within STEM domains. His work investigates how physical, body-based interactions with immersive learning media can facilitate a deeper understanding of educational content, and how these media can be effectively designed to incorporate such interactions. He is also interested in how AI can be applied to support students' learning, with a particular focus on addressing bias and ensuring accessibility for low-income students in immersive learning environments.