TLC Blog
Insider Scoop on the TLC Team: Why McGill and What We’re Working On
Robin Sharma
I am from New Delhi, India. I joined TLC because I wanted to work with Dr. Dubé. When I read about the kind of projects this lab was doing, I felt that it was a good fit for me. And it has worked really well. I got the opportunity to work with the gaming industry here in Montreal and the freedom to choose my trajectory in the program. I worked on the Discovery Tour project where we created world’s first interactive curriculum guides for teachers and studied their impact on teachers’ acceptance of games for learning. For my thesis project, I created different versions of a theory-based game aimed at building geometrical understanding of adolescents. We used a value-added experimental design to study the effectiveness of “narrative” as in instructional feature in games for math.
Armaghan Montazami
My educational journey began with a B.A. in TESL, during which I engaged in workshops and research projects exploring technology-enhanced learning. My professional experiences as a language instructor and educational consultant further solidified my interest in using technology to enhance pedagogy. These experiences, alongside my passion for interdisciplinary approaches, led me to pursue advanced studies in Educational Psychology. My M.A. thesis investigated educators’ and parents’ app selection via two studies, an eye tracking study with educators and an online study with parents (the “Why This App?” research projects).
My educational journey began with a B.A. in TESL, during which I engaged in workshops and research projects exploring technology-enhanced learning. My professional experiences as a language instructor and educational consultant further solidified my interest in using technology to enhance pedagogy. These experiences, alongside my passion for interdisciplinary approaches, led me to pursue advanced studies in Educational Psychology. My M.A. thesis investigated educators’ and parents’ app selection via two studies, an eye tracking study with educators and an online study with parents (the “Why This App?” research projects).
I grew up in a family of educators, which inspired my fascination with teaching and learning. To be more specific, my passion for leveraging technology in education has inspired me to join TLC lab and pursue a master’s and a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology with a focus on Learning Sciences. The opportunity to work under Dr. Adam Dubé and engage in innovative projects, such as “Why This App?,” aligns perfectly with my academic interests.
Currently, I am a PhD candidate in learning sciences at McGill’s TLC Lab. My research focuses on understanding how educational apps for young children are designed, specifically examining app developers’ knowledge and application of learning theories and pedagogical approaches. This involves investigating the design process and bridging the gap between cognitive science, education, and technology to inform more effective app development.
Rasel Babu
I am Rasel Babu from Dhaka, Bangladesh. My educational background includes Master of Philosophy, Master of Education, and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Dhaka. Currently, I am a third-year Doctoral candidate of the Learning Sciences program at the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology of McGill University. The use of educational technology in classrooms is my area of interest. Particularly, I am interested in exploring secondary level teachers’ readiness to integrate educational technologies in their classrooms. My recent publication focuses on university teachers’ readiness of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have over ten years’ experience of conducting education research in the primary and secondary education sectors of Bangladesh. During this time, I have served senior research and leadership positions at various estimated organizations like University of Dhaka, BRAC, and BRAC University. My research contribution includes journal articles, research reports, monographs, book chapters, and conference presentations. Currently, I am working as a Teaching Assistant at McGill University. Additionally, I taught the B.Ed and M.Ed courses part-time in Bangladeshi universities for over a decade. During my leisure period I love to spend time on music, social communication, and voluntary activities.
I am Rasel Babu from Dhaka, Bangladesh. My educational background includes Master of Philosophy, Master of Education, and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Dhaka. Currently, I am a third-year Doctoral candidate of the Learning Sciences program at the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology of McGill University. The use of educational technology in classrooms is my area of interest. Particularly, I am interested in exploring secondary level teachers’ readiness to integrate educational technologies in their classrooms. My recent publication focuses on university teachers’ readiness of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have over ten years’ experience of conducting education research in the primary and secondary education sectors of Bangladesh. During this time, I have served senior research and leadership positions at various estimated organizations like University of Dhaka, BRAC, and BRAC University. My research contribution includes journal articles, research reports, monographs, book chapters, and conference presentations. Currently, I am working as a Teaching Assistant at McGill University. Additionally, I taught the B.Ed and M.Ed courses part-time in Bangladeshi universities for over a decade. During my leisure period I love to spend time on music, social communication, and voluntary activities.
My passion for educational technology (EdTech) research had been developed through my academic and professional experiences in developing country context. Being a learner, I witnessed very limited use of EdTech in classrooms, while as an educational researcher, I observed many challenges, such as teachers' insufficient preparation, that hinder the integration of technology in teaching. These experiences inspired me to scientifically investigate the factors influencing teachers' readiness to adopt EdTech in the context of developing countries, which I am currently exploring in my doctoral research.
I chose McGill University for its tremendous academic environment, rich cultural diversity, and supportive atmosphere for international students. The Ph.D. program in Learning Sciences, offered by the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology (ECP) has a strong focus on EdTech, which perfectly aligns my research goals. Additionally, the studies conducted by the Technology, Learning, and Cognition Lab at ECP resonated deeply with my research interests, drawing me to McGill as an ideal place to advance my research.
