My research explores 21st century learning. I am particularly interested in how learning communities’ cultural characteristics and pedagogical processes impact identities, relationships, and skill development. To deeply understand the people and ecologies that I study, I utilize mixed methods to collect data (e.g., participant-observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups) and to analyze data (e.g., grounded theory, content analysis, descriptive statistics, parametrical tests, regression). My work has been published in the Journal of Media Literacy Education; American Journal of Media Psychology; International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society; and Evaluation and Program Planning. I also have contributed chapters to three edited volumes.
I earned a doctoral degree in Communication from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in Child Development from Tufts University, and a bachelor’s degree in Social Policy from Northwestern University.
Click here for Dr. Felt’s curriculum vitae (CV, an academic resume).
EDUCATION
University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism | Los Angeles, CA
Ph.D., Communication, 2014
Dissertation: “Towards 21st Century Learning: Culture, Process, and Skills”
Chair:
Dr. Henry Jenkins, USC Provost’s Professor of Communication, Cinematic Arts, Education, and Journalism
Committee:
Dr. Virginia Kuhn, Associate Professor of the Practice of Cinematic Arts, Media Arts + Practice Division, USC School of Cinematic Arts & Associate Director, Institute for Multimedia Literacy
Dr. Patti Riley, Associate Professor, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism & Director, Global Communication Master’s Degree Program
Tufts University, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development | Medford, MA
M.A., Child Development, 2006
Concentration: Children’s media
Applied internship with PBS Kids television show Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman at WGBH studios in Boston, MA
Thesis: “ttyl: Adolescent girls, social aggression, and Instant Messenger”
Co-Chairs: Dr. Julie Dobrow, Dr. Calvin L. Gidney
Northwestern University, School of Education and Social Policy | Evanston, IL
B.S., Education and Social Policy, 2002
Minors: Political Science, French
Applied practicum in the office of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) in Washington, D.C.
Junior year abroad at Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris III in Paris, France
Thesis: “Education vs. care: Comparative child care practices and ideologies in the United States, France, and Norway”
Chair: Dr. Gunhild Hagestad
Academic Presentations
Felt, L.J. (November 9, 2014). How Improvisation Ignites Learning. Paper presented at Applied Improvisation Network World Conference, Austin, TX.
Felt, L.J. (July 19, 2014). Improvisation: The Key to 21st Century Learning. Paper presented at VS. INTERPRETATION Conference, Prague, Czech Republic.
Dura, L., Felt, L.J. & Singhal, A. (June 18, 2013). Cultural Beacons: Grassroots Indicators of Change.Paper presented at 63rd Annual International Communication Association Conference, London, UK.
Joeckel, S., Fleischer, S., Desmond, R., Staksrud, E., Jennings, N., Lemish, D., & L.J. Felt. (June 17, 2013). Creating meaningful assignments. In ICA’s Children, Adolescents and Media Preconference, Teaching CAM: Pedagogical issues and practical strategies for sharing theory and research related to children, adolescents and media. 63rd Annual International Communication Association Conference. London, UK.
Felt, L.J. (April 10, 2013). Playing for Change. 5th Annual Annenberg Fellows Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Felt, L.J., Guller, J., & Poonglia, S. (April 10, 2013). A Face is Worth a Thousand Words. 5th Annual Annenberg Fellows Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Brennan, K., Felt, L.J., Garcia, A., Hickey, D.T., Kirn, S., Literat, I., & E. Reilly. (March 16, 2013). DML 2013-PLAY! v2. 4th Annual Digital Media & Learning Conference. Chicago, IL.
Felt, L.J. (March 15, 2013). DML-Sunukaddu. BONUS PRESENTATION: DML-Sunukaddu, Since 2010. 4th Annual Digital Media & Learning Conference. Chicago, IL.
Felt, L.J., Vartabedian, V., Literat, I., & Mehta, R. (November 17, 2012). Explore Locally, Excel Digitally: A participatory learning-oriented after-school program for enriching citizenship on- and offline. Paper presented at 98th Annual National Communication Association Conference, Orlando, FL.
Hobbs, R., Clark, L., Cordell, R., Felt, L.J., Kleinberg, J., & M. Visser. (June 23, 2012). What is digital literacy? A multi-voiced panel discussion. Annual American Library Association Conference & Exhibition. Anaheim, CA.
Felt, L.J. (April 11, 2012). Explore Locally, Excel Digitally: A participatory learning-oriented after-school program for enriching citizenship on- and offline. 4th Annual Annenberg Fellows Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Corwin, Z., Fullerton, T., Felt, L.J., Bouchard, S., Swensen, E., Sablan, J., Monterosa, & V. Vartabedian. (March 1, 2012). Divide and Conquer: Examining and Confronting the Digital Divide. 3rd Annual Digital Media & Learning Conference. San Francisco, CA.
