Exploring the potential of technology

Educational Technology Research (ETR) assists faculty in scholarly research on teaching and learning strategies when enhanced with technology to improve student learning and engagement. Examples include the effective use of games, simulations, media, and various technologies used in the classroom, remotely, or online.

ETR provides research planning, design, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, implementation, management, data collection and analysis, and writing for journal publication.

On this page: Collaborating with ETR | The Collaboration Process | Research Project Highlights | Presentations and Workshops


Collaborating with Educational Technology Research

Collaborations with faculty aim to support the university’s effort to learn about the impact of technology on teaching and learning practices to make continued improvements for students at NYU. Specifically, we:

  • Collaborate with faculty and staff from various departments to identify research opportunities
  • Consult on research questions & design
  • Conduct literature reviews
  • Design research plans
  • Complete IRB
  • Implement research design plans
  • Collect and analyze data
  • Report results and plan ways to make continued changes and improvements
  • Write Papers for Journal Publications
  • Provide grant proposal writing
  • Facilitates workshops on iterative course design and research design for teaching and learning.

The Collaboration Process

  1. We will schedule an initial consultation to discuss your needs and gather information.
  2. We will determine the best approach to conduct scholarly research or iterative design
  3. If the project has the ingredients for a formal research project aimed for publication we will:
    • design the study and complete an IRB
    • implement and manage the study
    • collect the data
    • analyze the results
    • construct a logical research paper to submit for publication
  4. If the project has the ingredients for an iterative design we will:
    • design the study
    • run the study
    • collect the data
    • analyze the results
    • construct a report for internal review/reflection

Sample Projects, Presentations, and Workshops

Research is not only read but presented to the community. Below is a list of various presentations, conferences, and workshops related to educational design and research.

Research Project Highlights

Presentations and Workshops

October 2023

Office of Academic Assessment Dialogue Series
Designing pedagogical interventions with an assessment strategy in mind.

Presentation Summary from Dr. Elizabeth McAlpin, Director of Educational Technology Research:
You identified an educational gap in your course or program that needs to be addressed so that you can better support your students. In order to address the gap, you consider various pedagogical interventions either based on the literature or your experience. When considering these interventions you also consider how you will assess and evaluate your students so that you can determine if the intervention worked, needs adjustment, or a whole new strategy.

Designing pedagogical interventions to address an educational gap needs an assessment strategy. They are like two sides of the same coin. This presentation will present case studies that demonstrate pedagogical interventions paired with valid and reliable assessment strategies. We will also cover principles for designing interventions with assessments in mind.

September 2023

NYU Teach Talks Presentation
An Epic Engagement: The Evolution of A SoTL partnership

Dr. Marci Levine (Dentistry) and Elizabeth McAlpin (Director of Educational Technology Research, NYU IT) present on their extensive collaboration in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Additional Information

Or watch the event below:

STREAM MEDIA
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Previous Presentations and Workshops

Jun 2022 – Faculty Resource Network, Workshop Facilitator: Designing Student Assessments Using Technology & Media

Aug 2021 European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) Presentation: Investigating the Effectiveness of Role-Play Patient Simulations in Dental Education
Related Research Paper

Jun 2020 – iLRN 6th International Conference of Immersive Learning Presentation: Pilot Study – A 360 Virtual Reality Simulation to Prepare Social Work Students to Interact with Community Environments
Related Research Paper

Nov 2019 – Symposium on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Banff, Canada
Presentation: A Tale of Three Studies: An Iterative Design and Research Approach to Teaching and Learning
Related Research Paper 1Related Research Paper 2

Mar 2019 – NYU Student Success Forum, NYU
Presentation: Iterative Design & Research: Calculus I

Nov 2018 – NYU Tech Summit 2018, NYU
Presentation: Technology Enhanced Education – Research and Outcomes Assessment

Oct 2018 – NYU Scribble Youth Event, NYU Tandon
Workshop Co-Facilitator: Basic 2D Character Assembly for Animations for NYC Kids

Jun 2018 – Faculty Resource Network Workshop, NYU

Workshop Co-Facilitator: Designing Student Assessments Using Technology and Media

Nov 2017 – NYU Tech-Enhanced Education Event
Topic: From Islands to Archipelago: Discovering Connections Across Faculty Experiences with Educational Technology
Panelist: “Demystifying Learning Analytics”

Oct 2017 – University of Virginia Teaching with Technology Summit
Keynote Address: Technology Enhanced Education: Pearls & Perils
Related Research Paper

Sep 2017 – Center for the Advancement of Teaching, NYU
Workshop Co-Facilitator: Employing Action-Based Analytics to Your Course

Apr 2017 – Educause (ELI Online Focus Session)
New Directions in Instructional Design: Keeping Pace in a Time of Rapid Change
Presenter: Beyond Instructional Design: Where is Our Practice Today and Where is it Going?

Jun 2016 – Faculty Resource Network Workshop, NYU
Workshop Facilitator: Ditch the Lecture, Add Active Learning

Oct 2015 – E-Learn
Presenter: Ditch the Lecture, Add Active Learning
Related Research Paper