Susan Yoon Elected to International Society of Learning Sciences Board

December 19, 2013 - Dr. Susan Yoon, Associate Professor in GSE’s Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Division and rising star in the world of learning sciences, has been elected to a five-year term on the governing board of directors of the International Society of Learning Sciences (ISLS). A leading professional society for academics, professionals, and students seeking the advance the sciences and practices of learning, ISLS brings together those interested in learning experiences across schools, homes, work places, and communities, and who seek to understand how knowledge, tools, networks, and social structures enable collaboration and learning.

Among other projects, Dr. Yoon will be involved in selecting venues around the world to host the International Conference for the Learning Sciences and the International Conference for Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. She has also been invited to serve as Associate Editor for the Journal of Learning Sciences, one of the two flagship journals published by ISLS. She begins her term in January 2014.

Dr. Yoon’s inquiries in the Learning Sciences are multi-faceted. One aspect of her research examines how students’ abilities in such scientific practices as theory building, evidence-based decision-making can improve using mobile technologies and multi-agent computational models. In other studies, she explores how conceptual knowledge and cognitive understanding of science and engineering content can be supported in informal learning environments.

She has worked with after-school venues in the School District of Philadelphia and such informal science organizations as the Philadelphia Zoo to increase student interest and achievement in and access to science. In partnership with the Franklin Institute, she currently researches how augmented reality (AR) technology can enhance visitors’ learning experiences. A central focus of her informal science learning research is to understand and preserve the experimentation and play that make learning in these environments so engaging.