As digital technologies continue to evolve, they are reshaping not only how we communicate and work—but also how we learn. From mobile apps to immersive simulations and AI-powered tools, innovative media are transforming learning into something more personalized, engaging, and accessible than ever before.
This course is designed for a wide audience of lifelong learners who want to understand and apply these changes in meaningful ways. No prior expertise in these fields is required to enroll. Through this course, educators, professionals, and curious individuals alike will all acquire a comprehensive introduction to emerging media platforms such as games and playful learning, mobile technologies, simulations, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR/MR), and generative AI, and examine their potential to support effective, inclusive, and learner-centered experiences.
Participants will explore how learning happens across the lifespan and how media can support cognitive, emotional, and motivational aspects of the learning process. Grounded in research, the course highlights practical frameworks for designing and selecting media that meet diverse learner needs.
Through a mix of lectures, case studies, and interactive activities, students will gain insight into how innovative media can make learning more adaptive, accessible, and relevant in a rapidly changing world. Topics will include personalized learning, emotional design, universal design for learning, and evidence-based approaches to media selection and instructional design.
This course equips participants not just with new knowledge, but with tools and perspectives they can apply in real-world learning environments—whether in schools, workplaces, or informal settings. It invites learners to think critically and creatively about the future of education and their role in shaping it.
Learning Objectives
After completing the lectures, students will:
- Know different approaches to defining learning, including lifelong learning,
- Understand the opportunities different innovative media provide for learning, including games, mobile apps, simulations, extended reality (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality), and generative AI,
- Understand the opportunities and challenges of personalized learning, and
- Know the process of designing learning experiences.
Course Topics
- Learning Fundamentals: Defining Learning and Teaching ｜学习基础：学习与教学的定义
- Learning Fundamentals: Taxonomy of Learning Outcomes ｜ 学习基础：学习成果分类法
- Media Affordances ｜媒体可供性
- Learning with Mobile Apps ｜ 移动应用辅助学习
- Introduction to Generative AI ｜ 生成式人工智能导论
- Learning Fundamentals: Behaviorist Learning Theories ｜学习基础：行为主义学习理论
- Learning Fundamentals: Cognitive Learning Theories ｜学习基础：认知主义学习理论
- Learning with Simulations ｜ 仿真程序辅助学习
- Learning Fundamentals: Measuring Learning Outcomes ｜ 学习基础：学习成果的测量
- Games and Playful Learning ｜ 游戏与趣味化学习
- Generative AI for Learning with Games and Simulations ｜ 生成式人工智能在游戏与仿真学习中的应用
- Learning Fundamentals: Constructivist Learning Theories ｜学习基础：建构主义学习理论
- Learning Fundamentals: Interest and Motivation ｜ 学习基础：兴趣与动机
- Learning with Augmented and Mixed Reality ｜增强现实 (AR) 与混合现实(MR) 辅助学习
- Learning Fundamentals: Emotion ｜ 学习基础：情绪
- Emotional Design for Learning ｜ 面向学习的情绪设计
- Learning with Virtual Reality ｜虚拟现实 (VR) 辅助学习
- Generative AI for Learning with XR｜生成式人工智能在扩展现实 (XR) 学习中的应用
- The Learning Design Process｜学习设计过程
- Adaptive and Adaptable Learning ｜ 自适应与可适应学习
- Universal Design for Learning: Accessible Design ｜通用学习设计：无障碍设计
- Ensuring Effective Learning Experiences through Evidence-Centered Design ｜ 通过循证设计确保有效的学习体验
- Media Selection for Learning ｜学习媒体的选择
- Personalized Learning ｜个性化学习