What do I do with an LS degree?
The LS@UIC PhD program takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of learning, teaching and the design of learning environments with the goal of improving learning conditions for those who have been and are disadvantaged by systemic inequities in educational institutions. We focus on understanding learning as it happens in a range of settings, including schools, museums, community-based organizations and families. Our unique approach couples learning sciences research with discipline-based educational research to prepare our graduates to work at the intersection of multiple fields and to consider the practical applications of research for improving learning in authentic and diverse contexts.
LS@UIC is advancing research in the field by exploring issues of data visualizations, teacher learning, large-scale organizational change, human-computer interaction, language learning, and diversity and equitable participation in STEM learning. Faculty in LS@UIC conduct research and design activities that are deeply rooted in authentic practices, leverage theories and methods from multiple research traditions, and address issues and challenges that learners face in diverse contexts. Our faculty are also leaders in building and sustaining long-term partnerships in universities, schools, school districts, as well as museums and community organizations.
The program prepares graduates to work on a wide-range of practice problems and design challenges in a variety of environments, from academic institutions, museums, and K-12 settings to educational technology organizations and other workplaces interesting in advancing learning. Our graduates can be found in many different professions that include tenure-track faculty at research universities, researchers at curriculum publishing companies, leaders in K-12 settings, technology designers at software development studios, and experts at evaluation and assessment organizations.
Meet the Faculty
Explore the Program
In learning sciences we look deeply into the mechanism of what and how certain teaching and learning methods work within a complex learning environment based on theories in various disciplines, as opposed to treating a learning system as a simple input-output system and testing a isolated variable. We study learning across all settings and age levels, not just within school. I like that aspect of learning sciences because learning occurs everywhere and across individual’s entire life span.
| Chemistry, and Learning Sciences