Connected Learning Summit 2025
Creating Interest in STEM through Creativity
I presented my design research, conducted through the Stanford Learning Design and Technology MS program, as a Showcase poster at the Connected Learning Summit: online and Berkeley, CA, October 5–6, 2025
Abstract: JigJam is a novel digital learning tool designed to engage middle school students in playful, creative engineering design experiences. The conceptual framework combines student-led making and reflective problem-solving to guide students in authentic engineering practices. JigJam seeks to promote equitable access to engineering education in two ways: first, by scaffolding the engineering design process to make it easier for non-experts to implement; and second, by encouraging students to develop solutions that draw from their current knowledge, interests, and values. I believe that this interest-driven approach can help provide an on-ramp to engineering for students who don’t currently see STEM fields as relevant to their interests or future plans, as well as supporting neurodivergent students who especially benefit from autonomy and aligning their learning with their interests.
In my design study, I evaluate what students learned about engineering design and problem-solving practices, as well as the quality and effectiveness of the system’s AI-generated feedback to students on their designs. These generated responses are used to make the feedback targeted and relevant to the specific problem the student is working on in order to guide the student in effective problem-solving strategies. I believe that this use of AI to facilitate student autonomy points to possibilities for using this technology in the design of creative, interest-driven learning experiences.
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