Program Overview

Learning Design and Technology (LDT)

Program Requirements

Students must complete at least 45 units at Stanford to receive the master's degree in LDT. The following constraints are placed on those 45 units:

• All courses must be at or above the 100 level. Courses numbered below 100 do not count toward the master's degree.
• At least 23 units (half of the total minimum units) must be at or above the 200 level. EDUC 180 and 190 count toward this requirement.
• At least 30 units must be from courses offered by the Graduate School of Education (EDUC units).
• At least 15 units must be taken for a letter grade (as opposed to Credit or Satisfactory).
• A 3.0 GPA must be maintained for all courses applied to the master's degree.
• All students must enroll in a minimum of 8 units during Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters, and cannot exceed 18 units in any quarter (exception: HCP students take 3-7 units)
• LDT students are required to register for exactly 6 units in the Summer quarter. The remaining 39 units need to be completed in Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters.
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOLLANG) and Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (ATHLETIC) courses cannot be applied towards the master's degree.
• See the “Coterminal Degree” section for unit requirements applying to students admitted through the coterminal degree program.

Required Courses

• EDUC229A: Learning Design and Technology Seminar Offered in Autumn (Karin Forssell, Jessica Yauney, Tamara Sobomehin) (2-3)
• EDUC229B: Learning Design and Technology Seminar Offered in Winter (Karin Forssell, Jessica Yauney, Tamara Sobomehin) (1-3)
• EDUC229C: Learning Design and Technology Seminar Offered in Spring (Karin Forssell, Jessica Yauney, Tamara Sobomehin) (1-3)
• EDUC229D: Learning Design and Technology Seminar Course not offered this year

Internship

Students must register for a minimum of one unit of Education Internship Workshop (EDUC 215 or equivalent) for at least two quarters during the year. A maximum of 9 internship units are accepted for the master's degree.

Electives

Recommended electives for LDT include a range of courses related to learners and education. Students may take electives from any department at Stanford, with advisor's approval. Also, students are encouraged to approach professors for Directed Reading (EDUC 180) on a topic of special interest to them.

Learning Portfolio and Master's Project

The online Learning Portfolio consists of substantial work done during the year, together with a reflection on the learning represented by that work. The Master's Project consists of a design project conceived and developed by the student. The project proposal and reports will include a description and analysis of the learning problem, the theoretical approach and research used to address it, the design proposal, prototypes, and learning assessments. The Master's Project must be submitted to the student's advisor for approval by the end of winter quarter and presented to the public late in the summer. Both the Learning Portfolio and the Master's Project Report are due in summer quarter.

List of Pre-Approved Courses

Evaluation and Research Methods

At least one course about evaluation and research methods used in Education. Pre-approved courses are listed below (3 units minimum).

• Choose at least one. Both are encouraged.
  • EDUC200A: Introduction to Data Analysis and Interpretation Offered in Autumn (Candace Thille, Eunjung Myoung, Xi Jia Zhou) (3-4)
  • EDUC200B: Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods Offered in Autumn (Denise Pope, Derric Heck, Ma Cherrysse Ulsa) (4)
    Offered in Winter (Ann Jaquith, Ed'd Bhagwandeen, Ma Cherrysse Ulsa) (4)

Design Process

At least one course in which students learn and apply a user-centered design process. Pre-approved courses are listed below (3 units minimum).

• CS147: Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Design Offered in Autumn (James Landay, Abbie Maemoto, Candy Tang, Charlotte Zhu, Diya Sabharwal, Naima Patel, Sarah Jacob) (3-5)
• CS247A: Design for Artificial Intelligence (SYMSYS 195A) Offered in Spring (Julie Stanford) (3-4)
• CS247G: Design for Play (SYMSYS 195G) Offered in Spring (Christina Wodtke) (3-4)
  Offered in Summer (Christina Wodtke) (3-4)
• CS247S: Service Design (SYMSYS 195S) Offered in Autumn (Julie Stanford, Emily Macias) (3-4)
• CS347: Human-Computer Interaction: Foundations and Frontiers Offered in Spring (Maneesh Agrawala) (3-4)
• CS377G: Designing Serious Games Offered in Autumn (Christina Wodtke, Butch Nasser) (3-4)
• CS377Q: Designing for Accessibility (ME 214) Offered in Winter (John Tang) (3-4)
• CS377U: Understanding Users Offered in Spring (Frank Bentley) (3-4)
• EDUC254: Digital Learning Design Workshop Offered in Winter (Keith Bowen, Kavindya Thennakoon) (1-3)
  Offered in Spring (Keith Bowen, Kavindya Thennakoon) (1-3)
• ENGR210: Perspectives in Assistive Technology (ENGR 110) (ENGR 110) Offered in Winter (David Jaffe) (1-3)
  • Any course with the CS 147, 247, 347, or 377 prefix (e.g., CS 377U) may count towards the Design Process requirement.
  • Any full d.school course may be used to count towards the Design Process requirement.
  • Any "Design of Learning Experiences" course (listed below) can instead be used to count towards the Design Process requirement.

