Dr. Allison Rossett is a Professor Emerita of Educational Technology at San Diego State University (SDSU). A longtime scholar–consultant in learning, instructional design, performance analysis, and performance support, she authored or edited six influential books, including First Things Fast, Beyond the Podium, Job Aids and Performance Support, and The ASTD E‑Learning Handbook. In addition to her university work, she has advised corporations and government agencies on learning strategy and te...

Ann Lesley Brown (1943–1999) was a British-born educational psychologist and learning scientist whose work reshaped how classrooms support thinking and comprehension. She pioneered research on metacognition and co-developed influential practice frameworks such as Reciprocal Teaching and Fostering Communities of Learners (FCL). Brown also advanced design-based research ("design experiments") for studying and improving complex classroom innovations. She was Professor and Evelyn Lois Corey Chair...

Professor Emeritus of Learning Sciences at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy, noted for foundational contributions to cognitive apprenticeship, situated learning, intelligent tutoring systems, and design-based research. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and a fellow of AAAI, AERA, AAAS, and the Cognitive Science Society; earlier he served as founding editor of Cognitive Science and first chair of the Cognitive Science Society. From 1991–1994 he ...

Barbara L. Grabowski is Professor Emerita of Education (Instructional Systems) at The Pennsylvania State University. She was a Professor of Instructional Systems from 1991 to 2012 and has held emerita status since 2012. She earned her Ph.D. in Instructional Systems from Penn State in 1979. Her scholarship spans technology‑enhanced and online learning, generative and self‑regulated learning strategies, game‑based learning, hypermedia design, and Web 2.0 tools for collaborative learning. She al...

Ana-Paula Correia is the Ted and Lois Cyphert Distinguished Professor and Professor of Learning Technologies in the Department of Educational Studies (College of Education and Human Ecology) at The Ohio State University, where she also serves as Director of the Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE). With more than 25 years in learning design and instructional systems technology, her research spans online and mobile learning, collaborative learning, learner experience design, ...

Andrew S. Gibbons is an American educational technologist and instructional design theorist, best known for proposing an architectural, layer-based approach to instructional design and for advancing the theory of Model-Centered Instruction. After 18 years directing large-scale technology-based training projects in industry (Courseware Inc. and Wicat Systems), he joined academia at Utah State University (1993–2003) and later Brigham Young University, where he served on the faculty and as depar...

Anthony G. Picciano is a professor of education at the City University of New York (CUNY), holding faculty appointments at Hunter College (Administration and Supervision/Instructional Leadership) and at The Graduate Center in the Ph.D. Program in Urban Education, the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences program, and the doctoral certificate program in Interactive Technology and Pedagogy. His scholarship centers on online and blended learning, educational technology, higher education po...

Alfred P. (Fred) Rovai (– March 14, 2023) was an American scholar of educational technology and higher education best known for pioneering research on online learning communities and for creating widely used instruments such as the Classroom Community Scale (CCS). He served on the faculty of Regent University’s School of Education, where he was Professor of Education (tenured 2004) and also held academic leadership roles as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Interim Vice Presid...

Alexander R. Galloway is a media theorist, writer, and computer programmer whose work examines philosophy, digital media, networks, games, and theories of mediation. He is Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University and the author or coauthor of books including Protocol (MIT Press, 2004), Gaming (Minnesota, 2006), The Exploit (with Eugene Thacker; Minnesota, 2007), The Interface Effect (Polity, 2012), Excommunication (with Eugene Thacker and McKenzie Wark; Chicago, 2...

Emeritus Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh whose scholarship bridged instructional design, message design, and visual/media literacy. Her widely cited co‑authored monograph for AECT clarified the definition and domains of instructional technology (design, development, utilization, management, evaluation). She also authored/edited practical texts for designers (e.g., Making Instructional Design Decisions; Exercises in Instructional Design) and revie...

Barbara B. Lockee is Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Instructional Design & Technology in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. Her scholarship centers on instructional design, distance/online learning, and faculty/professional development, with a focus on quality in technology‑mediated learning. She has served as Past President of AECT and currently serves as Vice President for Education of IAFOR. She earned a BA (1986) and MA (1991) from Appalachian State Uni...

