Three innovative projects with great potential for long-lasting impact on learning sciences have been funded by mediaX at Stanford University. Leveraging multi-disciplinary perspectives and using data from individual human behavior, results are anticipated to inform critical aspects of the human learning experience: attention and engagement, thinking and choosing, and practice and physical skills.

In this research cycle, the Stanford community was challenged to inform ontological models that can provide a standardized system for representing human learning experiences. Such ontologies would enable diverse academic and industry researchers to align on ground truths, measurements, and data interpretation from a variety of activities and experiences. According to Dr. Martha G. Russell, Executive Director of mediaX at Stanford University, these new approaches “could enable a collective optimization of pedagogies, content, hardware/software systems, and feedback for both physical and virtual learning experiences.”

Selected in a competitive award process, the three studies are approaching human learning from varied perspectives. All projects were received in response to the request for proposals on the Research Theme, “Ontologies for Human Learning” and are undertaking concept-proving research that can inform ontological models of human learning experiences.

The three teams come from the Departments of Pediatric Medicine, Communication, and Psychology; The Graduate School of Education and the Department of Surgery and Medical Education. Special thanks to mediaX members, Guangzhou Qitian Educational Technologies Co., Ltd. and others, for inspiring this theme.