FORM 8840 Design of Formative Experiences

This doctoral seminar examines formative education through the lenses of design thinking, developmental psychology, and the learning sciences. Through reading and discussion, and visits by guest speakers, it explores the nature of experiential and holistic learning, the impact of artificial intelligence, the relation of education and entrepreneurship, and other topics. Seminar students will themselves participate in an iterative design process, a hands-on inquiry into the role of design and innovation in the development and implementation of technology-rich formative learning experiences.

Course overview

Department
Formative Education
School
Lynch
Credits
3
Level
Graduate
Offered
Annually

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
4.10 / 5 · Very Good
10 responses
Instructor rating
4.50 / 5 · Excellent
10 responses
Terms evaluated
1
Most recent: Spring 2025

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Spring 2025Marina Bers4.14.53.84.14.14.64.64.64–6 hrs/week10 of 12

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Marina Bers
    Fall 2026, Spring 2025 · Official rating 4.50/5

Sections

  • Section 01
    Fall 2026 · Marina Bers · Carney Hall 306 W 10:00AM-12:20PM · Offered