Dr. Brett E. Shelton is a Professor of Educational Technology at Boise State University, with a concurrent leadership role serving as Interim Department Head in Educational Leadership, Research, and Technology. His work examines vision, perception, and cognition to inform the design and assessment of innovative technologies for learning, including educational gaming, AR/VR learning environments, instructional simulations, esports in education, open education, and learning analytics. Prior to ...

Bernie Dodge is an American instructional design scholar and educational technologist best known as the originator of the WebQuest model (1995), a structured, inquiry‑oriented lesson format that guides learners to use pre‑selected online resources for higher‑order thinking tasks. He spent nearly four decades on the faculty at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he taught educational technology, game design for learning, and immersive media courses and advised the Learning Design and Tech...

Brent G. Wilson is a professor emeritus of Learning Design & Technology in the School of Education & Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver. His scholarship explores the theory and foundations of instructional design, constructivist learning environments, online learning, and learning communities. He completed both a B.S. (1976) and a Ph.D. (1982) at Brigham Young University, studying with David Merrill. His widely cited works include the edited volume Constructivist Learning ...

Blair MacIntyre is a professor of Augmented and Virtual Reality jointly appointed in the Department of Art + Design (College of Arts, Media and Design) and the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University. His research spans augmented, mixed, and virtual reality as design media for learning, collaboration, games, and work. He founded and directed the Augmented Environments Lab at Georgia Tech (1999–2022), led early WebXR efforts as a Principal Research Scientist at Mozilla (...

Catherine S. Cavanaugh is a Research Scientist and Chief Technology Officer at the University of Florida College of Education’s Lastinger Center for Learning. Her research centers on contexts and conditions that enable effective online, blended, and digitally enhanced learning, with emphases on K–12 virtual schooling, collaborative learning environments, mobile learning, and educator professional development and leadership. She has held academic and leadership roles in the U.S., the Middle Ea...

Chris Dede is a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and, for 22 years (2000–2022), was the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies. His scholarship spans emerging technologies for learning (AI, XR/AR/VR, multi‑user virtual environments), online and hybrid learning at scale, teacher professional learning, and policies/leadership for technology‑enabled educational change. He co‑founded the Silver Lining for Learning initiative (2020) and serves ...

Dr. Chareen L. Snelson is an Associate Professor Emerita in the Department of Educational Technology at Boise State University. She completed an Ed.D. in Education (Curriculum & Instruction) at Boise State in 2003, joined the faculty the same year, and served as Department Chair from 2011–2022 before retiring in 2024. Her teaching and scholarship have focused on online learning, social media and web video (especially YouTube), scoping reviews, and qualitative research methods, including widel...

Chris “Doc” Haskell is an Associate Clinical Professor of Educational Technology at Boise State University and the founding Head Coach and Director of Boise State Varsity Esports. His scholarship centers on educational gaming and the quest‑based learning (QBL) model he helped pioneer alongside the development of the 3D GameLab platform. Haskell joined the Boise State faculty in 2007 and launched the university’s varsity esports program in 2017, leading it to national prominence while continui...

Charles B. “Chuck” Hodges is a Professor of Instructional Technology in the Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development at Georgia Southern University. His research focuses on online and technology‑enhanced teaching and learning, with special emphasis on self‑efficacy, learner motivation and self‑regulation, instructional design, and assessment in digital contexts. He earned a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology from Virginia Tech (2005), an M.S. in Mathematics from W...

Charles R. Graham is a Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University (BYU) and an Associate Dean in BYU’s David O. McKay School of Education. His research centers on technology‑mediated teaching and learning, especially the design, evaluation, and institutional adoption of online and blended learning. He is a Fellow of the Online Learning Consortium and a former Fellow of the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, and he co‑developed widely cited fram...

Colin M. Gray is an Associate Professor in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington, where they direct the Human-Computer Interaction design (HCI/d) program. Their research spans human–computer interaction, instructional design and technology, and design theory/education, with a central focus on design learning and practice, dark patterns, and ethics in UX. Gray also serves as Guest Professor at Beijing Normal University and Visiting Resear...

Charles M. Reigeluth is an American educational theorist whose work centers on instructional-design theory and the systemic transformation of educational systems toward learner-centered, personalized, competency‑based models. He is Professor Emeritus in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington and is best known for the Elaboration Theory of Instruction, contributions to simulation‑based instructional theory, and editing the four‑volume series Instructional‑Design The...

