Welcome to the Learning and Design Systems (LENS) Research Lab!
The LENS Lab is a research space dedicated to investigating how learning occurs in complex systems, particularly across workplace and organizational settings. Grounded in both research and practice, our work bridges learning design, interaction design (HCI/UX), and advanced technologies such as AI. The lab is expanding into applied data science collaborations that use tools such as Python, data visualization platforms, and related methods to explore large-scale learner and workplace data. The focus of these projects is on diagnostics, pattern analysis, and modeling that help us better understand learning and performance, and inform the design of authentic, learner-centered, and ethically responsive learning environments.
Participation in the work of the lab is voluntary and is designed to enrich learning beyond coursework in the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) Program at Boise State University.
Mission
The LENS Lab conducts translational research at the intersection of learning design and HCI/UX. We draw on approaches from HCI/UX and leverage data science methods to investigate learning in complex systems, particularly in higher education and organizational contexts, including online environments. Our research examines how AI and emerging technologies can facilitate learning and performance when guided by ethical and human-centered design, generating insights that inform authentic, learner-centered, and ethically responsible learning environments.
Vision
We envision learning environments as evolving and dynamic, influenced by both human and technological forces. By integrating perspectives from learning design, HCI/UX, and leveraging data science methods, the LENS Lab seeks to advance understanding of learning and performance in complex contexts. The work of the lab seeks to guide the design of learning environments that remain authentic, learner-centered, and ethically responsible in times of rapid change.
Core Directions of the LENS Lab
Online and Authentic Learning in the Age of AI
The focus of this direction is to study how online learning environments can be designed to remain relevant and connected to real-world practice. We do so by focusing on authentic/real-world learning. Our projects explore how AI and other technologies can support learner-centered, adaptive, and real-world experiences in higher education, academic/job preparation, and workplace learning.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Learning Design, and Design Ethics
The focus of this direction is to apply HCI and UX methods to study how people engage with learning environments, particularly in online contexts. Interaction is never solely just about clicking through a system or navigating a platform. It is about how design contributes to the overall experience, how tools and interfaces act as participants in the learning process, and how human and non-human actors together transform what learning feels like and what it makes possible. Learning platforms, AI-driven assistants, and even the smallest design choices in an interface become part of the learning environment, influencing what learners can do, how they feel, and what they ultimately take away. The purpose of the lab’s work in this direction is to examine purpose, function, and the human experience of technology in complex, real-world settings.
Applied Data Science for Learning and Performance (Research Methods and Partnership-Focused)
We see data science as an important field that offers a powerful toolkit for research and analysis. These methods complement traditional approaches in learning design and HCI. This direction is intentionally collaboration-driven: we partner with scholars and organizations to explore how large-scale data can inform better decisions in learning and performance, including through pattern analysis, predictive modeling, and responsible data use.