Research Professor
PhD, Sociology, University of Southern California
Contact
Expertise
Digital equity | College access | Foster youth
Links
Zoë B. Corwin is a research professor at the University of Southern California. Dr. Corwin serves as Principal Investigator for the Promoting At-promise Student Success (PASS) Project and the USC Skate Studies for the Pullias Center of Higher Education. She also collaborates with faculty from Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work on the Proud and Empowered project.
Her research program examines college access and success for at-promise students, college pathways for students with experiences in foster care, the role of social media and games in postsecondary access and completion, and the impact of skateboarding on communities. While directing the Digital Equity in Education project, Dr. Corwin co-edited Diversifying Digital Learning: Online Literacy and Educational Opportunity and Postsecondary Play: The Role of Games and Social Media in Higher Education. Dr. Corwin maintains a firm commitment to conducting research in partnership with practitioners and communities and has designed numerous monographs, briefs, videos, games and learning activities in addition to academic publications.
Extended bio and CV at USC Rossier
Projects
Promoting At-Promise Student Success (PASS) Project
The Promoting At-Promise Student Success (PASS) Project–formerly known as the Thompson Scholars Learning Communities (TSLC) Study–aims to explore, document, and better understand whether TSLC program experiences translate into greater student success.
Corwin’s USC Skate Studies research teams have sought to expand notions of who skaters are; inform the skate community about challenges, needs and strategies experienced by skaters; and take lessons learned from skateboarders and share them with the broader society.
Corwin leads the Digital Equity in Education project at the Pullias Center, developing and researching digital games and tools to engage students in learning about college, and studying the real-life impact these tools have on students’ lives.
Books
Diversifying Digital Learning: Online Literacy and Educational Opportunity (co-editor)
Johns Hopkins University Press, Feb. 2018
Buy now: Amazon | Johns Hopkins UP
Diversifying Digital Learning outlines the pervasive problems that exist with ensuring digital equity and identifies successful strategies to tackle the issue. Bringing together top scholars to discuss how digital equity in education might become a key goal in American education, this book is structured to provide a framework for understanding how historically underrepresented students most effectively engage with technology—and how institutions may help or hinder students’ ability to develop and capitalize on digital literacies.
Postsecondary Play: The Role of Games and Social Media in Higher Education (co-editor)
Johns Hopkins University Press, May 2014
Buy now: Amazon | Johns Hopkins UP
While the vast majority of college students use social media and gaming in their everyday lives, colleges and universities have been slow to recognize and harness the power of either. Postsecondary Play explores the significance of games and social media in higher education, and particularly how they can be used to attract, retain, educate, and socialize students.
Preparing for College: Nine Elements of Effective Outreach (co-editor)
SUNY Press, Nov. 2004
Buy now: Amazon | SUNY Press
The remarkable diversity in college preparation programs raises a compelling question: With a finite amount of time and resources, which activities are most likely to improve educational achievement for underrepresented youth in the United States? This book defines and analyzes the parameters of effective college outreach programs.
Recent articles and publications at USC Rossier
Latest News
Select Media
Los Angeles Times
February 26, 2020
Skateboarding improves mental health, helps build diverse relationships, USC study says
Education Dive
March 5, 2019
Gen Z Takeover: How colleges are using gamification to engage students
The Washington Post
January 6, 2019
‘Sleep is optional’: Academic boot camp prepares first-generation college students
Johns Hopkins University Press
February 21, 2018
Why Digital Equality Matters With Zoe Corwin
The Los Angeles Times
April 26, 2017
This Video Game Can Help Seniors Get into College
Polygon
January 11, 2017
How playing one game can help students get into college
Academic Impressions
June 15, 2015
Game-Based Strategies for Improving Access for First-Gen Students at USC