Join Us
Looking for opportunities to get involved? Paid, volunteering and for credit opportunities are open for Boston College students to work on several of our projects. If you are a student from outside of Boston College, volunteer opportunities and special arrangements can also be considered. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to Prof. Marina Bers.
In order to learn more about what we do and connect with our team, we recommend attending one of our events and/or enrolling in one of Prof. Bers’ courses, listed below.
Classes with Prof. Marina Bers
Prof. Bers teaches interdisciplinary courses focused on the design and use of learning technologies. These courses include FORM 6150/CSCI2265: Tech Tools for Playful Learning, FORM 7360: Applied Experiences in Learning, Design, and Technology, and FORM 7210/8840: Design, Innovation and Formative Experiences.
All of the courses have a strong hands-on, project-based component. To see a few examples of these projects, check out this video. The current course offerings by semester are as follows:
Fall 2025
FORM 7210: Design, Innovation and Formative Experiences
Students served: Master’s and Doctoral Students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the role that design and innovation can play in the development and implementation of technology-rich formative learning experiences in different settings such as schools, non-formal educational environments, community-based organizations, museums, etc. Students will read materials from a variety of disciplines such as design thinking, entrepreneurship, developmental psychology, learning sciences and artificial intelligence and will be exposed to expert guest speakers. In addition, students will gain design skills. Students will work on a final project of their choice to be determined in consultation with the professor, and will create a prototype, test it, evaluate it and revise it to meet the needs of the identified setting.
Spring 2026
FORM 6150: Tech Tools for Playful Learning
Students served: Undergraduate and Master’s students
Time: Thursdays 9:30 – 11:50 am
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the design and use of new technologies for learning and engages students in current debates around educational technologies, computational thinking, coding and robotics. Students will learn how to develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich curriculum and will design their own computational meaningful projects. They will visit K-2 classrooms to implement technology-rich curricula, will learn how to use video to document their experiences, and will become researchers to assess the thinking and learning fostered by the different tools.
FORM 7360: Applied Experiences in Learning, Design, and Technology
Students served: MA students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
Fall 2026
FORM 7210/8840: Design, Innovation and Formative Experiences
Students served: Master’s and Doctoral Students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the role that design and innovation can play in the development and implementation of technology-rich formative learning experiences in different settings such as schools, non-formal educational environments, community-based organizations, museums, etc. Students will read materials from a variety of disciplines such as design thinking, entrepreneurship, developmental psychology, learning sciences and artificial intelligence and will be exposed to expert guest speakers. In addition, students will gain design skills. Students will work on a final project of their choice to be determined in consultation with the professor, and will create a prototype, test it, evaluate it and revise it to meet the needs of the identified setting.
Spring 2027
FORM 6150/CSCI2265: Tech Tools for Playful Learning
Students served: Undergraduate and Master’s students
Time: Thursdays 9:30 – 11:50 am
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the design and use of new technologies for learning and engages students in current debates around educational technologies, computational thinking, coding and robotics. Students will learn how to develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich curriculum and will design their own computational meaningful projects. They will visit K-2 classrooms to implement technology-rich curricula, will learn how to use video to document their experiences, and will become researchers to assess the thinking and learning fostered by the different tools.
FORM 7360: Applied Experiences in Learning, Design, and Technology
Students served: MA students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
Fall 2027
FORM 7210/8840: Design, Innovation and Formative Experiences
Students served: Master’s and Doctoral Students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the role that design and innovation can play in the development and implementation of technology-rich formative learning experiences in different settings such as schools, non-formal educational environments, community-based organizations, museums, etc. Students will read materials from a variety of disciplines such as design thinking, entrepreneurship, developmental psychology, learning sciences and artificial intelligence and will be exposed to expert guest speakers. In addition, students will gain design skills. Students will work on a final project of their choice to be determined in consultation with the professor, and will create a prototype, test it, evaluate it and revise it to meet the needs of the identified setting.
Spring 2028
FORM 6150: Tech Tools for Playful Learning
Students served: Undergraduate and Master’s students
Time: Thursdays 9:30 – 11:50 am
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the design and use of new technologies for learning and engages students in current debates around educational technologies, computational thinking, coding and robotics. Students will learn how to develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich curriculum and will design their own computational meaningful projects. They will visit K-2 classrooms to implement technology-rich curricula, will learn how to use video to document their experiences, and will become researchers to assess the thinking and learning fostered by the different tools.
FORM 7360: Applied Experiences in Learning, Design, and Technology
Students served: Doctoral Students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
Fall 2028
FORM 7210/8840: Design, Innovation and Formative Experiences
Students served: Master’s and Doctoral Students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the role that design and innovation can play in the development and implementation of technology-rich formative learning experiences in different settings such as schools, non-formal educational environments, community-based organizations, museums, etc. Students will read materials from a variety of disciplines such as design thinking, entrepreneurship, developmental psychology, learning sciences and artificial intelligence and will be exposed to expert guest speakers. In addition, students will gain design skills. Students will work on a final project of their choice to be determined in consultation with the professor, and will create a prototype, test it, evaluate it and revise it to meet the needs of the identified setting.
Spring 2029
FORM 6150: Tech Tools for Playful Learning
Students served: Undergraduate and Master’s students
Time: Thursdays 9:30 – 11:50 am
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
This course explores the design and use of new technologies for learning and engages students in current debates around educational technologies, computational thinking, coding and robotics. Students will learn how to develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich curriculum and will design their own computational meaningful projects. They will visit K-2 classrooms to implement technology-rich curricula, will learn how to use video to document their experiences, and will become researchers to assess the thinking and learning fostered by the different tools.
FORM 7360: Applied Experiences in Learning, Design, and Technology
Students served: MA students
Time: Wednesdays 10:00 am -12:20 pm
Location: DevTech Lab, Carney Hall Room 306
Relevant Degree Programs
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Formative Education
Drawing faculty from the diverse disciplinary traditions of history and philosophy, anthropology and humanistic psychology, design thinking and the learning sciences, this program prepares future scholars and practitioners to examine the normative dimensions of formal and informal education, the development of the whole human being in sociocultural context, and the grand social challenges that now demand a fuller educational response.
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Learning, Design, and Technology
Design the future of learning
Today’s evolving world calls for researchers and practitioners who can help schools, nonprofits, companies, and governments design engaging, learning experiences that draw on the most current learning technologies and pedagogies. Led by DevTech Director, Professor Marina Bers, under the Department of Formative Education at the Lynch School of Education, the M.A. in Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) will equip you with the hands-on design experience, interdisciplinary knowledge, and technical skills you’ll need to respond to that call.