I’m a learning scientist and computer science (CS) education researcher.
- My current and past professional affiliations on LinkedIn.
- My research on ResearchGate.
- My research on Google Scholar.
- I edited and co-authored Computer Science in K-12: An A-Z Handbook on Teaching Programming released in June 2020.
- I worked at SRI International’s Center for Technology in Learning as a Senior Research Scientist (2014-2017).
- In addition to a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Technology Design (with a foundational focus in Developmental and Psychological Sciences) from Stanford University, I hold undergraduate degrees in Physics and Computer Science, an M.S. in Computer Science, and an Ed.M. (Technology, Innovation & Education) from Harvard University.
- My current research is primarily concerned with Computational Thinking and CS education in the PreK-12 years- helping children become computationally literate through studying curriculum, tools and environments that help in developing computational competencies; as well as social, cultural, and cognitive processes, and dispositions (such as task persistence) that nurture such development.
- My prior work and broader interests extend to online and computer-supported collaborative learning, learning analytics, online communities of/for learning, educational technology, teacher professional development, constructionist/constructivist informal learning spaces for children, mobile learning, curriculum design, and parental awareness and involvement in PreK-12 education.
- I am principal investigator/co-principal investigator on several grant-funded projects aimed at conducting research on CS learning and computational thinking (CT) in varied PreK-12 contexts including: designing innovative middle school CS curricula aimed at deeper conceptual learning; integrating CT in high school physics classrooms through computational modeling; investigating the integration of CT in preschool learners’ math and science experiences; and using computational learning analytics for examining CT practices in trace data from block-based programming environments. Other ongoing research involves using novel multimodal analytics techniques to examine collaborative problem solving in pair programming.
- I am engaged in several volunteer and outreach activities including contributing to white papers and reports, keynote addresses, academic reviewing, and serving on various committees and academic thinktanks. More here.