International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)
North American Simulation and Gaming Association (NASAGA)
North American Simulation and Gaming Association (NASAGA)
Indiana University
President, International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)
Founder and Resident Mad Scientist of The Thiagi Group, Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan is known internationally for designing interactive training games, simulations, and facilitation methods that improve human and organizational performance. Trained in instructional systems technology (Ph.D., Indiana University, 1971), he has authored dozens of books and hundreds of articles, created hundreds of training games (including the intercultural simulation BARNGA), edited and served in leadership roles with ISPI and NASAGA, and led USAID‑sponsored education projects. His work emphasizes evidence‑informed, performance‑based training and rapid, activity‑centered design approaches.
A lightweight eLearning design framework that organizes a course into four linked spaces—Library (resources), Playground (short web games for fluency), Café (discussion/cases), and Assessment Center—emphasizing learner autonomy, activity‑first design, and alignment to performance outcomes.
Process model for developing and fielding instructional materials, including front‑end and learner analyses, prototype creation, expert appraisal, developmental testing (formative evaluation), summative validation, packaging, diffusion, and adoption.
Design strategy that uses reusable game structures (“framegames”) into which new content is swapped, enabling rapid customization, consistent facilitation, and efficient debriefs while keeping focus on learning outcomes rather than game mechanics.
Educational Communications and Technology Journal (ECTJ) • Journal
Conceptual and practice‑oriented essay that poses 20 guiding questions and practical conjectures about formative evaluation (“instructional product verification and revision”). It demystifies common myths, argues for rapid field feedback with representative learners, and frames verification–revision cycles as an essential, evidence‑seeking mindset to improve instructional products before wide dissemination.
AV Communication Review (now Educational Technology Research and Development) • Journal
Empirical study comparing two approaches to learner verification and revision (LV&R) during formative evaluation of instructional materials. Representative learners provided feedback under contrasting procedures; subsequent revisions and learning outcomes were examined. Results illustrate how different LV&R methods differentially surface usability and comprehension problems and inform effective revisions of prototype materials.
Wiley • Book
Guide to very short, high‑impact experiential activities (“jolts”) that surface key principles and misconceptions in minutes. Provides design logic, conducting and debriefing advice, and 50 varied jolts to energize sessions, prompt reflection, and connect activities to targeted learning outcomes.
Intercultural Press (Nicholas Brealey) • Book
Facilitator guide and materials for BARNGA, a short, deceptively simple card‑game simulation that gives participants differing rules, thereby provoking cross‑cultural miscommunication. Through silent play, rotation across tables, and debriefs, learners experience mini‑culture shock and practice reconciling diverse norms. The expanded edition adds new formats, multilingual handouts, and enhanced debriefing guidance for intercultural communication and diversity training.
ASTD Press • Book
Practical handbook showing how to convert conventional lectures into active, two‑way learning events using structured frameworks, game elements, and reusable handouts. It catalogs multiple interactive lecture formats (e.g., active review, press conference, multilevel coaching), when to use them, and step‑by‑step facilitation instructions to increase engagement, recall, and transfer.
Jossey‑Bass/Pfeiffer (Wiley) • Book
Template‑driven approach to rapid design of training games and activities (“framegames”) that hold structure constant while swapping in different content. Covers dozens of framegame types (e.g., interactive lectures, textra games, puzzles, board/card formats), design rationales, debriefing strategies, and implementation tips for scalable, performance‑focused learning.
Jossey‑Bass/Pfeiffer (Wiley) • Book
Collection of 35+ ready‑to‑run team activities, icebreakers, simulations, and facilitation tips organized by purpose and duration. Supports team start‑up, diagnostics, conflict exploration, ethical decision‑making, and stakeholder communication. Includes selection matrices and guidance on adapting designs to specific goals and constraints.
Performance + Instruction • Journal
Practice note describing seven additional techniques to increase learner participation and retention in lecture settings. Provides concise procedures trainers can integrate into sessions to transform one‑way delivery into structured, participatory learning interactions.
Leadership Training Institute/Special Education, University of Minnesota; Council for Exceptional Children • Book
Sourcebook introducing the 4‑D instructional development model—Define, Design, Develop, Disseminate—for creating effective instructional materials to prepare special‑education teachers. It details front‑end analysis, learner analysis, prototype creation, expert appraisal, developmental testing, summative evaluation, packaging, and diffusion/adoption, with practical procedures, checklists, and guidelines aimed at improving consistency and effectiveness of teacher‑training materials.