LDT Master's Projects

CivicXChange is an innovative platform designed to boost undergraduate students' curiosity, bolster their confidence, and elevate their proficiency in constructive dialogue across social identity differences. While engaging with diverse AI avatars on divisive social issues, students exchange first-person narratives, get immediate coaching, and undergo personalized reflection. This process enables...

Interactive simulations are powerful tools to help users learn how different phenomena work by encouraging hypothesis generation and testing. However, there is a steep barrier to learning how to build these simulations from scratch: educators already have the pedagogical knowledge to create educational materials, but a lack of technical expertise makes it difficult to put any design theory into...

As computer science increasingly becomes part of school curricula across the country, many students are introduced to programming with visual drag-and-drop learning tools. However, middle school students often struggle as they make the difficult transition to the typed programming languages needed to build more advanced projects. CodingCUSP bridges this gap by scaffolding learners’ initial...

Struggling with task management, especially as a student with ADHD? Meet FlexAble.ai, your AI-powered ally. We help break down overwhelming assignments into manageable steps, prioritizing tasks effectively for you. Our advanced AI understands your assignments and creates a clear roadmap for completion, while our task-completion celebration feature boosts motivation through positive reinforcement...

FluentIT is a language mastery platform designed exclusively for tech professionals from developing countries. Seamlessly merging language learning with practical, real-world application, FluentIT propels users toward English fluency crucial for excelling in tech interviews. Through interactive exercises and authentic simulations, learners from post-Soviet regions transition from memory-based...

English learners in Hong Kong face a unique set of challenges when it comes to developing their speaking skills. Large classes, limited access to native English speakers, and an exam-oriented curriculum all limit the amount of feedback students receive on their speaking abilities. Impromptu is a mobile application that seeks to bridge this gap, utilizing speech recognition and generative AI to...

INTERSECT is a game-based learning solution that is designed to help career seekers gain proficiency across a wide range of digital tools. Our goal is to provide learners with a unique and immersive experience, utilizing artificial intelligence and simulated colleagues to provide a realistic work environment.

Guided by our AI tutor Luna, our users are introduced to the UI/UX features of common...

KATE (Knowledgeable AI for Tutoring English) is a cutting-edge, scenario-based conversation AI platform designed to simulate real-life interactions. Built on advanced machine learning algorithms, KATE enables users to practice and improve their conversation skills across a multitude of scenarios, from social situations to professional settings. This constant interaction allows KATE to refine its...

Ignite your child's passion for learning with O Dinos, an interactive storybook series. O Dinos uses family-friendly dinosaurs in reimagining popular movie storylines to engage both parents and children aged 3-5. The stories not only foster cognitive and social development but also strengthen the parent-child bond. The app adds an extra learning layer by offering prompts and tips to parents to...

It’s time to reimagine schooling with our neurodiverse students at the center. OneMile helps educators build their knowledge and empathy for neurodiverse students’ experience at school through interviews and shadow experiences, positioning them as teacher-researchers. It also provides the resources and frameworks to engage in these activities within a Professional Learning Community (PLC) of other...

Young people are often asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" but rarely "What type of world do you want to live in?" Our Futures Forum empowers high school students to become architects of the future by creating films about climate-resilient visions of their neighborhoods for the year 2075. The curriculum guides students to investigate local climate issues, explore a range of solutions...

“If you know one child with autism, you know one child with autism,” wrote Robert Rozema. Parents of children with autism often feel isolated due to the unique nature of each and every child and lack personalized support and community. SparkED is a community building and training platform for parents and caregivers who are striving to support their children’s communication, social, and self...

Science education in elementary classrooms is often allotted a limited time of instruction, making it a challenging subject to teach. To address this, StoryLab Science was designed as a NGSS aligned supplementary educational tool that promotes scientific literacy and confidence in learners. StoryLab Science uses question-driven narratives and multiple representations of science to deepen their...

Children start the development of language abilities, encompassing reading and verbal communication skills, from a very young age. Their early language exposure, primarily acquired through parents' accompanied reading and daily conversation, plays a crucial role in shaping their subsequent academic performance in school. Unfortunately, a considerable number of parents lack knowledge and skills...

StudyBuddy is an engaging, interactive learning experience where users deepen and reinforce their knowledge by teaching an AI chatbot. The tool is designed for middle and high school learners who need help focusing their study time and identifying which topics to prioritize. By putting learners in the position of a teacher, StudyBuddy lets students teach what they have learned, and asks follow-up...

Thubly improves the way teachers incorporate Edtech tools into their classrooms. With adaptable templates, expert examples, and a collaborative online community, Thubly empowers teachers to confidently integrate Edtech tools into their classes. Through Thubly, novice teachers gain access to practical resources that enhance their teaching practices, while experienced educators share their expertise...

Widespread social isolation during the pandemic exacerbated existing trends of children’s declining mental health. Research shows that preventative social-emotional education leads to positive outcomes by equipping children with skills such as self-awareness and responsible decision-making. Unfortunately, schools are challenged by integrating SEL into existing subjects and routines without...

