About the Lab
We design systems that help teachers make better decisions.
IDEOGRID is developed and maintained by Learning Systems Lab — a research group dedicated to designing decision-support systems for education.
Why We Exist
Classrooms are complex. Decisions shouldn't be harder than they need to be.
Teachers make an estimated 1,500 instructional decisions per day. They face overwhelming data streams, fragmented tools, and a critical absence of structured decision frameworks.
Most educational technology responds by adding more data. We build interpretation systems instead. The lab's research examines how teachers actually make instructional decisions — and designs systems that make those decisions more consistent, more timely, and more effective.
Research Philosophy
Three principles guide everything.
Structure over raw data
Data without decision structure creates noise. Structure transforms data into decisions.
Interpretation over dashboards
Dashboards display information. Interpretation systems surface meaning and present action options.
Systems over tools
A tool helps a teacher do a task. A system changes how the school makes decisions over time.
Relationship Map
How the pieces connect.
Research generates ideas. IDEOGRID operationalizes them. Case studies validate them. The cycle feeds back — classroom evidence informs the next research question.