Sullivan, Sarah

As a faculty associate in the Department of Surgery, my Ed Psych degree, with a focus in Learning Sciences, allows me to apply theories of learning to understand how people become competent doctors and how we can support this process to facilitate quality patient care. The training that I received in assessment as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods has been invaluable in allowing me to investigate and make meaningful contributions in the field of medical education.

Michaelis, Joseph

Joe’s research involves studying interest development and its impact on learning in STEM education, focusing on the role of learning environments, feedback, cognitive development and influence of social constructs and identities. This work examines designing scaffolded instruction from teachers, other students, and educational technologies to best meet the needs of students at different phases of interest development. This work is conducted in classrooms, homes, out-of-school STEM education settings, and in lab based intelligent tutoring systems using data collected via observation, interview, survey and eye-tracking.

Irgens, Golnaz Arastoopour

My time in the UW-Madison Learning Sciences program helped me realize my interests in designing innovative curricula and to develop the skills I need to be a successful academic. Because of the immersive cognitive apprenticeship style of the program, I worked closely with my advisor and colleagues. I learned not only writing and analysis skills but also the ways of thinking, being, and communicating that characterize academia. This training prepared me for a smooth transition to a research postdoc at Northwestern, and I am certain I will continue to draw on my experiences from the UW-Madison Learning Sciences program in my future positions.