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Design as Data: Qualitative Methods for Researching Learning Technologies
Design as Data invites us to look beyond outcomes and artefacts, and to treat the decisions, negotiations, revisions, and judgements that shape the development of learning technologies as evidence in their own right. In this session, Sara will introduce qualitative methods that allow us to study how knowledge, values, and expertise are made visible through technological design choices.
Sara will share her recent work with Ferrero, Gameloft and Microsoft AI to generate more than 40,000 AI-generated digital storybooks that are freely available in 18 languages. The Let’s Story platform launched in September 2024 and has now collected data from 6 millions readers globally.
During the session we will explore the epistemic co-creation that occurred as industry, technology and academia worked together to build a digital tool for young learners and their families that has won a series of awards including the Parent’s Pick Gold Award (2025) for Best Educational App and Drum Gold Award (2025) for Best Education & E-learning Content.
The Learning in Families through Technology (LiFT) project is a collaborative research initiative based in the Department of Education. LiFT brings together expertise from applied linguistics, child development and learning, and critical digital education to examine how families engage with app-based digital technologies in everyday contexts. The project, led by Professor Victoria Murphy (PI) and Associate Professor Sandra Mathers (Co-I), focuses on understanding language development, creativity, and parent – child interaction, with particular attention to how learning unfolds through joint media engagement rather than individualised screen use. Through a combination of qualitative inquiry, experimental studies, and learning analytics, LiFT aims to generate evidence that can inform the responsible design of digital learning experiences for children and families.
Join on Teams: teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWY4ZDkyMjctOTYwMi00Y2E3LWI1YTQtMjA1Mzg1NWJjMTQy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%225f581465-1def-4d51-8d4c-45a3b26b5b58%22%7d
Date:
29 January 2026, 12:45
Venue:
15 Norham Gardens, 15 Norham Gardens OX2 6PY
Venue Details:
Seminar Room A and MS Teams
Speaker:
Dr Sara Ratner (University of Oxford)
Organising department:
Department of Education
Organiser:
Professor Velda Elliott (University of Oxford)
Part of:
Qualitative Methods Hub Seminars
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editors:
Hannah Freeman,
Heather Sherkunov,
Kristina Khoo,
Shaena Sinclair
