Clark Aldrich is the founder and Managing Partner of Clark Aldrich Designs, and is known as a global education visionary, industry analyst, and speaker. In this interview, he responds to questions about his ideas, his work, and his theories.

One of the key trends in learning technology in recent years has been the growing interest in simulations and serious games. Much of the research into simulations and serious games has tended to focus on aspects of fun and engagement rather than on what is happening in the process to cause transferable learning. Much of it has been based on small…

In this article, Michael F. Shaughnessy, Contributing Editor of this journal, interviews David Dockterman, Chief Architect, Learning Sciences, at Scholastic Education, where he provides guidance on turning research into practical programs. Dockterman was one of the founders of Tom Snyder Productions, a leading educational software developer and…

Sigmund Tobias came to the United States in 1948, after his family had fled to China from the Holocaust in Europe. His Memoir ("Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai") describes that part of his life. He settled in New York, where he completed his B.A. and M.S. in School Psychology from the City College of New York, and a…

The authors describe the steps in the ethical decision-making process and show how employers and educators are addressing ethical gray areas using innovative simulations in order to better prepare employees and other personnel to face ethical challenges head-on. The model outlined in this article can be used as a teaching and training tool to…

This article is a guide for researchers interested in assessing the effectiveness of serious computer-based games (or video games, digital games, or electronic games) intended to improve health and health care. It presents a definition of health games, a rationale for their use, an overview of the current state of research, and recommendations for…

This article explores how the future of mobile learning games lies in the blurring of the line between fun and learning, between in-school and out-of-school. Accomplishing this requires new paradigms as well as new technologies. Mobile learning games can be the conduits between the world of school and the world of life, and make them both more fun…

"Second Life" is a popular example of an immersive, three-dimensional, virtual world. Inhabitants of "Second Life" often describe their experiences in-world as having great social presence. Certainly there is a good deal of potential for education and training to occur in multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs), if designed properly, especially…

Empirical research was reviewed to identify recommendations that game designers and developers could use to improve the pedagogical effectiveness of games for instruction. Findings from the research literature suggested 13 recommendations, which are discussed in this article. Distinctions between instructional games and instructional simulations…

Computer and video games have recently attracted significant attention from educators as a medium for learning. Clark's (2007) critique of the "Serious Games" movement provides a set of useful guidelines for moving that particular industry forward. This article argues for another way of framing the emerging field, as "Games, Learning, and…

Popular electronic tools for learning--tutorials, educational databases, learning nodes, simulations and educational games--are described, and their functions as part of the learning system are examined using Gagne's Events of Instruction model. Figures representing tutorial models are included. (Contains seven references.) (SLW)