Faculty and Academic Contributors
The MS in Educational Psychology – Learning Analytics teaching team consists of a combination of Department of Educational Psychology faculty members, learning analytics practitioners, and leading researchers. Together they integrate research and practice to create and present market-based coursework designed to prepare students for the learning analytics field.
David Williamson Shaffer
Credentials: Faculty Director, Learning Analytics program
Dr. David Williamson Shaffer is the Vilas Distinguished Professor of Learning Sciences at UW-Madison and a data philosopher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Before coming to UW, Dr. Shaffer taught grades 4-12 in the US and abroad, including two years working with the US Peace Corps in Nepal. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from MIT. His current focus is on merging statistical and qualitative methods to model complex and collaborative thinking skills; his lab, Epistemic Analytics, focuses on the process and outcomes of “turning data into meaning.” Dr. Shaffer has authored more than 250 publications with over 100 co-authors, including the books How Computer Games Help Children Learn and Quantitative Ethnography.
David is the developer for EdPsych 501: Thinking and Learning and EdPsych 551: Quantitative Ethnography
David is the co-developer for EdPsych 560: Foundations of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods
2021-2023 Teaching Assistants
Program Development and Support Staff
Staff from the Department of Educational Psychology, School of Education, and Division of Continuing Studies work together to ensure students have a smooth application and enrollment process, support for technological issues, curriculum and career advising, and other logistical assistance.