Singhal, A., Dura, L., & Felt, L.J. (November 19, 2011). What counts? For whom? Valuing cultural scorecards. Paper presented at 97th Annual National Communication Association Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Felt, L.J. & Schrock, A. (April 15, 2011). PLAY! Participatory Learning And You! 3rd Annual Annenberg Fellows Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Vartabedian, V., Felt, L.J., Literat, I., Schrock, A., & Klosterman, M. (March 3, 2011). Characteristics of participatory learning. 2nd Annual Digital Media & Learning Conference. Long Beach, CA.
Felt, L.J., Literat, I., & Morgan, M. (November 18, 2010). New Media Literacies: The core challenges of implementation and assessment in international contexts. Global Education Conference. Elluminate.com.
Felt, L.J. (November 16, 2010). Leveraging new media literacies & social & emotional learning to enrich teen education in Senegal. Paper presented at 96th Annual National Communication Association Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Felt, L.J. (April 30, 2010). Can social and emotional learning and new media literacies SAVE THE WORLD (or at least pedagogy)?: Participatory learning in an HIV/AIDS intervention to Senegalese adolescents. 2nd Annual Annenberg Fellows Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Felt, L.J. (April 15, 2010). “She could take down a small deer”: Food and childhood obesity in primetime television. 3rd Annual University of Southern California Childhood Obesity Research Center Childhood Obesity Research Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Felt, L.J. (August 3, 2009). Parents as policymakers: Parents’ perspectives on regulating media aired for children. National Association for Media Literacy Education Conference. Detroit, MI.
Felt, L.J. (November 8, 2009). Clash of both worlds: Femininity meets masculinity on Hannah Montana. 2nd Annual University of Southern California Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week Research Fair. Los Angeles, CA.
Felt, L.J. (June 25, 2007). ttyl: Adolescent girls, social aggression, and Instant Messenger. National Association for Media Literacy Education Conference. St. Louis, MO.
Felt, L.J. (February 25, 2005). Dora the Explorer as vocabulary builder: Investigating the impact of this quasi-bilingual childrenʼs program on preschoolersʼ second language acquisition. 22nd Annual Harvard Graduate School of Education International Forum. Cambridge, MA.
Practitioner Workshops
Felt, L.J. (September 12, 2017). Playful Public Speaking. Workshop facilitated at USC Rossier School of Education, Los Angeles, CA.
Felt, L.J. (February 12, 2016). Playful Problem Solving Through Improv. Workshop facilitated at The Heart Series, Los Angeles, CA.
Belanger, J., Felt, L.J., Luera, W., & M.W. Robbgrieco. (November 20, 2015). Laughing to Learn: How Humor Communication Supports Media Education— a workshop blending theoretical inquiry, textual analysis, ethnographic research and participatory performance. Workshop co-facilitated at International Media Education Summit, Boston, MA.
Cayetano, C., Felt, L.J., Love, K., Mutua, E.M., Sindelar, K., Wentzel, B., & E. Yook. (November 19, 2015). Experiential Learning in the Communication Center: Embracing Opportunities in the K-12 Community. Short course co-presented at 101st Annual National Communication Association Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Felt, L.J. (October 12, 2015). Personal Scavenger Hunt through the California Science Center. Challenge presented at Sandbox Summit West, Los Angeles, CA.
Lipmanowicz, H. & Felt, L.J. (November 7, 2014). Liberating Structures: How to Unleash the Performance of Any Group, Instantly and Without a Script. Workshop co-facilitated at Applied Improvisation Network World Conference, Austin, TX.
Felt, L.J. & Ben-David, R. (October 10, 2014). Service Learning for Global Competence: Perspectives and Strategies from High School and College. Interactive course offered at Project Zero Perspectives: Making, Thinking, Understanding, San Francisco, CA.
Felt, L.J. & Greenberg, E. (July 13, 2013). The Comedy of Media Literacy: Using improv to build ML skills. Workshop presented at National Association for Media Literacy Education Conference, Torrance, CA.
Felt, L.J. (April 13, 2012). Playing for Change: Participatory learning, improvisational theater, and impact games for individual and collective enrichment. 1st Annual Changemakers’ Summit. El Paso, TX.
Jenkins, H., Reilly, E., Vartabedian, V., Felt, L.J., Carthew, K. & A. Khan. (March 1, 2012). Challenge-based learning and the PLAYground: What is challenge-based learning and how can we use an online platform to explore it? 3rd Annual Digital Media & Learning Conference. San Francisco, CA.