Welcome to IDEA, the UCR Institute for the Development of Educational Applications.  Our mission is to promote education and outreach through the use of online content and activities, including applications (apps) that run on mobile devices (e.g., smart phones, inexpensive tablets).  Content that we develop, such as lesson plans, will be geared towards classroom use in middle schools, high schools, and/or colleges, but anyone will be able to use it.  We recognize the potential efficacy of many modes of online learning, and we will work with a variety of approaches, including tutorials, lectures, and courses.  We welcome partnerships in all of these areas.

Initial areas of focus are (1) Organismal Biology, (2) Evolution, and (3) Health Promotion & Obesity Prevention.  The first of these areas often falls between the cracks in curricula.  The second and third are not only controversial but also plagued by misunderstanding and an abundance of misinformation in the popular press, including frequent sensational reporting.  Here at UCR, and with our partners elsewhere, we have the necessary faculty expertise to offer evidence-based content in these and many other areas.