In a society where remote work and distance learning are becoming increasingly important, students need technical skills and social skills to succeed. One of the new technologies that is being considered for remote communication and collaboration is Immersive Virtual Reality. However, when online schools try to bring new immersive tech to supplement their instruction with 3D exploration, they...

In developing countries, children with blindness and visual impairments (BVI) often have limited access to education. One of the commonly identified difficulties that children with BVI experience is learning foreign languages because adequate language learning materials are rare and inaccessible. BeeVoice is a web-based platform for blind and visually impaired Russian-speaking children to learn...

Young children learn best when they have opportunities to have meaningful conversations with a social partner. Curious conversations enable children to explore their science interests by having discussions with a virtual buddy named Trazo. Our platform leverages smart speakers in households to engage learners in science-related content. Trazo will read a science story in a physical book along with...

Supporting students with learning differences in school requires a team effort. At EdConnect we aim to enhance synergy and transparency for each child’s support team. EdConnect brings teachers, learning specialists, parents, and administrators together digitally. Our innovative approach helps teachers and families to develop knowledge of effective interventions and share progress.

Fifty-five percent of educators are currently thinking about quitting or retiring early from their teaching career, mostly because of burnout symptoms. Teachers’ well-being is fundamental for their longevity and students' success. Florens is a web-based guided learning experience focused on educators thriving. With Florens, teachers can find a safe community of fellow educators, explore research...

Istheam leverages the power of social media to engage students in science learning outside the classroom. Using humor, special collections, and the intriguing opportunities for remixing provided by TikTok, we produce short, fun videos to spark interest. Kids find them, share them, and learn about a range of topics.

Students learn lots of math concepts at school, yet many are unable to apply this knowledge to their interests outside of the classroom. Maker Maths highlights the math that exists in different making projects and provides students with an opportunity to enhance their math understanding in an applied and personalized way. The first kit, Maker Maths Pinball, guides students to use their geometry...

Mindful Circles is a mobile application designed to improve mental health outcomes of BIPOC youth practicing mindfulness. When joining Mindful Circles, learners are paired with a practice buddy and an experienced mentor. Together, the triad participates in daily reflection prompts to promote a sense of belonging, cultural pride, and confidence in integrating mindfulness practices into their...

Empathy and self-awareness are vital skills for community-engaged service work. However, students in service projects often only develop these skills through experience in the field. This can put communities in harm’s way due to student inexperience. Muddy Waters prepares students to engage with communities effectively and ethically through an immersive, interactive ‘choose-your-own-adventure’...

Re-Ignite is a question-driven game that supports teachers in building belonging and agency. Through three rounds of play, educators reflect, connect and envision together. Centered on personal values and aimed at addressing teacher attrition, Re-Ignite empowers educators to start conversations and build community. Re-Ignite is adaptable, and teachers have used this game in meetings, at brunches...

Often, employees are promoted to a management position because they are good at their jobs, not because they have the necessary leadership skills. But time-intensive traditional training tends to cover too much and accomplish too little. Instead, Sage breaks down these skills into small actionable behaviors—sending one behavior and one reflection, once a week. As leaders perform and reflect on...

It takes countless hours at home for teachers to provide meaningful feedback on student work. By the time they return it, students no longer care. Teachers are demoralized and students miss out on learning. To solve this problem, Short Answer enables personalized, immediate peer-to-peer feedback. Students construct written responses and provide feedback on peer answers, taking on a more active...

Word Explorer is a web-based game that supports teachers in using morphology (the study of the structure of words) to help students in grades 3-6 understand the complex vocabulary needed to succeed in middle school and beyond. By constructing words from bases, prefixes, and suffixes and then connecting them to meaning, students improve their ability to decipher multisyllabic words, recognize them...

When children are emotionally aware, they can more effectively navigate relationships and solve problems. However, it can be difficult for children to recognize and to learn about emotions without support. Guided Corner is a digital application that empowers 3rd to 5th-grade learners through mindfulness practice and self-reflection. Designed to provide autonomy and privacy, Guided Corner provides...

Teens today are lonelier and more stressed than ever. Studies suggest that mindfulness meditation can improve mental health and wellbeing. While it is becoming more commonplace for teens to learn the basics of mindfulness meditation at retreats, few options exist for them to engage with these ideas and deepen their practice between retreats. Mindful Circles is an online platform for teens to...

Preschoolers’ math skills are powerful predictors of future academic success. Home is the key learning environment, but barriers such as time and parental math anxiety can limit positive math interactions within families. Together Math maximizes social meaningfulness by placing a child’s own parent within a preschool math game. The voice of a parent replaces the standard in-app audio, improving...

School texts contain over 85,000 distinct words.  Luckily,  students who understand how words are built can study one word and learn many for free. Word Explorer is a web-based game that teaches students to use the internal structure of words to understand advanced vocabulary. Learning to construct words from bases, prefixes, and suffixes and to connect them to meaning improves students’ ability...

