Associate Professor
Affiliations
- Department of Journalism
- Institute of Communications Research
- Informatics
- IMMERSE: Center for Immersive Computing
- Center for Social and Behavioral Science
Education
- PhD in Media and Information Studies, 2019, Michigan State University
- Educational Technology Graduate Certificate, 2017, Michigan State University
- Serious Game Design and Research Graduate Certificate, 2016, Michigan State University
- MS in Applied Sociology, 2011, Clemson University
- BA in Sociology, 2008, Augusta State University
Course Specialties
- Interactive Media & You
- Augmented and Virtual Reality
- Research Methods in Journalism
Background
Christopher Ball is an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His interdisciplinary background is rooted in sociology and media studies, with a focus on emerging and interactive media, particularly immersive media such as augmented and virtual reality.
Ball joined the University of Illinois in 2019 after completing his Ph.D. in Media and Information at Michigan State University. While at Michigan State, he also earned graduate certificates in serious games design and research and educational technology and contributed to a variety of interdisciplinary research projects examining the uses and effects of emerging technologies.
Research and Creative Endeavor
Ball’s research examines how people use, experience, and are affected by interactive and immersive technologies. His work focuses primarily on augmented and virtual reality, video games, and other emerging media, with particular interests in digital inequality and inclusion, media experiences and effects, and the use of interactive technologies for prosocial purposes.
Across this work, Ball examines both the opportunities created by new technologies and the individual and social factors that shape who can access, use, and benefit from them. His research has addressed topics ranging from virtual reality and presence to games and mental health, aging and technology, and immersive media for education.
His research has appeared in a wide range of interdisciplinary journals, including Information, Communication & Society; Telematics and Informatics; Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking; Games and Culture; and JMIR Mental Health.
