Professor Miri Barak

Dean

Dr. Miri Barak (Eng.) is a Professor of Science and Engineering Education, at the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology. She is the Head of the Science and Learning Technologies (SLT) group, which investigates cognitive and sociocultural aspects of online learning and the promotion of 21st century skills. Her work involves two major research areas: Engineering education, examining unique approaches for innovation cultivation; and Science education, examining knowledge construction and motivation to learn, using location-based applications and gamification.  Dr. Barak is a Cum Laude graduate of the Technion’s Faculty of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, ‎and started her career in the industry as an R&D Engineer. She received her MSc ‎and PhD degrees at the Technion ‎and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Educational Computing Initiatives ‎‎(CECI) at MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US. ‎She is the former Chair of the Institutional Review Board for Ethics in Behavioral Science Research and the former Assistant to the Technion’s SVPR for the Promotion of Learning and Teaching. Currently she is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, UK. She is a PI and co-PI of a number of national and international projects on location-based learning (AugmentedWorld), game-based learning (Games of Food), and the development of massive online open courses (MOOCs). ‎ Her academic work is presented in more than 70 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters in leading international and national publications. Google scholar profile I ORCID #0000-0002-7756-6171

  • 1990 – B.Sc. – Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Cum Laude, Technion, Israel
  • 1999 – M.Sc. – Chemistry Education, Technion, Israel
  • 2002 – Ph.D. – Chemistry Education, Technion, Israel
  • 2004 – Post Doctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Barak, M., Harward, J., & Lerman, S. (2007). Studio-based learning via wireless notebooks: A case of a Java programming course. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organization, 1(1), 15-29.

Barak, M., Harward, J., Kocur, G., & Lerman, S. (2007). Transforming an introductory programming course: From lectures to active learning via wireless laptops. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16(4) 325-336. DOI: 10.1007/s10956-007-9055-5

Barak, M. (2007). Transitions from traditional to ICT-enhanced learning environments in undergraduate chemistry courses. Computers & Education, 48(1), 30-43. DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2004.11.004

Barak, M., Ben-Chaim, D., & Zoller, U. (2007). Purposely teaching for the promotion of higher-order thinking skills: A case of critical thinking. Research in Science Education, 37(4), 353-369. DOI 10.1007/s11165-006-9029-2

Barak, M., Carson, K. M., & Zoller, U. (2007). Chemistry is in the News Project: Can a workshop induce a change? Journal of Chemical Education, 84(10), 1712-1716. DOI: 10.1021/ed084p1712

Barak, M., & Dori, Y. J. (2009). Enhancing higher order thinking skills among in-service science education teachers via embedded assessment. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 20(5), 459-474. DOI 10.1007/s10972-009-9141-z

Barak, M., Herscovitz, O., Kaberman, Z., & Dori, Y. J. (2009). MOSAICA: A Web-2.0 based system for the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage. Computers & Education, 53(3), 841-852. DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.05.004

Barak, M., Ashkar, T., & Dori, Y. J. (2011). Learning science via animated movies: Its effect on students’ thinking and motivation. Computers & Education, 56(3), 839-846. DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.025

Barak, M., & Dori, Y. J. (2011). Science education in primary schools: Is an animation worth a thousand pictures? Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(5), 608-620. DOI 10.1007/s10956-011-9315-2

Barak, M., Nissim, Y., & Ben-Zvi, D. (2011). Aptness between teaching roles and teaching strategies while integrating ICT into science education. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 7, 305-322.

Hussein-Farraj R., Barak, M., & Dori, Y. J. (2012). Lifelong learning at the Technion IIT: Graduate students’ perceptions of and experiences in distance learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 8, 115-135.

Barak, M. (2012). Distance education: Towards an organizational and cultural change in higher education. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 6(2), 124-137. DOI:10.1108/17506201211228930

Barak, M., Kozyrev, S., & Dori, D. (2012). The use of visual semantic web for designing virtual expeditions. International Journal of Learning Technology, 7(3), 297-313. DOI:10.1504/IJLT.2012.049196

Barak, M., & Hussein-Farraj, R. (2013). Integrating model-based learning and animations for enhancing students’ understanding of proteins’ structure and function. Research in Science Education, 43(2), 619-636. DOI: 10.1007/s11165-012-9280-7

Barak, M., & Ziv, S. (2013). Wandering: A Web-based platform for the creation of location-based interactive learning objects. Computers & Education, 62, 159-170. DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.10.015

Barak, M. (2014). Closing the gap between attitudes and perceptions about ICT-enhanced learning among pre-service STEM teachers. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 23(1), 1-14. DOI: 10.1007/s10956-013-9446-8

Barak, M., Watted, A., & Haick, H. (2016). Motivation to learn in massive open online courses: examining aspects of language and social engagement. Computers & Education, 94, 49-60. DOI:10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.010

Barak M., & Levenberg A. (2016). Flexible thinking in learning: An individual differences measure for learning in technology-enhanced environments. Computers & Education, 99, 39-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2016.04.003

