KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 11, 2025

Surrounded by colorful dry-erase walls in a room on the fourth floor of the Bagwell Education Building, more than two dozen first-year students from McEachern High School are learning about the research process.

“Please close your eyes for a few seconds,” said Iván Jorrín-Abellán, research catalyst associate dean and professor of educational research in Kennesaw State University’s Clarice C. and Leland Bagwell College of Education. “When you think about researching, what images come to your mind?”

Students called out “computers,” “books,” “the news,” not long before scattering about to flesh out their research ideas, finding markers intended for the lab’s walls. The award-winning Interactive Research Methods Lab (IRML) experience is engaging, hands-on, and it jogs the mind, as it gives students an opportunity to see their research in a new, ordered way.

Founded by Jorrín-Abellán, the lab helps inexperienced researchers learn how to start with a research topic and map out the steps of a research project. Its walls outline the steps of the Hopscotch Model, a theoretical framework and web tool he developed to aid the process.

While students continue to visit the IRML on campus, a team of KSU faculty and staff members is working on the IRML-AirLab, an affordable, inflatable, and open-access educational toolkit, that would allow high schools to turn any classroom into an IRML oof their own in minutes. Jorrín-Abellán has also worked with administrators from local schools interested in building a physical lab space like the one in the Bagwell College.

“Our dream was to help every single high school have their own branch of the Interactive Research Methods Lab,” Jorrín-Abellán said. “What we have here in the Bagwell College of Education, we wanted them to have the same, but in many cases, they just don't have the space.”

Developing a novel approach to research

When he joined Kennesaw State in 2014, Jorrín-Abellán noticed some students struggled with research, just as his students did in his native Spain.

“I was crossing from Kennesaw Hall to the parking deck, and I challenged myself,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘You have to do something.’”

Soon after, he was rereading a favorite novel, “Hopscotch” by Argentinian author Julio Cortázar. As one of the first interactive novels, a “book of books,” it inspired him to try something new — which led to creation of the Hopscotch Model. Accessed online by more than 150,000 users all over the world, it begins with understanding the worldview of the researcher and ends in a review of ethical considerations.

“The key problem for students is, there are a plethora of elements that you need to take into account when developing your research design,” Jorrín-Abellán said. “What makes Hopscotch innovative is its easy-to-understand, guided roadmap, helping researchers develop a strong research design.”

The Air-Lab, a portable, inflatable version of the IRML, will be part of a kit that high schools can purchase, containing an inflatable dodecahedron co-designed in collaboration with students in the College of Architecture and Construction Management, a pump, dry-erase markers, and a set of QR codes that can be attached with Velcro. The codes link to a newly developed web app providing information on the nine steps of Hopscotch.

For the Air-Lab prototype, the IRML team has also been collaborating with the College Board to adapt language from the Hopscotch Model, originally intended for undergraduate and graduate students, with Advanced Placement high school students in mind. It also adapts the interactive resources.

Engaging local schools

Earlier this year, 10 members of the IRML team led workshops with the Air-Lab at Fulton County Schools Innovation Academy, a magnet STEM school in Alpharetta. Almost 400 10th grade students had the chance to use the toolkit in person, bringing to life their research interests in preparation for a research program the following year. One required research course students can take in the 11th grade is AP Research.

“Research takes a long time,” said Maren Reid, research department chair and math teacher at FCS Innovation Academy. “Choosing a topic even takes a long time. So, we were excited to have Iván and his team come to our campus to kind of help close that gap.”

FCS Innovation Academy Principal Scott Kent ‘04 had previously toured the IRML on campus and walked away ready to introduce the concept to his students.

“I loved the space in there,” said Kent, who earned his master’s degree in education at KSU. “Creating a space that is primed to provide students the intellectual stimulus to get them invested in what they're doing is an incredibly important thing.”

This year, the Office of Research awarded Jorrín-Abellán and other faculty members from the Bagwell College and the College of Computer Science and Engineering a $200,000 interdisciplinary seed grant to develop a prototype of “Hopscotch 4-All,” an open-access educational artificial intelligence recommender system that provides personalized, engaging, and adaptive learning experiences. In addition to the College Board, the group is collaborating with three school districts.

“The less resources your school district has, the more useful Hopscotch for AP Research and the Air-Lab is going to be for you,” Jorrín-Abellán said.

– Story by Amber Perry

Photo by Judith Pishnery

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.