Director of Games Research Lab,
Coordinator of MA Program in Design and Development of Digital Games
Co-Coordinator of MA Program in Communication and Education
B.S. with Honors in Computer Science, Schreyer Honors College Program, The Pennsylvania State University (2002)
PhD in Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University (2009) Dissertation Title: Understanding How Identity Supportive Games (ISG) Can Impact Asian-American Possible Selves
Scholarly Interests
Dr. Joey J. Lee is Senior Lecturer of Technology and Education, Director of the Games Research Lab and Coordinator of the M.A. Program in Design and Development of Digital Games at Teachers College, Columbia University. He designs, develops and studies games and game-like experiences such as immersive technologies (e.g. virtual reality and augmented reality) for education and social impact. His projects include eudaimonic game design (i.e., designing interactive experiences to support people reaching their full potential), the study of ethics in technology design (i.e., the possible positive or negative impacts of technology on human relationships and well-being), and the creation of digital and non-digital games for climate change education, motivation, identity formation, and cross-cultural education.
Selected Publications
Li, X., & Lee, J. J. (2024). Failure Stories and Surprising Findings: Learning from When VR Did Not Work. In International Conference on Immersive Learning (pp. 22-36). Springer, Cham.
Lee, J. J. & Hu-Au, E. (2021). E3XR: An Analytical Framework for Ethical, Educational and Eudaimonic XR Design. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 2(1).
Pfirman, S., O’Garra, T., Bachrach, E., Brunacini, J., Reckien, D., Lee, J. J., & Lukasiewicz, E. (2021). “Stickier” Learning Through Gameplay: An Effective Approach to Climate Change Education. Journal of Geoscience Education, 68(5).
O'Garra, T., Reckien, D., Pfirman, S., Bachrach Simon, E., Bachman, G., Brunacini, J., & Lee, J. (2021). Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach. Ecology and Society, 26(2).
Lee, J. J. (2020). Games Can Teach About Climate Change and Motivate Ecofriendly Actions. School Library Journal.
Hu-Au, E., & Lee, J. J. (2017). Virtual reality in education: A tool for learning in the experience age. International Journal of Innovation in Education, 4(4), 215-226.
Heil, C.R., Wu, J.S., Lee, J. J., & Schmidt, T. (2016). A review of mobile language learning applications: Trends, challenges, and opportunities. EuroCall Review, 24(2).
Cai, S., Chiang, F., Suna, Y., Lin, C. & Lee, J. J. (2016). Applications of augmented reality-based natural interactive learning in magnetic field instruction. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(4).
Wu, J. S. & Lee, J. J. (2015). Climate change games as tools for education and engagement. Nature Climate Change, 5(1), 413-418.(Impact factor: 14.547)
Lee, J. J., Pfirman, S., Toynton, T., & Matamoros, E. (2014). EcoChains: A Multiplayer Card Game to Teach Food Webs, Climate Change and Systems Thinking. Games, Learning and Society Conference, June 2014, Madison, WI.
Lee, J. J. (2013). Game mechanics to promote new understandings of identity and ethnic minorities. Digital Culture and Education, 5(2), 127-150.
Lee, J. J., Ceyhan, P., Jordan-Cooley, W., & Sung, W. (2013). Greenify: Real-world missions for climate change education. Simulation and Gaming.
Lee, J. J., Matamoros, E., Kern, R., deLuna, C., Marks, J., Jordan-Cooley, W. (May 2013). Greenify: fostering sustainable communities via gamification. ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2013, Paris, France.
Lee, J. J., Ceyhan, P., Jordan-Cooley, W., & Sung, W. (2012). Greenify: real-world missions for climate change education. Games, Learning and Society (GLS) Conference, Madison, WI.
Lee, J. J., Liao, E., & Ahn, S. (2012). Experience points for learning: Student perceptions of game mechanics for the classroom. Games, Learning and Society (GLS) Conference, Madison, WI.
Lee, J. J. & Hammer, J. (2011). Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother? Academic Exchange Quarterly, 15(2).
Lee, J. J., & Li, V. A. (2011, August). Identity Supportive Games: A Game-Based Approach to Asian-American Identity Development in Adolescents. Poster presented at the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Convention (APA).
Hoadley, C., Xu, H., Lee, J. J., Rosson, M. (2010). Privacy as Information Access and Illusory Control: The Case of the Facebook News Feed Privacy Outcry. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 9(1): 50-60.
Lee, J. J., & Hoadley, C. (2007). Leveraging Identity to Make Learning Fun: Possible Selves and Experiential Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). Innovate Journal of Online Education, 3(6).
Lee, J. J. (2008, June). Understanding How Identity Supportive Games Can Impact Asian-American Possible Selves. Presented at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2008) Doctoral Consortium, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Lee, J. J., Gaydos, M., Hoadley, C. (2008). Identities, Stereotypes, and Constructing Avatars for Success in Math. In Learning and Research in the Web 2 Era: New Opportunities for Research (J. Slotta, organizer). Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2008) Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Hoadley, C., Lee, J. J., & Sockman, B. R. (2008, March) Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Educational Technology Design Teams: A Cross-Case Analysis Using the TACIT Framework. Roundtable Paper. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, March 24-28, 2008.
Lee, J. J., Hoadley, C., & Sockman, B. R. (2008, March) TACIT as a Reflective Tool for Improving Educational Software Partnerships. Poster presented at the Technology Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS) annual meeting held during the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, March 24-28, 2008.
Lee, J. J., Hoadley, C., Xu, H., Rosson, M. B. (2008, February). How to anger Internet users by sharing information they've already published: Privacy attitudes and the Facebook controversy. Poster presented at the 2008 Information Sciences and Technology Graduate Symposium: Creativity and Innovation: The Future of Information, Technology, and the Enterprise.
Lee, J. J., & Hoadley, C. (2007). Leveraging identity to make learning fun: Possible selves and experiential learning in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Innovate Journal of Online Education, 3(6).
Lee, J. J. and Hoadley, C. (2006). "Ugly in a world where you can choose to be beautiful": Teaching and learning about diversity via virtual worlds. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS06), Bloomington, Indiana, June 2006, pp. 383-389.
Lee, J. J. and Hoadley, C. (2006). Online identity as a leverage point for learning in massively multiplayer online games (MMORPGs). In Proceedings of the 6th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT06), Kekrade, the Netherlands, July 2006, pp. 761-763.
Lee, J. J., Hellar, D. B., & Hoadley, C. (2006). Gender, Gaming, and IT Careers. In E. M. Trauth (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Gender and Information Technology, Hershey, PA: Idea Group, Inc.
The Assistant Professor who runs TC's Games Research Lab tells the Wall Street Journal some video games encourage players to persist through failure. and that's a good thing
Book by Joey Lee and Jessica Hammer Cited in Wired Story about new interactivity in the classroom and one of its results, the "gamification" of education.
The Assistant Professor of Communication, Computing and Technology in Education, who designs and tests digital and paper-based educational games, told the Sydney (Australia) Herald that games work in the classroom because they are highly engaging for young students. "There is something within these games that is fulfilling real human needs."
When was the last time you could walk into an art gallery and start playing chess?
Now, thanks to Game Show NYC - The Art of Learning Through Games, the current exhibit at Macy Gallery, gallery-goers can do just that-'"and more. On exhibit from May 16 through June 3, the current show "expands the concept of an art show by making the enjoyment of art an interactive and educative experience."