Robb received his doctorate in 2009 in Learning Sciences and Technology Design from Stanford University. He was an assistant professor of Digital Media at University of Central Florida and is currently at the College of Education at the University of Illinois where he is a core faculty member in the Digital Environments for Learning, Teaching, and Agency (DELTA) Program.
Robb’s research looks at theories and designs for STEM learning within emerging media platforms such as digital games and augmented reality. He is especially interested in technology designs that consider the physical and embodied nature of learning in both formal and informal environments.
Robb is the PI of an NSF Advancing Informal Science Learning grant to investigate how to use “body-based metaphors” in interactive science center exhibits to increase conceptual understanding and visitor engagement. This work has produced numerous publications including a recent paper on embodied learning in mixed reality environments in Educational Researcher (with Mina Johnson-Glenberg). He is also currently PI on two additional NSF grants, one is a collaboration with the Concord Consortium to build gesture augmented web-based science simulations and the other is creating “simulation theaters for embodied learning” targeting cross-cutting concepts that can be applied across science domains.