"Inasmuch as we can capture that wonder, that pure excitement about the complexity and beauty of the world—that will be how much we actually inspire kids with a love for learning."
- David Gagnon
You need a team of designers & engineers to make educational media
Researchers often have an idea for an app or game that will let the public connect with the research. So . . . now what? Getting research out there is exciting, but it’s also a lot of work. You don’t have the resources and infrastructure to build the kind of digital media that will reach the public.
Complexity doesn't scare us.
The result of working without a design team is wasted time and money
You might be thinking designers slow things down and cost too much money. We get it―sometimes collaboration is just a code word for lots of meetings. That’s why we’ve developed a process that is super efficient, requires little of your time and impresses grant reviewers. This is how you can kill it with broader impacts.
Partner with a team that gets it
Let's make a game or app that helps the public understand your research
We partner with the subject expert (you) and educators to design an app or game. Then we find large-scale distribution partnerships resulting in hundreds of thousands of plays. Finally, we research your app or game to learn more about how people learn.
Your Project in Three Phases
Design & Grant Writing
Our first step is to create a clear design plan. We’ll also work with you to write grants and secure the funding needed to move forward. Starts around $10,000
Production
Hit go with our team of designers, software engineers, artists and education researchers. Starts around $30,000
Distribution
Time to spread the word. We identify partners to connect with our target audience.
Work with Us
We work with scientists, researchers, teachers, artists, story tellers, and all-around rad people to make things together to impact our communities.
Anne Lynn Gillian Daniels and Dane Morgan from MRSEC turn a Science Lab into a Game called AtomTouch
AtomTouch allows learners to explore principles of thermodynamics and molecular dynamics in an tactile, exploratory way. The game was developed to help students understand the structures and attributes of particles at the molecular level.
Read storySeth McGee’s Prairie Plant Companion app increases speed and accuracy for plant identification in the field
When Seth’s students use this app they start becoming real botanists! The students are significantly more efficient and accurate in the plant identification with this Prairie Plant Companion. We leverage human skills at visual pattern recognition, and computing’s ability to sort and filter to create a new approach to teaching students. exploratory way.
Read storyFolklorist Ruth Olson creates new kind of app to help students discover local culture
Professor Ruth Olson noted that students new to anthropological research often consider “culture” to be what “others” have. With this app, Olson helps students to “see themselves as cultural beings” creating digital maps of their very own folkloric elements here at the UW.
Read storyJulie Sykes teaches French with post-apocalyptic augmented reality app
Julie Sykes, from University of Oregon used our ARIS tool to make this post-apocalyptic game. EcoPod is mobile game that teaches students to speak French. Julie’s team relies on good storytelling to keep this “choose your own adventure” game interactive and thought provoking.
Read story
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Based at the Wisconsin Center for Educational Reserach at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, we are a truly interdisciplinary team of educational researchers, software engineers, artists, and storytellers, exploring the intersection of current learning science and media design, specializing in mobile media, video games, and simulation. Seeking to do what’s never been done before, we constantly innovate, play, take risks, and mess-make.