Christopher Quintana

Christopher Quintana serves as an Associate Professor at the Marsal Family School of Education, University of Michigan. His research integrates education and learning sciences with human-computer interaction and computer science, focusing on scaffolded software tools to enhance middle school science education through learner-centered design processes.

He earned a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Texas at El Paso and both MS and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Quintana's research spans Learning Sciences, Human-Computer Interaction, and Educational Technology with emphases on mobile learning integration, wearable technologies for classroom monitoring, and scaffolding frameworks. He pioneered the NSF-funded Zydeco Project connecting science classrooms and museums via mobile devices, exploring how technology bridges formal and informal learning environments. His work also addresses design thinking methodologies for educational technology development and universal design principles for inquiry-based science curricula.

No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided information.

Quintana secured multiple NSF grants including Universal Design of Inquiry-Based Middle and High School Science Curriculum (2007-2009), Design Guidelines for Learner-Centered Scaffolding on Handheld Computers (2003-2006), and A Digital IdeaKeeper for K-12 (2002-2008). As principal investigator in the Center for Highly Interactive Classrooms, Curricula, and Computing in Education (hi-ce), he developed scaffolding frameworks like ASSESS and Symphony2. Current projects include Climate Justice initiatives exploring environmental justice through place-based learning and Tech Tools for Supporting Human Agency leveraging AI to enhance learning contexts.

He actively develops technology-enhanced learning spaces within the Marsal Family School of Education and teaches courses on learning technology design and assessment, while investigating wearable technologies for teacher classroom monitoring and K-12 learning environment optimization.