David W. Jackson (he/him/his)

I call myself an “engineer-turned-educator-with-a-research-habit”. In general, I study, co-design, and implement learning environments that promote student engagement in science and engineering, particularly with young adolescents, in ways that forge dynamic solidarities between minoritized and majoritized communities. I have been doing this work for 18-plus years now: 10 years as a classroom teacher during the school day, and eight-plus years with clubs, camps, and research groups.
Most recently, my work has manifested in dialectical models of student engagement, embedding computation in required K-12 science classes, and near-peer models of teaching and mentoring.

• Ph.D., Boston College, Curriculum and Instruction (2022)
• M.Ed., Endicott College, Education Administration (2015)
• M.A.T., Boston University, Science Education (grades 5-8) (2008)
• B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chemical Engineering (2004)

• Conference Grant; Boston College, Graduate Education Association; 2019-01-28;
• Conference Grant; Boston College, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; 2019-01-20;
• Conference & Research Grant; Boston College, Graduate Student Association; 2018-02-23;
• Robert A. Boit Writing Prize for Poetry, Honorable Mention; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 2004-01-01;
• Merck Engineering & Technology Fellowship; Merck & Co., Inc.; 2001-01-01;

• Jackson, D. W.* (2022). ‘Magic’ or ‘maybe…other years’: Designing for young adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in an invention camp. International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2022.2120781
• Jackson, D. W.* & Cheng, Y. (2022). Maintaining pluralism when embedding computational thinking in required science and engineering classes with young adolescents. Computer Science Education, 32(2), 235-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2021.1940787
• Jackson, D. W.*, Cheng, Y., Meng, Q., & Xu, Y. (2022). “Smart” greenhouses and pluridisciplinary spaces: Supporting adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in computation across disciplines. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, 4(6), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-022-00046-1
• Zhang, H.*, Jackson, D., Kiel, J., Estabrooks, L., Kim, S. L., Kim, D., Couch, S. & Barnett, G. M. (2021). Heat Reinvented: Using a Lunchbox-Design Project to Apply Multidisciplinary Knowledge and Develop Invention-Related Practices. Science Scope, 45(1). Available in print, and also online at https://www.nsta.org/science-scope/science-scope-septemberoctober-2021/heat-reinvented
• Asante, C. K.*, Semerjian, A., Xu, P., Jackson, D., Cheng, Y., Chasen, A., Shah, A., Brett, J., & Broadstone, M. (2021). An Integrated STEM and Computing Curriculum for the Human-Technology Frontier: The Case of a Smart Greenhouse. Connected Science Learning 3(2). https://www.nsta.org/connected-science-learning/connected-science-learning-march-april-2021/integrated-stem-and

• Jackson, D.W.*, Zhang, H.*, Anderson, E., Barnett, M., Chao, J., Connor, C., Lee, H.-S., Lee, I., Lore, C., Perret, B., Pallant, A., Phatak, J.^, Proctor, C., Shah, S. A.^, & Wagh, A. (2023, June). Computation within and beyond Disciplinary Communities: Learnings from K-12 In-School-Time Studies. Accepted Symposium for the 2023 Annual Meeting of the International Society of the Learning Sciences—ISLS 2023.;
• Jackson, D.*, Meng, Q., Shah, S. A., & Zhang, H. (2022, June). Prior experience of students, teachers, or both? Impacts on affective factors for physical computing. In Weinberger, A. Chen, W., Herna´ndez-Leo, D., & Chen, B. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning—CSCL 2022 (pp. 609-610). Hiroshima, Japan: International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://www.dropbox.com/s/9mwx6t8mi75op15/CSCL2022%20Proceedings.pdf?dl=0;
• Ali, S.*, DiPaola, D., Lee, I., Jackson, D. W., Kiel, J., Beal, K., Zhang, H., Cheng, Y., & Breazeal, C. (2020, July). Adapting K-12 AI Learning for Online Instruction. Workshop at the 21st International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2020).;
• Davila, A.*, Meerkins, T. M., Jackson, D., Olle, C., Nnamdi Ezema, G., Garcia, R., …, Blustein, D. L. (2019, August). Near-Peer Mentors' Conceptualizations and Perceptions of Mentorship Experience. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA), Chicago, IL.;
• Skukauskaite, A.*, Couch, S., Alemdar, M., Moore, R., Newton, S., Calabrese Barton, A., Tan, E., Greenberg, D. W., Roby, R. S., Flynn, L., Zhang, H., Estabrooks, L., Perry, A. M., Kim, D., Kim, S. L., Jackson, D. W., & Bendiksen, P. (2020, April). Creating Innovative Learning Environments through Community and Interdisciplinary Connections for Invention Education. Structured poster session with Division C - Learning and Instruction, Section 3a: Learning Environments, at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).;

• Member, Equitable Participation Working Group, ISLS (International Society of the Learning Sciences)
  04/17/2023-05/26/2023