Workshop facilitators often struggle with identifying the appropriate learning goals, creating engaging activities, and sequencing those activities. WorkshopDeck supports facilitators in addressing these challenges by making effective curriculum design, learning sciences, and facilitation techniques easy. WorkshopDeck is a Google Slides Add-on that integrates seamlessly into the facilitator’s...

Reading academic papers is an essential part of postsecondary learning, yet most students have never been trained to read them effectively. With Bibliophilia, students will learn scientifically warranted reading strategies to extract key information from papers effectively. The guidance is seamlessly integrated into the students’ reading experience in a web browser. By providing a series of tips...

Chimera is a strategy-based video game designed to provide players a compelling fantasy game world that responds and adapts to their decisions. This sandbox for learning allows players to build collaboration, empathy, and leadership skills in a scaffolded environment that always meets them at their level. The game is targeted towards high school and college students, and is both mechanically and...

Class.Board helps teachers with a suite of easy-to-use online tools for the tedious tasks of creating and managing groups, keeping students on track, and transitioning between activities. Along the way, just-in-time tips teach teachers to orchestrate powerful collaborative learning in the classroom.

Online learning is a critical means for learning today. However, learners often need to make sense of what they learned and navigate their learning journey alone. Crowd Note is a platform that enables learners to collaboratively take notes, raise questions, and process what they learn in an online instructional video. It helps learners better construct their knowledge and feel more socially...

Debriefing past performance is a highly effective learning strategy in which learners analyze their actions and identify opportunities to improve. Debriefly aims to make this structured process, traditionally applied in pilot and physician training, accessible in new learning contexts such as college admission exams. Within the web site, learners analyze their solution process, identify root...

Design Data is a web-based learning experience which aims to democratize the learning of foundational data science concepts. Designed for adult learners without programming skills, it focuses on empowering learners to make sense of data through a personalized and contextualized learning experience. The online environment enables learners to reflect on how data is relevant to questions or...

When children express themselves freely through making, they nurture critical character traits such as confidence and creative thinking. However, in a time when families are staying at home, parents often struggle to find high-quality hands-on learning experiences for their children. Dowit provides a series of online workshops that encourage young children to tinker, design, and build with...

EQODE is a curriculum framework for equitable technology education, in a way that highlights the human values present in technology. Co-created with an educator and students, its purpose is to support teachers working with low-income, marginalized high school students who are now learning remotely. EQODE's project-based lessons lead students to express their own identities and values by designing...

Learning skills like positive value affirmations, empathy, and goal-setting are critical to a young Native American student’s academic performance and outlook on school. Yet schools lack the time and resources to properly teach these social-emotional skills. The Lakota Life Skills website features over forty lessons specifically created for Native American families. Lessons are quick, culturally...

Launch is an app designed to improve the academic performance of secondary school students. It delivers just-in-time, custom activities that increase a student’s sense of belonging and decrease negative feelings related to academic achievement. The power and ease of a smartphone means students can complete these tasks when it's best for them and can launch themselves towards academic success.

Depression reduces quality of life through damaging thought patterns and false beliefs that make it especially important to be connected to supportive friends and family. Mindality is an app that helps individuals with moderate to severe depression explore and explain what it is they are going through using text, audio, and visual. They will better understand their own needs and communicate them...

The medical residency is a unique time in the life of a doctor-in-training. A resident’s role oscillates between “employee” and “learner” as they are tasked to care for real patients while they learn in situ. Round Up! maximizes residents’ potential for learning during this crucial chapter of their medical education. Using Round Up!, residents reflect on their clinical experiences, define learning...

Every day, TV and movies keep kids occupied while their parents complete work, chores, or just take time to rest. While many parents feel guilty about kids' screen time, research suggests there is great potential for social and emotional learning when their parents discuss shows with their kids. Stream gives parents the tools they need to have meaningful conversations with their children about TV...

It's critical that we help the environment, but often we don’t know how. Sustainable Stories presents interactive narratives from people all over the world who are already taking action. The website's interactive map and visuals give learners agency and insights into how to make a difference. Learners find hope and inspiration for how they too can contribute to a sustainable world.

Young adults are taking longer to figure out their lives than ever before. While it’s good to have more time to explore more options, too much ambiguity can lead to decreased motivation, increased anxiety, and depression. The Interesting Project offers young adults a mobile framework for designing personally meaningful experiences. Learners think of something they’ve always wanted to do, and spend...

We envision a world where no child grows up to be either a victim or a perpetrator of sexual assault or violence. Tilli is a game-based learning tool for young learners that helps parents and teachers curate meaningful conversations about trust, boundaries, bodies, and consent. The game helps kids practice empathy and critical thinking within real-world contexts, giving them a strong sense of...

Tingets is an interactive storytelling app that leverages the power of tangible play to take kids through activities that strengthen their social-emotional communication and expression skills. With Tingets, your kids will be able to explore the physical world of crafts by designing different characters with unique facial expressions and utilize artificial intelligence to make their creations come...