Barak M., & Levenberg, A. (2016). A model of flexible thinking in contemporary education. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 22, 74–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.09.003

Barak, M., Hussein-Farraj, R., & Dori, Y.J. (2016). On-campus or online: Examining self-regulation and cognitive transfer skills in different learning settings. The International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 13(35), DOI: 10.1186/s41239-016-0035-9

Barak, M. (2017). Science teacher education in the twenty-first century: A pedagogical framework for technology-integrated social constructivism. Research in Science Education, 47(2), 283-303. DOI: 10.1007/s11165-015-9501-y

Barak, M. (2017). Cloud pedagogy: Utilizing web-based technologies for the promotion of social constructivist learning in science teacher preparation courses. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 26(5), 459-469. DOI: 10.1007/s10956-017-9691-3

Watted, A., & Barak, M. (2018). Motivating factors of MOOC completers: Comparing between university-affiliated students and general participants. The Internet and Higher Education, 37, 11-20.

Barak, M., & Asakle, S. (2018). AugmentedWorld: Facilitating the creation of location-based questions. Computers & Education, 121, 89-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.02.014

Barak, M. (2018). Are digital natives open to change? Examining flexible thinking and resistance to change. Computers & Education, 121, 115-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.01.016

Usher, M., & Barak, M. (2018). Peer assessment in a project-based engineering course: Comparing between on-campus and online learning environments. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(5), 745-759. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1405238

Barak, M. & Usher, M. (2019). The innovation profile of nanotechnology team projects of face-to-face and online learners. Computers & Education, 137, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.03.012

Barak, M., Watted, A., & Haick, H. (2020). Establishing the validity and reliability of a modified tool for assessing innovative thinking of engineering students. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 45(2), 212-223.  DOI:10.1080/02602938.2019.1620680

Usher, M., & Barak, M. (2020). Team diversity as a predictor of innovation in projects of online and face-to-face learners. Computers & Education, 144, 103702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103702

Barak, M. & Green G. (2020). Novice researchers’ expectations and views regarding online ethics education and the design components that may foster ethical practice. Science and Engineering Ethics, 26(3), 1403-1421. DOI: 10.1007/s11948-019-00169-1.

Da’as, R., Watted, A., & Barak, M. (2020) Teacher’s withdrawal behavior: examining the impact of principals’ innovative behavior and climate of organizational learning. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(8), 1339-1355. DOI: 10.1108/IJEM-12-2019-0449.

Morad, S., Ragonis, N., & Barak, M. (2021). The validity and reliability of a tool for measuring educational innovative thinking skills. Teaching and Teacher Education, 97, 103193, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103193.

Barak, M. & Yuan, S. (2021). A cultural perspective to project-based learning and the cultivation of innovative thinking. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 39, 100766, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100766.

Barak, M. & Green G. (2021). Applying a social constructivist approach to an online course in ethics of research. Science and Engineering Ethics, 27(1). DOI: 10.1007/s11948-021-00280-2

Morad, S., Ragonis, N., & Barak, M. (2021). An integrative conceptual model of innovation and innovative thinking based on a synthesis of a literature review. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 40, 10082. DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100824

Usher, M., Barak, M. & Haick, H. (2021). Online vs. on-campus engineering education: examining students’ perceived innovative thinking and actual innovation. Thinking skills and Creativity, 42, 100965. DOI:10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100965

Barak, M. & Usher, M. (2022) The innovation level of engineering students’ team projects in hybrid and MOOC environments. European Journal of Engineering Education, 47(2), 299-313. DOI: 10.1080/03043797.2021.1920889.

Asakle S. & Barak, M. (2022). Location-based learning and its effect on students’ understanding of Newton’s laws of motion. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 31, 403–413. DOI:10.1007/s10956-022-09963-2.

Barak, M. & Shahab, C. (2022). The conceptualization of critical thinking: Toward a culturally-sensitive framework for technology-enhanced instruction in higher education. Journal of Science Education and Technology, DOI:10.1007/s10956-022-09999-4.

Barak, M., Ginzburg, T., & Erduran, S. (2022). Nature of engineering: A cognitive and epistemic account with implications for engineering education. Science & Education. DOI:10.1007/s11191-022-00402-7.

Barak, M., Yachin T., & Erduran, S. (2023). Tracing preservice teachers’ understanding of nature of science through their drawings and writing. Research in Science Education, 53, 507–523. DOI:10.1007/s11165-022-10069-3.

Ginzburg, T. & Barak, M. (2023). Technology-enhanced learning and its association with motivation to learn science from a cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 32, 597–606. DOI:10.1007/s10956-023-10048-x.

Barak, M. (2023). Editorial: The family resemblance approach in science education. Science & Education, 32, 1221-1225. DOI:10.1007/s11191-023-00456-1

Yachin T. & Barak, M. (2023). Science-based educational escape games: A game-design methodology. Research in Science Education, DOI:10.1007/s11165-023-10143-4