Charles A. Wedemeyer (1911–1999) was a pioneering scholar and administrator whose work helped establish the modern field of distance and independent learning. Across more than four decades at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and University Extension, he led the Correspondence Study Program (1954–1964), created the Articulated Instructional Media (AIM) project with Carnegie support, articulated seminal “open learning system” characteristics, and championed learner autonomy and access for th...

Chih-Hsiung Tu is a professor of Educational Technology in the Department of Educational Specialties at Northern Arizona University. His scholarship focuses on online learning, social presence, learning communities, and open/networked learning environments (ONLE/PLE), with additional work in mobile learning, learning analytics, and gamification. He earned his doctorate in Educational Media & Computers and Curriculum & Instruction at Arizona State University, previously served on the faculty a...

Charlotte N. “Lani” Gunawardena is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Online Education and Instructional Technology in the Organization, Information and Learning Sciences (OILS) program at the University of New Mexico (UNM). An early and influential scholar in distance and online learning, she is widely known for foundational work on social presence and for co‑developing the Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) to examine the social construction of knowledge in online discourse. She joined UNM in...

Dr. James D. Klein is the Walter Dick Distinguished Professor of Instructional Systems Design in the Department of Educational Psychology & Learning Systems at The Florida State University (FSU). He is also Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University (ASU). His scholarship centers on instructional design, strategies for active learning (including problem‑based and cooperative learning), and human performance improvement, with more than 60 refereed journal articles, several books, and numer...

Elizabeth Boling is Professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington. Since joining IU in 1992, she has served as Department Chair, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, and Interim Executive Associate Dean in the School of Education. Trained as a designer and artist (MFA, Indiana University; BFA, Texas Tech University), she previously worked in industry as Graphics and Animation Manager for Instructional Products at Apple and as an interface designer/production ...

David H. Jonassen (1947–2012) was Curators’ Professor of Education at the University of Missouri and a leading scholar in instructional design and educational technology. He is widely known for the Mindtools concept (learning with—not from—technology), for his Constructivist Learning Environments (CLEs) design model, and for foundational work on problem typologies and design for problem‑solving instruction. He previously held faculty appointments at Penn State University, the University of Co...

Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Calgary and co‑originator of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. His scholarship centers on distance, online, and blended learning; learning communities; teaching/social/cognitive presence; and shared metacognition. Author or editor of 15+ books and 90+ journal articles, with longstanding leadership roles in continuing, adult, and higher education.

Irish scholar and publisher in distance education, known for defining and theorizing the field and for leadership roles across Europe and Australia. His early synthesis distinguished distance education from conventional study through the separation of teaching and learning acts and the need to reintegrate them via media, organization, and two‑way communication. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide (1986), later directed distance‑education initiatives in Australia and Italy, and s...

David Wiley is co‑founder and Chief Academic Officer of Lumen Learning, a company focused on eliminating race, gender, and income as predictors of success in U.S. higher education. He is adjunct faculty in Brigham Young University’s Instructional Psychology & Technology graduate program and directs the Brad D. Smith Student Incubator in Marshall University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. A founder of the open educational resources (OER) movement, Wiley coined “open content,” art...

Donald Paul Ely (1930–2014) was a pioneering scholar in instructional technology and long‑time Syracuse University faculty member. Born in Buffalo, New York, he earned a B.A. in English (speech and drama) from the State University of New York at Albany in 1951, an M.S. in audiovisual communication from Syracuse University in 1953, and a Ph.D. in audiovisual communication and psychology from Syracuse University in 1961. He completed graduate study at Teachers College, Columbia University (1954...

Professor of Communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. His research examines technology and society with a focus on video games, online communities, social influence, and large‑scale behavioral data. He is known for early longitudinal and experimental studies using online games as research platforms and for the development of the Social Value computational model for measuring peer influence.

David H. Rose is a developmental neuropsychologist and educator best known as a co‑founder of CAST and a principal architect of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Over more than three decades he served as CAST’s Executive Director and later Chief Education Officer, and taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he helped shape the Mind, Brain, and Education program. His work centers on reducing systemic and curricular barriers by designing flexible goals, method...

Dr. Gary J. Anglin is an instructional design and educational technology scholar known for work on visual message design and distance education. He earned multiple degrees at Indiana University—including an Ed.D. in Instructional Systems Technology completed in 1979—before joining the University of Kentucky in 1980. He retired in 2016 and is listed among Emeritus Faculty in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, where he long served as Associate Professor and program chair for Instructio...

