Sandra Okita

Sandra Okita is an Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she serves as Program Director in the Communication, Media, and Learning Technologies Design program within the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology. She holds dual PhDs from Stanford University (Learning Sciences) and Keio University (Human-Computer Interaction).

Research Focus:

• Developing pedagogical agents and virtual environments that enhance learning through social interaction
• Designing sociable robots as peer learners to study cognition and collaborative learning
• Exploring virtual reality and mixed reality for science education
• Theoretical work on self-other monitoring, learning by teaching, and recursive feedback

Publication Trends:

• 15+ publications (2004-2022) on robotics in education, virtual learning environments, and social learning theories
• Key areas: Human-Robot Interaction, STEM Education, Metacognition, and Technology-Enhanced Learning
• Notable works: Learning by Teaching, Recursive Feedback Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Robots

Awards & Grants:

• 15+ research grants (2001-2026) from NSF, Google VR Research Program, and Honda Research Institute
• Recipient of Dean's Faculty Diversity Research Award (2011-2012)
• 2008 Best Paper Award at International Conference of the Learning Sciences