Rate My Professor Chris Quintana

Christopher Quintana is an Associate Professor in the Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan, where he conducts research at the intersection of education and learning sciences, human-computer interaction, and computer science. He earned his BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Texas at El Paso, and his MS and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. Quintana specializes in software-based scaffolding for middle school science students, developing tools, frameworks, and learner-centered design processes to support inquiry-based learning.

Quintana leads the National Science Foundation-funded Zydeco Project, which integrates mobile devices like smartphones and tablets with web-based technologies to connect science classrooms and museums, expanding opportunities for science learning. His investigations include software support for science practices in varied contexts and designing activities that blend formal and informal learning environments. He also explores wearable technologies, such as smartwatches, for K-12 teachers to monitor student activity and classroom environments. Previously, as principal investigator in the Center for Highly Interactive Classrooms, Curricula, and Computing in Education (hi-ce), he led projects on inquiry-supporting software, including digital idea-keepers for synthesizing digital library information. Other contributions include media-rich digital texts via universal design for learning, the ASSESS scaffolding design framework, and the Symphony2 software framework for scaffolded environments. Quintana teaches courses on learning technology design and assessment, develops technology-enhanced learning spaces, and serves on the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering’s Education committee. In 2025, he and Rebecca Quintana were selected as Quantitative Ethnography Fellows and developed a generative AI learning design MOOC series for teachers.