Innovative Design and Technology in Education (M.Ed.)

Shape the future of learning with human-centered innovation, applied learning theory, and cutting-edge technologies through analytics and human-centered design.

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Program Overview

Formerly Learning and Design (M.Ed.)

Innovative Design and Technology in Education (IDeaTE) is a master of education degree program for students interested in learning how to create and study environments leveraging learning theories, human centered design, learning analytics, and learning technologies. The goals of the program are to gain knowledge and skills in:

  1. How people learn,
  2. How contexts and tools, like AI, analytics and other emerging technologies, influence learning, and,
  3. How to design learning environments and activities that are responsive to learners' and community partners' needs.

The program is centered around three main cores of education: learning, design, and analysis. The learning core focuses on theories of learning and their application and implications across different settings. The design core explores emerging learning technologies through a human centered design process. The analysis core focuses on systematic evaluation and program research efforts including learning analytics that focus on program development and an iterative design process.

Program Curriculum

The IDeaTE M.Ed. program is an immersive four semester program that includes 33 credit hours with an internship and capstone project. Coursework is directly connected to learning theory, design thinking, and analytic process and resources. 

All students enrolled in the program take courses that count toward a certificate in Learning Analytics or Emerging Learning Technologies and AI. Students who wish to can fill their two elective course spaces with the remaining course requirements for those certificates to be awarded upon successful completion of the program.

In addition to the coursework, students complete an internship experience and a capstone project. The capstone project takes place largely in the internship site and is guided by faculty mentorship from the director.

Career Outcomes

Graduates of the IDeaTE program can expect to work in a school, museum, library, non-profit, ed tech company, corporate talent management division, or continue their education and pursue a doctoral degree. Popular specific industries for graduates to work in are positions in museum exhibit design, non-profit learning, corporate training, interactive book publishing, app design for social change, computer science education, learning analytics, AI applications, and prompt engineering.

With a master's degree in Innovative Design and Technology in Education, graduates can pursue careers as: instructional designer, learning designer/ e-learning designer, technology coordinator, educational technology specialist, learning and design specialist, learning experience designer, teacher, education analyst, and more.

Program Facts

Program Director: Andrew Hostetler
Admissions Coordinator: Erica Bodden
Admission Term: Fall
Credit Hours: 33

Application Dates

  • Application Deadline 1

    January 3

  • Application Deadline 2

    February 3

  • Rolling Admissions

    After February 3*

    *Applications received after the Feb 3 second deadline are reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted as space and funds allow.

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"The world of learning is evolving at an unprecedented pace, in large part due to the rise of AI and other emerging technologies. IDeaTE prepares students for this future by teaching them how to innovate thoughtfully and design effective technology-enhanced learning experiences that address the evolving needs of diverse contexts and communities."

Alyssa Wise, Professor of Technology and Education | Director of LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator

Coursework

  • Courses and Capstone

    Common Core (18 hours)

    You'll complete 18 core credit hours that focus on learning, design, and analytics over the two years of the program. The programs of study typically follows this schedule:

    Learning Core

    • EDUC 6030 Foundations of Learning Sciences (three credit hours)
    • EDUC 7010 Technological Innovation and AI for Learning (three credit hours)

    Design Core

    • EDUC 7020 Designing Future Learning Technologies (three credit hours)
    • EDUC 6080 Designing for Contexts (three credit hours)

    Analysis Core

    • EDUC 7810 Inquiry and the Public Sphere (three credit hours)
    • SPED 7515 Foundations of Learning Analytics (three credit hours)

    Elective Courses (6 hours)

    You'll complete 6 credit hours from any graduate level course in any department, college or university for which you are able. Students may choose to complete either the Learning Analytics Certificate or the Emerging Learning Technologies and AI Certificate or they can take 6 hours of elective courses in an area of interest.*

    Equity and Diversity (3 hours)

    In addition, you must take a course on equity and diversity worth 3 credit hours. Your elective courses and the equity and diversity course will total 9 credit hours.

    *To Complete Certificates with Elective Coursework you would use electives to take:

    Learning Analytics (2 courses = 6 hours)

    • SPED 7500b Educational Language Analysis
    • LPO 7500 Machine Learning for Educational Applications OR SPED 7500 Learner Database Management 

    Emerging Learning Technologies (2 courses = 6 hours)

    Pick 2 from below

    • Cognitive Learning Technologies
    • Cognitive Science to the Classroom
    • Embodied Cognition
    • Computational Language Analysis
    • Intelligent Learning Environments
    • Special Topics: Sociology of AI
    • Technology-Based Entrepreneurship (Engineering)
    • Foundations of Human Computer Interaction (Engineering)
    • Virtual Reality Design (Arts and Science)

    Internship and Capstone (6 hours)

    Your required internship and capstone will encompass 3 credit hours each for a total of 6 credit hours. 

    Internships last at least one semester and are supported through partnerships with the LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator at Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Wond’ry as well as local corporate and community organizations that offer internships like the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, The National Museum of African American Music, the Frist Art Museum, among others.

    Each capstone focus is unique but leverages the knowledge and practices students gain across course and field experiences. You will develop your capstone over the course of the program.

    Past Capstone presentations include:

    • Podcasts and Education
    • Retuning and Refining Museum Educational Programming
    • Math, Motivation, & Technology: Envisioning an Engaging High School Math Classroom
    • Centralizing teachers as artists: a re-humanizing framework for curriculum adoption and implementation
    • Empathy as Learning: Activating Empathy in the Workplace
    • Build Back Better 2.0: Civic Design and Youth Empowerment
    • Introducing Elementary Engineering Through Making and Literacy
    • We edit and Yukon too!: Mashed potatoes and editorial review

    Example Course Structure

    Fall 1

    • EDUC 6030 Foundations of Learning Sciences
    • SPED 7500 Foundations of Learning Analytics
    • EDUC 7010 Technological Innovation and AI for Learning

    Spring 1

    • EDUC 7810 Inquiry and the Public Sphere
    • EDUC 7020 Designing Future Learning Technologies
    • Diversity and Equity in Education course; Elective (finish certificate or pathway)

    Fall 2

    • EDUC 6080 - Designing for Contexts
    • Elective (in chosen certificate or pathway)
    • Internship
    • Capstone Meetings

    Spring 2

    • EDUC 7992 - Capstone Seminar
    • Elective (finish certificate or pathway)

Selected Faculty Research

Alyssa Wise

Alyssa Wise, Director of LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator

Wise’s research combines the tools of data science, the theory of learning sciences and the practices of human-centered design to build and study the use of learning analytics systems that promote equitable and effective education. From large introductory science courses to graduate level humanities seminars, her work applies techniques of machine learning, natural language processing, social network analysis and more to provide information that supports students and faculty in intentional teaching and learning.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Organizations and activities are often tacitly designed to support only a narrow segment of the population reflecting the backgrounds of the designers. Such a limited perspective is not only inequitable and unethical, but it is also highly ineffective. Our program explores various approaches for supporting diversity through design.

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