Open Learning Talks: Augmented Reality and Collaboration in Learning
MIT principal investigator and lecturer Dr. John Liu (‘18) will discuss his work creating an online tool to empower learning through scalable, effective, open-ended assessments and asynchronous collaboration and his work in using augmented reality as a teaching tool for instructional activities in manufacturing. The impact of this research has the potential to dynamically shift online and blended education from both the educator and learner perspectives.
Dr. Liu leads the MIT Learning Engineering and Practice (LEAP) Group, which applies design and systems principles to solving challenges in learning and develops learning experiences to better meet the increasing demand for STEM skills in tomorrow’s workforce. He is a lecturer in MIT's Mechanical Engineering department and MITx Digital Learning Lab Scientist.
Host Jeff Dieffenbach (‘89), associate director of the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative (MITili) will moderate a conversation with Dr. Liu. An audience Q&A will follow.
This event is free and open to the public. Watch the replay on our YouTube channel.
Twitter: #OLTalks
Open Learning Talks bring together leaders in learning to discuss new research-based ideas, technologies, and efforts in education, at MIT and around the world. See more talks in this series.
About Dr. John Liu
Dr. John Liu is the Principal Investigator of the MIT Learning Engineering and Practice (LEAP) Group, which applies design and systems principles to solving challenges in learning and develops learning experiences to better meet the increasing demand for STEM skills in tomorrow’s workforce.
He is a Lecturer in MIT's Mechanical Engineering department and MITx Digital Learning Lab Scientist. As the former Director of the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters program, he facilitated a team of faculty and instructors to develop content and innovate manufacturing education at MIT using digital technology.
Dr. Liu's work includes engineering education, mixed reality and haptic experiences, workforce solutions to address the nation-wide manufacturing skills gap, open-ended assessments for scalable education settings, and instructional design theory for massively open online courses. Dr. Liu earned his B.S. in Applied Physics from Caltech and S.M. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, under an MIT-SUTD fellowship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
About Jeff Dieffenbach
Jeff Dieffenbach is passionate about learning, from early childhood to pK-12 to higher education to workforce development. He serves as the staff director of the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative, which funds, connects, and shares research on effective human learning across these demographics. This research explores how differences in learners, instruction, and policy lead to improved learning outcomes.
Previously, Jeff served in senior product management, marketing, and business development roles across a range of education companies. He served for ten years as an elected school board member in a suburban town west of Boston. Jeff earned master's degrees in Technology and Policy and in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.