Learning

Two courses minimum. At least one course must cover theories of learning. Pre-approved courses are listed below (6 units minimum). Students are highly encouraged to take more than two of these courses.

Learning Theories

• EDUC333A: Introduction to Learning Sciences: Understanding Learning and Learning Environments Offered in Autumn (Victor Lee, Maria Romero) (3)
• EDUC398: Core Mechanics for Learning Offered in Winter (Kristen Blair) (3)
• EDUC421: Powerful Ideas for Learning Sciences and Technology Design: Sociocultural Practices of the Blues Offered in Autumn (Roy Pea) (3)

Learning Content

• EDUC171: Preschool Counts: Engaging Young Children in Math Offered in Winter (Jennifer Osuna, Renee Scott) (1-3)
  Offered in Spring (Jennifer Osuna, Renee Scott) (1-3)
• EDUC203A: Tutoring: Seeing a Child through Literacy (EDUC 103A) Offered in Winter (Bonnie Hallman, Renee Scott) (3-4)
• EDUC218: Topics in Cognition and Learning: The Science of Reading Offered in Spring (Jason Yeatman) (3)
• EDUC237: Learning, Making, Crafting, & Creating Offered in Winter (Victor Lee, Abigail Kahn) (3)
• EDUC366: Learning in Formal and Informal Environments Offered in Autumn (Brigid Barron, Rebecca Hao) (3)
  • Other courses by petition. Courses in other departments may be appropriate for certain subjects.

Design of Learning Experiences

At least two courses applying user-centered design to a learning problem. Pre-approved courses are listed below (6 units minimum). Students are highly encouraged to take more than two of these courses.

• EDUC208B: Curriculum Construction Offered in Winter (Denise Pope, Lena Phalen, Meghan Durkin) (3-4)
• EDUC315A: Introduction to CSCL: Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CS 498C) Offered in Winter (Roy Pea) (3)
• EDUC342: Child Development and New Technologies Offered in Autumn (Cancelled) (3)
• EDUC391: Engineering Education and Online Learning (ENGR 391) Offered in Autumn (Keith Bowen, Kavindya Thennakoon) (3)
• EDUC432: Designing Explorable Explanations for Learning Offered in Spring (Hari Subramonyam) (3-4)

Perspectives on Technology

At least one course examining technology from a critical, social, historical, or philosophical perspective (3 units minimum).

• COMM180: Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change (CS 182, ETHICSOC 182, PHIL 82, POLISCI 182, PUBLPOL 182) Offered in Winter (Mehran Sahami, Rob Reich) (5)
• CS470: Music and AI (MUSIC 356) Offered in Winter (Ge Wang) (3-4)
• EDUC234A: Interactive and Embodied Learning (CS 422) Offered in Winter (Nick Haber) (3)
• EDUC236: Is GenAI Really Changing the EdTech Industry? Challenges & Opportunities Based on Business Cases Offered in Spring (Guilherme Lichand) (1-2)
• EDUC281: Technology for Learners Offered in Autumn (Candace Thille, Neha Rajagopalan) (3)
• EDUC314: Funkentelechy: Technologies, Social Justice and Black Vernacular Cultures (AFRICAAM 200N, CSRE 314, STS 200N) Offered in Spring (Adam Banks) (4-5)
• EDUC407: Lytics Seminar (CS 407) Offered in Spring (Candace Thille, John Mitchell) (1-4)
• EDUC463: Computer Vision for Education and Social Science Research (CS 432) Offered in Winter (Nick Haber) (3)
• EDUC473: Empowering Educators via Language Technology (CS 293) Offered in Winter (Dora Demszky, Mei Tan) (2-4)
• FEMGEN344F: New Directions in Gendered Innovations in Science, Medicine, Technology, and Environment (FEMGEN 243F, HISTORY 244F, HISTORY 344F) Offered in Spring (Londa Schiebinger) (4-5)

Recommended Electives

• EDUC211A: Maker Tools Learning Lab Offered in Spring (Jacob Ramirez) (1)
  Offered in Spring (Jacob Ramirez) (1)
• EDUC245: Understanding Racial and Ethnic Identity Development (AFRICAAM 245, CSRE 245, PSYCH 245A) Offered in Autumn (Teresa LaFromboise, Emma Keller) (3-5)
• EDUC359B: Research in Science, Engineering, & Tech Ed: Teacher Learning With and From Curriculum Materials Offered in Spring (Bryan Brown) (2-3)
• EDUC359C: Science, Engineering and Technology Education Seminar Offered in Winter (Christina Krist) (1-3)
• EDUC364: Cognition and Learning Offered in Winter (Maria Ruiz-Primo) (3-4)
• EDUC424: Introduction to Research in Curriculum and Teacher Education Offered in Spring (Jennifer Osuna, Meghan Durkin) (2-5)