Communications and Learning

Learning in Complex Domains

Mission

The Research on learning complexity team studies how people understand and learn in complex domains. There is a broad array of research covered under this umbrella. It includes cognitive science studies of how people make sense of complex phenomena; development of curricular materials that treat complex systems content; development of computational tools to help people model and experiment with complex systems. Learning here also includes organizational learning such as modeling the educational system itself as an evolving complex system that learns.

Associated Faculty

Uri Wilensky (Computer Science, Learning Science, Edmain contact)

Louis Gomez (Learning Science & Computer Science)

Bruce Sherin (Learning Science)

Brian Reiser (Learning Science)

David Kanter (Learning Science)

Daniel C. Edelson (Learning Science & Computer Science)

http://ccl.northwestern.edu/papers/levels/levels.html
http://ccl.northwestern.edu/papers/gaslab/

GEODE Initiative (Edelson):
www.geode.northwestern.edu

Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (Gomez, Reiser, Edelson):
www.letus.org

Center for Curriculum Materials in Science (Reiser, Edelson, Wilensky, Sherin):
www.sciencematerialscenter.org

Conceptual Dynamics Project (Sherin):
http://conceptual-dynamics.sesp.northwestern.edu/project.html

www.cs.northwestern.edu/~edelson

Social Organizations and Communication Technology

Mission

The members of the Social Organizations and Information Technology group explore the complex systems of information technology networks and infrastructures for a better understanding of their social, policy, and technological implications. Projects range from a look at large-scale online conversations to the role of IT in networking organizations, from analyzing international communication systems to optimizing traffic on wireless networks, from quickly detecting intrusions in high speed networks to predicting their performance and the behavior of their users. Members of the group study the complex systems of social organizations at various levels of analysis including the ties between individual, groups, organizations, regional units, nation-states and the underlying technologies.

Associated faculty

Brian Uzzi (Sociology, Kellogg), Leader

Barbara O'Keefe (Dean, Communications)

Eszter Hargittai (Communications)

Luis Gomez (Ed)

Uri Wilensky (Computer Science, Learning Science)

Pablo Boczkowski (Communications)

Peter Dinda (Computer Science), Homepage

Randall Berry (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), Homepage

Justine Cassell (Communications), Homepage

Daniel Diermeier

Andrea M. Matwyshyn (Law School), Homepage

Bruce G. Carruthers (Sociology), Homepage