I am currently designing an activity theory based mixed-method research to analyze the teachers’ and school’s factors that influence secondary level teachers’ readiness to integrate educational technology (EdTech) in classrooms. Data will be collected form 200 secondary level teachers from Bangladesh using survey. Another group of 200 teachers from the developed countries will be recruited through Prolific for an online survey. Qualitative data will be collected from Bangladeshi secondary school teachers, head-teachers, and school managing committee members by interviewing them. It is expected that the data collection will be initiated by June 2025.
Emma Liptrot
I am a current PhD student in the TLC lab. Previously, I completed an MA in the TLC lab, where my thesis focused on understanding how app store information like descriptions, user ratings and rankings impact educators’ choices in educational apps for children. Prior to coming to McGill, I completed a B.A. in Psychology at Queen’s University, where I completed an honours’ thesis investigating how children share in an online environment (over Zoom). I also completed a Bachelor of Education at Queen’s, where I was trained to teach students at the primary/junior level. I am from a small town in Ontario called St. Marys. In my free time, I like playing the guitar, learning new art skills, or walking around Montreal’s many neighbourhoods.
I am a current PhD student in the TLC lab. Previously, I completed an MA in the TLC lab, where my thesis focused on understanding how app store information like descriptions, user ratings and rankings impact educators’ choices in educational apps for children. Prior to coming to McGill, I completed a B.A. in Psychology at Queen’s University, where I completed an honours’ thesis investigating how children share in an online environment (over Zoom). I also completed a Bachelor of Education at Queen’s, where I was trained to teach students at the primary/junior level. I am from a small town in Ontario called St. Marys. In my free time, I like playing the guitar, learning new art skills, or walking around Montreal’s many neighbourhoods.
I’ve always been interested in education and teaching, but through studying psychology I became curious about children’s development and the cognitive processes in learning and decision-making. I chose learning sciences at McGill because the program allows me to apply research on learning and development to solving practical problems in education. I chose the TLC lab because I am interested in children’s interactions with technology, and I want to better understand how technology can be used more effectively to promote learning.
Currently, I am building on my Master’s thesis work to learn more about the selection of educational apps for kids. Some of the more recent projects I am involved in include investigating how parents choose educational apps, understanding how the use of artificial intelligence in educational apps influences educators’ decisions, and examining the extent to which educational app review websites are informative to parents and educators. Going forward, I want to evaluate real educational apps that are used in elementary schools and understand how their quality impacts learning.
Jie Gao
Hi everyone, I’m Jie. I’m a Ph.D. candidate in Learning Sciences Program at Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill University. My research mainly focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education, Learning Analytics, and Adaptive/Personalized Learning. It’s my third year at TLC lab. I’m lucky to be a part of this great team.
Hi everyone, I’m Jie. I’m a Ph.D. candidate in Learning Sciences Program at Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill University. My research mainly focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education, Learning Analytics, and Adaptive/Personalized Learning. It’s my third year at TLC lab. I’m lucky to be a part of this great team.
Before I came to McGill University, I was a senior Business Analyst at a global EdTech company. In addition, I used to work at an innovative high school as the first data analyst (click here to learn more). With more than 5 years of work experience in EdTech, I wanted to dive deeply into my interest area: Adaptive Learning and AI. This motivated me to apply for a Ph.D. program, and McGill University was the only one I applied for. Then, I got this great opportunity to work with these excellent researchers.
Currently, I am working on several research projects related to AI (e.g., Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing) and Adaptive Learning. In the past two academic years, I published one journal article as a first author. I also presented my study findings at several top-level academic conferences (e.g., AERA, AECT, ISLS, ICERI). My long-term goal is to lead a team in creating and developing more high-quality EdTech products to provide more personalized learning support to students.
Nandini Bharadwaj
I am originally from Bangalore, India and have lived in Canada for over 6 years now. I consider myself a learning enthusiast, above all else. Professionally, I have worked in secondary school education as an English educator, and organizational learning as a human resources manager. In my academic background, I have completed degrees in English literature, cognitive science, and learning sciences. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, visiting art museums, practicing the alto saxophone, and playing tennis.
During my cognitive science degree, I developed a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and undertook courses relating to the philosophy and methods of AI research. This interest in AI and education led me to apply to the learning sciences program at McGill and the TLC lab. I was keen to contribute to a new project that considered a novel theory of artificial minds for children, given children’s high access to digital assistants in developed countries. This project ultimately became the focus of my MA and now PhD degree.
More generally, I am passionate about encouraging ethical use of technology for an informed public. A knowledge gap exists between how technology companies’ market their products to the public and how the public understands the impacts of technology use. Child-focused technology is no exception. While child-focused technology has the potential to be a positive force in the world, I believe its design, deployment, and efficacy requires continual critical examination.
