The Media Comprehension Lab is directed by Joe Magliano, which studies three areas of research:

First we experience information across a variety of media, such as texts, comics, and TV/Movies. We study how adults make sense of different media and what is common and unique about those experiences.

Second adults vary in many ways that help them become successful with processing media. This variability has implications for being prepared for college, the work force, and lifelong learning. We study what makes adults ready to make sense of media in these contexts.

Third we learn about how adults make sense of media by having them write or talk about their understanding texts, comics, or movie/tv shows, which are called constructed responses. We use computational methodologies to make sense of constructed responses to learn about how they make sense of different media.