Critical Opportunities for Learning and Literacy LAB
Projects
The Critical Opportunities for Learning and Literacies Lab (CO-Lab) investigates how classroom practices, digital spaces, and learning systems shape educational access, literacy development, and teacher decision-making. Our research explores topics such as teacher learning in online spaces, literacy sponsorship in social media, and multimodal composition with AI-assisted writing, with a focus on equity and culturally responsive teaching. This page will highlight CO-Lab’s ongoing projects, published research, and the partnerships we have established to advance inclusive and transformative educational practices.
Social Media as a Tool for Teacher Preparation
This project examines how developing teachers engage with social media videos to supplement their understanding of classroom management within a teacher preparation course. This study explores the ways pre-service teachers navigate, interpret, and apply insights from digital platforms to shape their instructional decision-making and management strategies. By analyzing the role of social media in teacher learning, this project sheds light on the evolving nature of professional development, the influence of online communities, and the ways digital content informs classroom practices.
Generative AI Podcasts for Learning
The Generative AI Podcasts for Learning Project explores how transforming text into podcasts through generative AI can enhance learning experiences for teachers, students, and the general public. By leveraging multimodal components, this project investigates how AI-generated audio content supports oral language comprehension, increases engagement, and fosters deeper cognitive processing. Through examining the transition from written text to spoken narratives, the study aims to understand how podcasting as a learning tool can enrich motivation, accessibility, and knowledge retention across diverse educational settings.