Dazhi Yang is a Professor in the Department of Educational Technology at Boise State University, with a courtesy appointment in the College of Engineering. Her research examines technology‑supported STEM learning, computational thinking integration in K–12 STEM, engineering and computing education, online and distance learning, assessment and evaluation, and teacher professional development. She earned an M.S. (2004) and Ph.D. (2008) in Educational Technology from Purdue University and comple...

Ellen D. Wagner is an educational technology innovator and researcher whose career spans higher education, the nonprofit sector, and industry. She is currently an Affiliate Research Professor with the Institute for Simulation and Training’s Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Laboratory (METIL) at the University of Central Florida, and founder/managing partner of North Coast EduVisory Services LLC. Her work focuses on online and distance learning, learning analytics, mobile learning, and st...

James Paul Gee is an Emeritus Professor and Regents’ Professor (ret.) best known for foundational work in New Literacy Studies, discourse analysis, and game‑based learning. After early work in theoretical and psycho‑linguistics, his scholarship turned to literacy as social practice and the learning sciences, culminating in influential books and articles on how video games embody effective learning principles, identity development, and semiotic domains. He has held named chairs at the Universi...

Henry Jenkins is Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Education at the University of Southern California, where he explores participatory culture, participatory learning, and participatory politics and leads the Civic Paths research group. He joined USC in 2009 after two decades at MIT, where he co‑founded and co‑directed the Comparative Media Studies program and helped shape national conversations on new media literacies and educational/innovative gaming. He hol...

Eric Klopfer is Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also serves as Section Head/Professor in Comparative Media Studies/Writing and co-directs MIT’s RAISE initiative on AI education. His research uses design-based research to create and study educational technologies—especially games, simulations, AR/VR, mobile learning, and computing—for STEM learning, complex systems thinking, and teacher p...

Canadian researcher and theorist in educational technology best known for originating Connectivism (a learning theory for the digital age) and for pioneering early Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). He co‑founded and served as founding president of the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR), helped shape the LAK conference series, and has led influential work on learning analytics, digital/online learning, and human–AI cognition in learning. He currently serves as Professor of Prac...

Florence Martin is a Professor of Learning, Design and Technology whose research focuses on designing and integrating digital and online learning environments to enhance learner engagement, motivation, and achievement across K–12 and higher education. Her recent scholarship also includes cybersecurity and computer science education in K–12. She has authored 100+ publications, serves in editorial and professional leadership roles (e.g., AECT Fellow; OLJ Senior Associate Editor), and has led NS...

Geri Gay is Professor Emerita at Cornell University and the Kenneth J. Bissett Professor of Communication & Information Science. A Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, she founded and directed Cornell’s Interaction Design Lab and previously led the Human‑Computer Interaction Group. Her research examines how the design of interactive technologies—especially mobile, social, and context‑aware systems—shapes human communication, learning, and behavior, with contributions across social navigation...

Judith V. Boettcher is a U.S.-based consultant, author, and faculty developer widely known for scholarship and practice in online and distance learning, instructional design, and technology‑enhanced teaching in higher education. She is founder and principal of Designing for Learning and has held leadership roles including Executive Director of the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN), Director of the Office of Interactive Distance Learning at The Florida State University...

John M. Keller is an American educational psychologist and instructional design scholar best known for creating the ARCS Model of Motivational Design—Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction—which he first introduced in 1979 and elaborated across numerous publications and a 2010 book. He earned his Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University (1974), served on the faculty at Syracuse University (1974–1984), and later at The Florida State University, where he bec...

Jane Seale is a Professor of Education at The Open University (UK). Her teaching and research focus on disability, technology, and inclusion—especially how technologies can support adults with learning disabilities and how higher education can remove digital barriers for disabled students. She has held leadership roles including President of the Association for Learning Technology (2006–2007), Digital Inclusion consultant to the ESRC Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Programme (2009–2012), C...

John D. Bransford (1943–2022) was an internationally influential cognitive psychologist and educational technologist whose work bridged learning sciences, cognition, and technology‑enhanced instruction. He served as Professor (and later Professor Emeritus) of Learning Sciences and Psychology at the University of Washington and earlier as Centennial Professor of Psychology and Education at Vanderbilt University, where he co‑founded the Learning Technology Center and led the Cognition and Techn...