My interdisciplinary research investigates the impact of digital assistant use (e.g., Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri) on children’s learning and understanding of artificial intelligence. Specifically, I am interested in how young children at critical periods for social cognition development (ages 4-8 years) interact and learn with digital assistants, how they perceive their affordances and how these perceptions impact understanding of intelligent technologies. Additionally, I support other AI-related projects in the lab and help manage the lab website and social media for lab news and research dissemination to the public.
Tania Tan
I completed a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree at McGill University, where I developed a strong interest in research during my studies. This passion motivated me to pursue further specialization in the field. Among the courses I took, the one on the impact of educational technology on student learning left a lasting impression, particularly the topics of serious games and intelligent tutoring systems. Additionally, I became intrigued by multimodal data collection methods, which ultimately shaped my research direction.
As I delved deeper into educational technology, I became fascinated by how it can enhance learning experiences through innovative approaches. Joining the labs of Dr. Adam Dudé and Dr. Susanne Lajoie, both of whom are prominent figures in educational technology, provided me with a unique opportunity to conduct impactful research under expert supervision.
I am currently completing my doctoral dissertation, which focuses on the relationship between medical students’ self-regulated learning and their flow experience during clinical reasoning practice. My work integrates perspectives from medical education and the learning sciences, leveraging innovative methodologies to explore how students can optimize their learning experiences within intelligent tutoring systems.
I completed a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree at McGill University, where I developed a strong interest in research during my studies. This passion motivated me to pursue further specialization in the field. Among the courses I took, the one on the impact of educational technology on student learning left a lasting impression, particularly the topics of serious games and intelligent tutoring systems. Additionally, I became intrigued by multimodal data collection methods, which ultimately shaped my research direction.
As I delved deeper into educational technology, I became fascinated by how it can enhance learning experiences through innovative approaches. Joining the labs of Dr. Adam Dudé and Dr. Susanne Lajoie, both of whom are prominent figures in educational technology, provided me with a unique opportunity to conduct impactful research under expert supervision.
I am currently completing my doctoral dissertation, which focuses on the relationship between medical students’ self-regulated learning and their flow experience during clinical reasoning practice. My work integrates perspectives from medical education and the learning sciences, leveraging innovative methodologies to explore how students can optimize their learning experiences within intelligent tutoring systems.
Heather Pearson
Hi, I’m Heather. I grew up in the states to Canadian parents. I first came to Montreal in 2009 to do my bachelor’s in psychology at McGill. I then worked primarily as a learning coach with adolescents with learning disorders helping them become more independent and strategic learners. To gain more expertise, I decided to do my Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Learning Sciences at McGill. While doing my M.Ed., I took Dr. Dubé’s course on emerging educational technologies. At the time, I was coaching multiple students who needed help with geometry. I first became interested in 3D printing as an educational tool to help with mathematics. Upon completing my term paper on 3D printing, I then worked with Dr. Dubé to publish it. Since then, it has been cited over 60 times and is the foundation of my dissertation work that identifies 3D printing as a tool to foster key transferable skills beyond content knowledge. I then did my M.Ed. Special Activity on educational apps with Dr. Dubé which led me to want to pursue research as it has the potential to have a far-reaching impact. At the TLC Lab, I enjoy getting to conduct collaborative side research projects to expand my areas of interests and skill set, including eye-tracking and experimental research on educational apps and school-based digital literacy research.
Hi, I’m Heather. I grew up in the states to Canadian parents. I first came to Montreal in 2009 to do my bachelor’s in psychology at McGill. I then worked primarily as a learning coach with adolescents with learning disorders helping them become more independent and strategic learners. To gain more expertise, I decided to do my Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Learning Sciences at McGill. While doing my M.Ed., I took Dr. Dubé’s course on emerging educational technologies. At the time, I was coaching multiple students who needed help with geometry. I first became interested in 3D printing as an educational tool to help with mathematics. Upon completing my term paper on 3D printing, I then worked with Dr. Dubé to publish it. Since then, it has been cited over 60 times and is the foundation of my dissertation work that identifies 3D printing as a tool to foster key transferable skills beyond content knowledge. I then did my M.Ed. Special Activity on educational apps with Dr. Dubé which led me to want to pursue research as it has the potential to have a far-reaching impact. At the TLC Lab, I enjoy getting to conduct collaborative side research projects to expand my areas of interests and skill set, including eye-tracking and experimental research on educational apps and school-based digital literacy research.
I recently finished my data collection for my dissertation project. I ran 6-session 3D printing projects across four grades at a local high school designed on a framework that I developed to enhance self-directed learning skills. Through McGill’s Innovate-Ed Project Grant, I had the exciting opportunity to work with two research assistants with expertise in 3D printing and run my project with 3 printers in the school. We further conducted professional development sessions with teachers to ensure that there was an effective transfer of knowledge so they can continue using the 3D printers as tools to foster key transferable skills (e.g., critical thinking, collaboration). I’m currently analyzing and writing up my findings.