ALIVE
Agency in Learning, Immersive & Virtual Environments
The ALIVE Research Lab investigates how learners and patients exercise agency in postdigital environments — where digital and physical experiences are inseparable and algorithmically mediated. Based at the University of British Columbia, the lab brings together graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and community partners to generate both theoretical insight and practice-changing evidence.
ALIVE research is grounded in the premise that agency is not a personality trait but a capacity that can be studied, cultivated, and measured — and that the conditions enabling agency are shaped by the design of learning environments, clinical systems, and the algorithms that increasingly govern both.
Lab Director
Jillianne Code
Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Learner Agency · 2025–2030
Dr. Jillianne Code is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Learner Agency in the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy at UBC. Her interdisciplinary scholarship bridges education and health, with over 60 peer-reviewed publications and $3.5M+ in research funding from SSHRC and CIHR.
As a heart transplant recipient, she brings lived experience to her research on patient agency — the conditions under which patients can participate as knowledge producers and advocates in their own care. She is the author of The Entangled Learner (2025) and editor of the Springer volume Postdigital Learner Agency (2026).
Research
Focus Areas
Learner Agency in Postdigital Environments
How learners exercise and develop agency when digital and physical experiences are inseparable — including the conditions that enable or constrain agency in algorithmically mediated contexts.
Human–Algorithm Relationships
The psychosocial dynamics of learner–algorithm interaction: how algorithmic literacy shapes identity, motivation, and the capacity to act with intention in digital learning spaces.
Patient Agency in Health Contexts
Empowering patients — particularly those with chronic conditions — to participate as knowledge producers and advocates in their own care, bridging education and health research.
Current Work
Active Projects
ALIVE
Agency in Learning, Immersive & Virtual Environments
NARRATE
learNer Agency emeRgence thRough Algorithmic liTEracy
PACE
Patient Agency in Cardiovascular Education
Scholarship
Lab Publications
Code, J. (2025). The entangled learner: Critical agency for the postdigital era. Postdigital Science and Education, 7, 336–358.
DOI →Code, J., Forde, K., Moylan, R., et al. (2026). Expressions of learner agency in virtual inquiry. Computers & Education.
DOI →Code, J., Lannon, H., & Lutrin, A. (2025). Agency in action: Engaging patient participation in research. Patient Education and Counseling, 141, 109353.
DOI →Code, J. (2020). Agency for learning: Intention, motivation, self-efficacy and self-regulation. Frontiers in Education, 5(19), 1–15.
DOI →Moylan, R. & Code, J. (2024). Algorithmic futures: An analysis of teacher professional digital competency frameworks. Teachers and Teaching, 30(4), 453–470.
DOI →Training the Next Generation
Graduate Supervision
ALIVE Lab students are supported to develop as independent scholars, community partners, and future faculty. Supervised students have received SSHRC CGS-M and doctoral fellowships, Killam awards, and Public Scholars Initiative funding. Many have gone on to faculty positions and postdoctoral appointments.
- 16
- PhD students
- 11
- MA students
- 24
- MEd students
- SSHRC
- + Killam awardees
Prospective Graduate Students
The ALIVE Lab welcomes graduate students at the MA, MEd, and PhD level with interests in learner agency, postdigital education, AI and learning, patient advocacy, or related interdisciplinary questions. We particularly encourage applications from students with lived experience relevant to our research areas.
Before applying, please review the lab's research focus and recent publications to ensure alignment. Prospective students are encouraged to reach out by email with a brief research statement and CV.
Get in touchWhat the lab looks for
- —Strong writing and critical thinking skills
- —Background in education, psychology, health, or cognate fields
- —Curiosity about postdigital, AI, or patient-centred contexts
- —Commitment to research that is theoretically grounded and practically relevant
- —Collaborative approach and community orientation