John Seely Brown (JSB) is an American researcher and author known for work at the intersection of organizational learning, innovation, and digital culture. He served as Chief Scientist of Xerox Corporation (1992–2002) and Director of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) (1990–2000). He co‑founded the Institute for Research on Learning (IRL) and has authored influential books including The Social Life of Information, The Power of Pull, and A New Culture of Learning. He has advised univer...

Professor of Gamification at Tampere University and leader of the Gamification Group. His work spans gamification, game‑based learning, motivational systems, and extended realities (VR/AR/XR), bridging HCI, information systems, applied psychology, and education. He has led multi‑million‑euro, multi‑faculty initiatives and is repeatedly listed among the world’s most highly cited researchers. His doctorate (D.Sc. Econ. & Bus. Adm.) was awarded by Aalto University in 2015 for a thesis on motivat...

Larry Cuban is Professor of Education, Emeritus, at Stanford University. A former high school social studies teacher (14 years in Cleveland, OH, and Washington, D.C.), district superintendent (Arlington Public Schools, VA, 1974–1981), and Stanford faculty member (1981–2001), his scholarship examines the history of curriculum and instruction, school reform, and the uses of technology in classrooms. He has authored influential books including Teachers and Machines (1986), Oversold and Underused...

Katie Salen Tekinbas is a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine. A designer and learning scientist, she works at the intersection of games, human–computer interaction, and education. She co‑authored Rules of Play and co‑founded Institute of Play and Connected Camps, and her recent research focuses on youth‑centered community governance, online toxicity reduction, and equitable, interest‑driven learning in networked play spaces.

Lawrence C. Ragan is an educational technology leader known for advancing online and distance learning in higher education. At The Pennsylvania State University, he helped create and manage Penn State’s World Campus, served as Director of Instructional Design and Development (1995–2008), led Academic Outreach faculty development (2008–2013), and co‑directed the Center for Online Innovation in Learning (COIL) (2012–2016). He also co‑directed the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Lear...

Professor emerita and pioneer of online learning best known for developing Online Collaborative Learning (OCL, also called Collaborativism), leading some of the earliest fully online university courses (OISE/University of Toronto, 1986), architecting the Virtual‑U learning environment (begun 1993), and founding/leading Canada’s TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence (1995–2003). Her scholarship (six books and numerous articles) links learning theory, pedagogy, and technology design, wi...

Lloyd P. Rieber is a Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology at the University of Georgia. He joined UGA’s faculty in 1993 after earning his Ph.D. at Penn State (1987) and serving on the faculty at Texas A&M University. At UGA he led the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology (2019–2025) and, beginning August 1, 2025, became Department Head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education. His research spans Q methodology and Q pedagogy, online l...

Professor of Open, Digital, and Distance Education at Athabasca University; Editor‑in‑Chief of the Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology. Her research focuses on online and blended learning, Communities of Inquiry, leadership in higher education, and lifelong learning. Co‑editor of An Introduction to Distance Education (2nd ed.) and co‑author of Teaching in Blended Learning Environments, The Guide to Blended Learning, and Participant Experience in an Inquiry‑Based MOOC.

Michael Grahame Moore is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education at The Pennsylvania State University and founding editor of the American Journal of Distance Education. He is widely recognized as a pioneer of distance/online learning scholarship and practice. In 1972 he introduced the Theory of Transactional Distance, articulating how dialogue, structure, and learner autonomy shape teaching–learning at a distance. His career includes founding Penn State’s American Center for the Study o...

Michael R. Simonson is a Professor in the Instructional Technology and Distance Education (ITDE) program at Nova Southeastern University’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. He earned a Ph.D. in Education (Instructional Systems Design) from the University of Iowa in 1975, after B.S. (1967) and M.S. (1972) degrees from Iowa State University. A founding editor of the Quarterly Review of Distance Education and the Distance Learning journal, Simonson has auth...

Mary F. Rice is an Associate Professor of Literacy in the Department of Language, Literacy, & Sociocultural Studies at the University of New Mexico. A former English language arts and TESOL teacher, her research examines inclusive and accessible online, distance, and digital education—especially for students with disabilities—along with digital and visual literacies, teacher learning, and policy for literacies. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Teaching from the University of Kansas and ha...

