Where theory meets practice in information science and learning technologies
The School of Information Science & Learning Technologies explores how people discover, create, share and use information in an increasingly digital world. Through research labs, community partnerships and applied learning experiences, faculty and students investigate topics ranging from learning technologies and game design to data science, digital preservation, user experience and information access.
By combining innovative research with real-world application, SISLT develops solutions that improve learning, strengthen communities and advance the ways people interact with information and technology. Students gain hands-on experience working alongside faculty on projects that address contemporary challenges and help shape the future of education, libraries, archives and information organizations.
Adroit Studios Gaming Lab
Adroit Studios Gaming Lab is an interdisciplinary game development and research studio where students, faculty and professionals collaborate to design, develop and evaluate video games. Through hands-on, project-based experiences, participants gain practical skills in game design, programming, art, storytelling, research and production while creating games that support learning, engagement and positive social impact.
The Data, Science, and Society Research Group explores how knowledge is created, shared and evaluated across scholarly communities. Using methods such as bibliometrics, network analysis, data science, natural language processing and altmetrics, the interdisciplinary team examines research communication and the impact of scholarly work across the sciences, social sciences and humanities to better understand the evolving landscape of knowledge production.
Digital Journalism Curation examines how news organizations can preserve and provide access to born-digital journalism in an increasingly complex media landscape. By studying newsroom technologies, workflows and publishing systems, researchers identify strategies and best practices that help safeguard digital news content, ensuring these important historical records remain accessible for future generations.
The Digitization Station supports SISLT’s partnership with KOPN Community Radio by expanding access to time-based public media and providing students hands-on experience with audiovisual archives through the IMLS-funded Public Broadcasting Preservation Fellowships program. Through coursework and activities such as Audio Preservation Workshops and research events, students build professional skills while contributing to the digitization, preservation, and study of a community archive of national significance.
Everyday Emotion Regulation with Video Games explores how people use video games to manage stress, cope with emotional challenges and support their overall well-being. By examining the game features and experiences that promote emotional regulation, the project aims to better understand the role of games in everyday life and inform the development of user-centered game recommendation and information services.
Gaming 4 Good explores how video games can be used to create positive social impact, support learning and promote meaningful engagement. Through research, game design and community partnerships, the project examines how games can address real-world challenges, foster skill development and create experiences that benefit individuals, schools and communities.
Information Experience Laboratory (IE Lab), Missouri’s first usability lab, advances research, teaching and service in learning design, user experience and human-centered technology. The lab partners with organizations across fields such as education, healthcare, engineering and journalism to evaluate and improve digital tools and systems. Through hands-on projects, students gain real-world experience in usability research, user experience (UX), learner experience (LX) and human-centered design while helping create more effective and accessible technologies.
Libraries Advancing Community Learning to Reduce Substance Use
Libraries Advancing Community Learning to Reduce Substance Use explores how libraries can support recovery, well-being and community learning for individuals affected by substance use. Through research and collaboration with library professionals, the project identifies effective programs and practices that help libraries strengthen communities and support pathways to recovery.
Mission HydroSci is an immersive, game-based learning environment that engages middle school students in scientific inquiry through a virtual world focused on water resources and environmental systems. By combining interactive gameplay, problem-solving and research-based learning supports, the project helps students develop science knowledge and critical thinking skills while providing educators with innovative tools to enhance STEM instruction.
Public Broadcasting Preservation provides MLIS students with hands-on experience in audiovisual preservation through partnerships with KOPN Community Radio and the WGBH Educational Foundation. Students help digitize and preserve public media collections, expanding access to historically significant recordings while developing professional skills that prepare them for careers in archives, preservation and digital stewardship.
Technology to Enhance Learning Lab (TELL) explores how emerging technologies can enhance learning, training and human performance. The lab conducts research in areas such as extended reality (XR), embodied learning, educational games and innovative instructional technologies, while providing students with hands-on opportunities to participate in research, internships and technology-driven learning experiences that prepare them for careers in education and learning design.
How Audiences Learn Korean Culture and Language Through Reading Webtoons
How Audiences Learn Korean Culture and Language Through Reading Webtoons examines how digital comics can support informal learning and cultural exploration. The project explores American readers' motivations for engaging with Webtoons and investigates how the platform contributes to learning about Korean language, culture and society, providing new insights into digital storytelling, literacy and cross-cultural learning.
Venus Pompeiana Project gives iSchool students hands-on experience in digital archives and cultural heritage preservation. Working alongside faculty and researchers, students help organize, preserve and present archaeological artifacts, spatial data and site photography from Pompeii, making important historical resources more accessible for research, education and public engagement.
The WeMake Design & Learn Lab is a makerspace in 101A Townsend Hall that gives students hands-on experience with 3D printing, scanning, CNC routing, and makerspace culture. Students learn to use the lab’s equipment and create their own CAD designs to prototype class projects, supported by tools such as multiple 3D printers, a CNC router, and modeling workstations.
The faculty at the School of Information Science & Learning Technologies conduct cutting-edge research in areas such as data science, online learning, educational technology, and digital literacy. They are the forefront of innovation, exploring the intersection of technology and education to improve information access and dissemination in the digital age.
