Cathy Chase (Catherine Chi Chase)

Role: Senior Research Scholar, SAL Digital Learning Initiative Organization: Stanford Accelerator for Learning Email: cchase@stanford.edu Profile: https://profiles.stanford.edu/catherine-chase Personal site: https://catherinechase.org/ Relationship Depth: Core Team

Professional Background

• Senior Research Scholar at Stanford Accelerator for Learning’s Digital Learning Initiative
• Former Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science in Education at Columbia Teachers College
• Stanford GSE alum (PhD in Learning Sciences & Technology Design, 2011)
• Started career as elementary/middle school science teacher in Brooklyn, NY
• BA from Stanford (Biology and Psychology, 2000)

Research Expertise

• 15+ years in Learning Sciences
• Exploration and discovery-oriented learning activities
• Educational games and intelligent tutoring systems
• Transfer and motivation psychology
• Currently works on genAI-supported learning and sustainability education

Notable Research

• “Teachable Agents and the Protégé Effect” - foundational work with Dan Schwartz
• Research on challenge and failure in educational programming games
• Work on iterative practices and reactions to failure

Working Relationship with Reuben

• Runs seed grantee kick-offs
• Interested in research components of Build-a-Bot
• Works on impact surveys from chatbot use
• Key person for connecting research evidence to Build-a-Bot deployments

Working Style

• Wants pre-/post- surveys for studies
• Appreciates short timeline heads-ups for opportunities
• Good for previewing upcoming gatherings and workshops

Current Priorities

• Seed grantee support
• Research evidence gathering for Build-a-Bot
• GenAI-supported learning research
• Pilot opportunities

Key Notes

• Loop her in on Challenge Success partnership (replication and research partner)
• Comic Maker project collaboration
• Connected to Dan Schwartz’s research tradition
• LabGPT chatbot (Feb 2026): Reuben built a chatbot for Cathy, migrated from Vercel to Firebase → labgpt.web.app

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Last updated: Jan 2026