Research and Development
The LEAP Group applies engineering design and systems principles to solving challenges in learning and develops technology, experiences, and content to better address the educational needs of MIT’s Mechanical department, nation, and world. Research and development is broadly categorized into three areas (i) mixed reality, multi-sensory, and interactive digital experiences, (ii) innovative pedagogy, and (iii) online learning experiences and tools. Ultimately, we are applying learning engineering to the learning of engineering!
Publications and Reports

Higgason, E., Enns, G., Wight, J., Welsh, E., Hart, A.J., Liu, J., Physically Contextualized Machining Instructions through Augmented Reality. 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings. [pdf]

Ovitigala, N., Comeau, B., Welsh, E., Fang, N., and Liu, J. Low-Cost Haptics and Visualization to Learn the Atomic Force Microscope Force-Distance Curve. 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings. [pdf]

Ngo, M., Welsh, E., Studer, K., Comeau, B., Fang, N., and Liu, J., Opening Up the Black Box: an Augmented Reality Look into the Scanning Electron Microscope. 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings. [pdf]


*ASEE ’21 Professional Interest Council II Best Paper Award and ASEE ’21 Manufacturing Division Best Paper Award







Recent Talks and Workshops
Augmented Reality Manufacturing Education
Talk at National Machining and Tooling Association (NMTA) Manufacturing Career Summit, May 2021.
Lessons on Remote Instruction in the Age of COVID
Talk at the University of Ibadan, College of Medicine, April 2021.
Scaling Engineering Education and Training
Talk at PTC Edu Tech Webinars, March 2021.
Manufacturing Workforce Training at Scale
Talk at MIT Center for Additive and Digital Advanced Production Technologies members meeting, January 2021.
Manufacturing Workers
Panel talk at J-WEL Connections, October, 2020.
Perspectives from around MIT: Digital Learning
Panel talk at J-WEL Higher Education Workshop, July 2020.
Explain Everything Digital Whiteboarding and Tablet Style Video Creation
TLL Workshop, July 2020.
Tips from Teachers on Moving Laboratory Experiences Online
Grants
2.005.1x Thermal-Fluids
Development of the CrowdLearn Tool v3
Prof. Rohit Karnik, Dr. John Liu, Dr. Karene Chu, Dr. Jen French, Meghan Perdue, and Dr. Jessica Sandland. MITx Express Explorations Grant. Awarded June 2021.
Augmented Reality Instruction for Hands-on Manufacturing Skills
Dr. John Liu and Prof. John Hart. J-WEL Workforce Learning Innovation Research Grant. Awarded June 2020.
Learning Nanotechnology through Multi-modal Experiences
2.25x Advanced Fluid Mechanics
Augmented Reality Instruction for Hands-on Manufacturing Skills
Development of the ‘CrowdLearn’ Tool
Prof. Rohit Karnik, Dr. John Liu, Dr. Karene Chu, Dr. Jen French, Meghan Perdue, and Dr. Jessica Sandland. MITx Express Explorations Grant. Awarded December 2019
Augmented Reality Instruction for Manufacturing Analysis
3D Visual Media in 2.008r/x
2.008x Fundamentals of Manufacturing Processes