Research Areas at CTL
CTL's projects integrate research and practice, with the aim of improving the educational experiences of teachers and students. We see technology as a tool for improved teaching and learning, for formative assessment of student learning, for enhancing the curriculum, and for supporting sustainable advances in instructional strategies and teacher professional development. Toward this aim, CTL will engage in professional partnerships with research and education organizations whose focus is on education reform and implementation.
Our mature areas of expertise include:
- Evaluation of the interaction between technology and education reform efforts
- Design and support for distributed learning communities
- Strategic uses of handheld computing devices in education
- Technology supports for teaching and learning in mathematics and science
- Uses of technology in assessing science and mathematics learning
- Strategic Learning Consulting in learning sciences strategies for educational technology firms
- Community college research (learn more)
Our evolving areas of research interest include:
- Productive roles for technologies in teacher learning and professional support processes
- Use of social network analysis in formative educational evaluations
- Uses of data analysis and accessible databases within the social studies curriculum
- Technology supports for community centers and families
- Design issues in learning environments
We foresee establishing a small number of professional partnerships that will:
- Support product co-development, strategy identification, and/or research by combining CTL's expertise with that of organizations focusing on creating education products or services
- Allow CTL and its partners to maintain their specific areas of strength and control the size of their staff
- Address larger problems that could not be addressed by any partnering organization alone
- Provide stable, long-term arrangements of mutual benefit
- Engage in the human capacity building needed for the integration of research and practice in all involved organizations
About CTL
Much of our work is conducted in educational settings such as classrooms, after-school programs, and teacher education programs. In our development, research, and evaluation work, we:
- prototype new interactive learning environments and tools, explore best practices, and seek to understand the mechanisms that lead to better teaching and learning,
- systematically study and rigorously evaluate the outcomes of technology-supported educational innovations, and
- organize workshops and conferences on topics of national importance, analyze and synthesize the research literature, and develop recommendations and reports for educational leaders.
In addition, our Strategic Learning Consulting practice enables educational technology firms to improve their products by harvesting research insights, strengthening educational designs, and framing evaluations for impact.
CTL has a unique mix of staff talent in the areas of assessment, evaluation, math and science education, learning environments, and technology development that combines to form multidisciplinary teams to advance the effective use of technology to improve teaching and learning.