Student Experience

Capstone Project

Your thesis is an opportunity to integrate your prior experiences with what you've learned in the Games for Learning curriculum, toward a culminating project of personal and professional interest. Your thesis will demonstrate creativity and rigor in theory and practice, as well as an understanding of current and future trends in educational technology and media design for learning—whether your focus is on creating a learning experience or technology, or conducting a theoretical investigation or empirical research study.

Your thesis may be a completely new idea, or a major expansion of a prior course project. You may choose to work independently, or in collaboration with others within or outside of your program.

Graduating students present their thesis projects at a public celebratory event attended by the ECT community, industry partners, family, and friends.

: Fractured Kingdom: A Fraction Learning Game (Wenjie Huang & Tsz yin (Owen) Tsoi): Fractured Kingdom helps kids practice fractions through adaptive 5-min game loops aligned with Common Core-fun, fast, and focused.
Bubble Letters: A Learning Game Design (Darryl Hutchinson): An analysis of reading literacy instruction, assessment and game design affordances culminates in a learning game design for K-4 reading literacy.
A Study of Virtual Accompany in Learning Impact (Jingying Deng): A study of how the virtual companions in games affect learners’ focus, emotion, and learning outcomes.
Rhythm Skill Development in Video Games (Channing Yang): A rhythm-based video game that improves musical timing and rhythmic comprehension.

ECT Internship Program

The Internship Program is a 3-credit, semester-long elective course that provides students with professional field experience in diverse ECT-related career areas. This optional opportunity will allow you to explore diverse opportunities in the profession throughout the New York metropolitan area, learning through supervised participation in instructional technology, instructional design and production, and a wide range of other professional positions and practices.

Internships are an essential complement to academic course work, particularly if you have not yet had professional work experience. Internships enable you to apply and refine what you learn in your coursework, under the supervision of professionals in a professional setting.

: You may begin an internship in your second semester and may do a maximum of two internships by registering for the Media Practicum: Field Internships (EDCT-GE 2197), which is offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. This course offers 3 graduate credits, which may be used to fulfill degree requirements, and for which interns must spend 180 hours in the field (approximately 12 hours for 15 weeks, though this may be adjusted).
Taking advantage of ECT’s network of trusted program partners, you’ll gain access to high-quality, pre-vetted internship opportunities, personalized advising, small-group coaching, and regular check-ins to help you make the most of your experience. To support your success, ECT advisors work directly with your site supervisors to help them onboard you effectively, provide feedback, and create a meaningful, supportive learning environment tailored to your goals. If you prefer to take a more independent approach, you can also explore a wider range of internship options and secure one on your own, while still getting course credit as long as the internship meets certain requirements.

Events & Opportunities

Brownbag Speaker Series

The ECT Brownbag Speaker Series is a guest speaker series forum for sharing work and exchanging ideas related to design, research, educational technology and the learning sciences. Hear from academic and industry experts, as well as ECT doctoral students who have completed major degree milestones.

Portfolio Competition

Grow and refine your professional portfolio with the ECT Portfolio Competition, where faculty provide feedback on how well your portfolio captures your identity, experience, and professional presentation.

Conferences and Collaboration

Here, you'll benefit from opportunities to connect, collaborate, and present your work with peers and professors at the forefront of the field. From conferences like the annual Connected Learning Summit or the NYU Steinhardt AI Summit, to the Thesis Expo and Video Showcase, you'll grow as both a scholar and practitioner.