Dr. Taehyun Kim
Assistant Professor
Educational Background
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (PhD)
Biography
Dr. Taehyun Kim is a learning scientist whose research bridges immersive learning technologies, embodied cognition, and artificial intelligence to design equitable and engaging learning experiences. He uses design-based research, learning analytics, and mixed-method approaches to investigate how students learn in Virtual Reality (VR) environments and how AI-driven educational agents can foster collaboration, agency, and deeper conceptual understanding.
He earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the Digital Environments for Learning, Teaching, and Agency (DELTA) program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and completed a postdoctoral research appointment at the University of Florida in a lab focused on AI-enhanced learning environments. In June 2025, he joined the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University as an Assistant Professor.
Dr. Kim’s work focuses on how body-based interactions—such as gesture use—mediate learning in immersive simulations, and how AI avatars can respond to these embodied cues to provide adaptive support. His scholarship aims to ensure that advanced educational technologies are accessible to learners from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, particularly those in underserved communities.
He is looking for students interested in immersive learning, embodied interaction, AI-supported collaboration, or equitable technology design. This includes opportunities to create new projects or to extend his ongoing research in innovative ways. He welcomes students who value collaboration, curiosity, and inclusive, ethical research to join his lab.
Featured Work
Dr. Kim has developed and studied immersive VR simulations for high school science curricula, integrating AI avatars capable of gesture-based interaction. His recent projects include an NSF proposal to build a gesture library for educational AI avatars and a multi-institutional study exploring how sequencing paper-based and VR learning materials influences cognitive load and productive failure in science learning.
His work has been recognized with multiple awards, including Best Extended Abstract Nominee at the 11th Annual International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2025) for his study Log Data as a Window into Learning: Embodied Interactions in a Virtual Reality Simulation, and Best Roundtable Paper Award at the 15th Annual College of Education Graduate Student Conference (2024) for Paper or Virtual Reality First? The Impact of Material Sequence on Science Learning Outcomes.
Research Focus
In collaboration with educators, students, and community partners, Dr. Kim designs and studies immersive and AI-enhanced learning environments in authentic contexts. His research explores:
- How embodied interactions, such as gesture use, shape learning processes and outcomes in VR.
- How AI agents can adaptively respond to students’ behaviors to promote agency and collaboration.
- How to design equitable immersive learning tools that address accessibility and inclusivity for diverse learners.
Selected Publications
Kim, T., Planey, J., & Xing, W. (2025). Log Data as a Window into Learning: Embodied Interactions in a Virtual Reality Simulation. In 11th Annual International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN). [Best Extended Abstract Nominee]
Xing, W., Fang, Z., Zhang, H., Kamiyama, T., Liu, Z., & Kim, T. (2025). Making the ‘mathematics register’ accessible to students: an exploratory study of two teachers’ discourse in an online lesson on polynomial expressions. Language and Education, 1–24.
Kim, T., Nisar, H., Lindgren, R., Zhang, J., Tang, X., Lira, M., & Talhan, A. (2024). Beyond the Screen: Gestural Perspective-Taking with a Biochemistry Simulation. In Extended Abstracts of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-6).
Kim, T. (2024). Paper or Virtual Reality First? The Impact of Material Sequence on Science Learning Outcomes. In 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2024, 1666-1669. [Best Roundtable Paper Awarded]
Xing, W., Li, H., Kim, T., Zhu, W., & Song, Y. (2024). Investigating the Behaviors of Core and Periphery Students in an Asynchronous Online Discussion Community Using Network Analysis and Topic Modeling. Education and Information Technologies, 1–28.
Kim, T., Planey, J., & Lindgren, R. (2023). Theory Driven Design in Metaverse Virtual Reality Learning Environments: Two Illustrative Cases. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 16(6), 1141–1153.
Planey, J., Kim, T., Mercier, E., & Lindgren, R. (2023). Can you see Orion?: knowledge construction and collaborative discourse while problem solving with virtual reality. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–14.
Kim, T., Planey, J., & Lindgren, R. (2023). Comparing Virtual and Augmented Reality: Learning and Interaction Effects in Astronomy Classrooms. In 17th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2023, 1126–1129.