Dr. Madison Allen Kuyenga

I am an Assistant Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems at The Pennsylvania State University.

​I earned my doctorate in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University, where I studied the cultural, social, and political aspects of teaching and learning with technology. Drawing on my background in sociology and African American studies, I use qualitative methods to explore culturally sustaining design and implementation strategies for K-12 computer science (CS) education.

My research examines how cultural practices (e.g., barbering, cosmetology, patternmaking) and epistemologies (i.e., ways of knowing) can be learned and sustained while acquiring CS skills. This often involves collaborating with cultural experts and creating simulations of cultural practices using algorithms (e.g., a simulation of a plain fabric weave here).

Overall, my research focuses on sustaining the cultural practices of historically excluded peoples, highlighting the computational value of these practices and cultures, challenging the myths of value- and culture-free CS, and cultivating the creative and imaginative aspects of CS education.