Two Cognitive Science groups received Technology Fellowship Grants from the JHU Center for Educational Resources (CER).

The Technology Fellows Program, as described on CER’s website, “is a mini-grant initiative that enables faculty to partner with technology savvy students to develop resources that enhance pedagogy, increase of facilitate access to course content, encourage active learning, promote critical thinking, or support student collaboration.”

• Interactive Visualizations for Computational Concepts in Cognition
  Awardees: Dr. Tal Linzen & Tom McCoy
  Description: Computational modeling is a crucial component of current research in cognitive science. However, many popular computational concepts (such as Bayesian inference and deep learning) are difficult to grasp for students new to the field. We will be creating interactive, web-based simulations to give students a more concrete grasp of how these models operate. These simulations will be developed specifically with the course Cognition in mind, but it is likely that they will be useful for other introductory courses in Cognitive Science as well.

• Building Interactive Online Resources for Active Learning Sessions
  Awardees: Dr. Brenda Rapp, Dr. Jeremy Purcell, & Donald Li
  Description: Many concepts in cognitive neuroscience are both difficult to teach and learn in that they require an understanding beyond simply memorizing the material. A more applied, interactive approach is better suited for instructing complex cognitive neuroscience concepts. Our approach is unique in the domain of cognitive neuroscience instruction. A very limited number of courses worldwide have implemented active learning material for a cognitive neuroscience course. We are not only at the forefront of this approach, but also at the cutting edge of developing content and online resources for cognitive neuroscience instruction.