Dr. David Guralnick’s Talk

AI, New Technologies, and a Human-Centered Approach to Learning

Technology, particularly within the world of education, can all too easily be perceived as cold and impersonal. The way technology-based systems and learning experiences are designed in higher education, workplace learning, and other educational environments is often far from ideal. But AI and new technologies offer opportunities for us to create warm, meaningful, and personally-relevant learning experiences, if we follow a sound design approach.

In this session, we’ll discuss what such an approach can involve. By drawing from progressive learning theory and other areas, such as cognitive science and motivational theory, we can use technology in creative ways to produce experiences that resonate with learners and feel “warm” without feeling as if they’re pretending to be human replacements. This approach can created deliver meaningful, personal, engaging, immersive experiences on a large scale, designed to reach a wide audience and to allow people to learn in individualized ways.

About Dr. David Guralnick

David Guralnick envisions a new approach to education and workplace learning. His vision integrates progressive learning theory, advanced technology, and creative, entertaining storytelling to create learning experiences that help people learn to think critically, reflect, and make thoughtful decisions. David holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, where his work synthesized concepts from the fields of computer science and artificial intelligence, instructional design, and cognitive psychology. Over the past 30 years, he has designed and evaluated a variety of simulation-based training applications, performance support systems, online courses, mobile applications, and authoring tools for corporate, non-profit, and university audiences.

David holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Northwestern University, where his work synthesized concepts from the fields of computer science/artificial intelligence, instructional design, and cognitive psychology. Over the course of his thirty years in online learning, he has designed and developed simulation-based training applications, electronic performance-support systems, and specialized authoring tools which allow non-technical people, such as writers and trainers, to build e-learning sites.

Among David’s most notable achievements are the creation of the first learn-by-doing simulation for corporate training purposes and the first authoring tool for a non-technical audience that was specific to e-learning. He has been the recipient of over 200 e-learning design awards, and his work has been featured in Wired magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and Training magazine (as an Editor's Choice). He has been a regular speaker at both industry and academic events since 1991. He is also the author of the recent book How Organizations Can Make the Most of Online Learning.

David is the current President and CEO of Kaleidoscope Learning. He is also the current president of the International E-Learning Association; founder and chair of The Learning Ideas Conference; Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal on Advanced Corporate Learning; Chair of the International E-Learning Awards; and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University.

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