Peggy A. Ertmer is Professor Emerita of Learning Design & Technology in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University. Her scholarship examines student‑centered, problem‑based and case‑based approaches to learning; teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their relationship to technology integration; and strategies that foster higher‑order thinking and self‑regulated learning in online and blended environments. She is the founding editor of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Proble...

Otto Peters (born May 6, 1926, Berlin) is a pioneering scholar of distance education, Founding Rector of the FernUniversität in Hagen (Germany), and a principal architect of the industrialization theory of distance teaching and learning. After early service at the Pädagogisches Zentrum Berlin (1963–1969) and research leadership at the Deutsches Institut für Fernstudienforschung (DIFF) at the University of Tübingen (1969–1974), he became Professor of General Didactics in Berlin (1974) and then...

Robert F. Mager (1923–2020) was an American psychologist and seminal author in instructional design and human performance improvement. He popularized the systematic writing of performance‑based learning objectives and advanced Criterion‑Referenced Instruction (CRI), influencing training and education worldwide. He authored the widely read “Mager Six‑Pack” and co‑founded the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI).

Rita C. Richey is Professor Emeritus of Instructional Technology at Wayne State University’s College of Education. She joined the Wayne State faculty in 1971, coordinated the Instructional Technology program for over two decades, and retired in 2008. Richey is widely known for advancing design and development research in instructional design, co‑authoring the field‑defining AECT volume Instructional Technology: The Definition and Domains of the Field (with Barbara B. Seels), the methods text ...

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education at Concordia University (Montreal), and Systematic Review Team Leader at the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance (CSLP). His work centers on meta-analysis and systematic review in educational technology, with influential syntheses on distance/online/blended learning, technology integration, interaction treatments in distance education, and the teaching of critical thinking. Prior to academia he taught in Nashville (TN) Public Schools;...

Robert B. Kozma is an educational technology researcher and international consultant known for seminal contributions to media theory, multiple representations in science learning, and ICT policy for education and development. After two decades on the faculty and as a research scientist at the University of Michigan, he joined SRI International’s Center for Technology in Learning, where he served as Director and Principal Scientist and now holds emeritus status. He later founded Kozmalone Cons...

American instructional technologist and author; Professor of Education (Instructional Systems Technology) at Indiana University from 1969–1990 and later Professor Emeritus. Earlier, he served as Audio‑Visual Director for Colorado Springs Public Schools (1949–1962), then Assistant Professor while completing his PhD at the University of Southern California (1962–1967), and Director of the Educational Services Division at Doubleday & Co. (1967–1969). He chaired Indiana University’s Instructional...

Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology and Technology at the University of Minnesota, renowned for research linking cognitive learning theory with instructional design and for developing adaptive, computer‑based instructional systems. His scholarship spans concept learning, intelligent/adaptive systems (e.g., the Minnesota Adaptive Instructional System), instructional simulations, assessment, and technology‑based comprehension interventions. He served as editor of the journal Computers ...

Richard E. Mayer is Distinguished Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research applies the science of learning to education, focusing on multimedia learning, learning in computer‑supported environments, instructional video, pedagogical agents, immersive virtual reality, and game‑based learning. He previously served as President of APA Division 15 (Educational Psychology) and as AERA Division C (Learning & Instruction) Vice President....

Robert A. Reiser is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education at The Florida State University. During his 46-year FSU career (1976–2021), he served as assistant, associate, and full professor in the Instructional Systems program, chaired the Department of Educational Research, and was Associate Dean for Research. He co-edited the multi-edition volume Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology and authored widely cited histories of the instructional design and technology fie...

Roger C. Schank (1946–2023) was an AI theorist, cognitive psychologist, learning scientist, and entrepreneur whose work helped launch the Learning Sciences field. He pioneered Conceptual Dependency theory for natural‑language understanding, Script Theory (with Robert Abelson), Dynamic Memory (MOPs/TOPs), and Case‑Based Reasoning, and later translated these ideas into practice through Goal‑Based Scenarios, Story‑Centered Curricula, and Guided Experiential Learning for education and workforce t...

Ruth Colvin Clark is an instructional psychologist and leading practitioner–scholar known for translating learning science into actionable guidelines for workforce training. She is president of Clark Training & Consulting, where she delivers keynotes, workshops, and consulting focused on evidence‑based training methods, multimedia learning, and the design of e‑learning and virtual classroom instruction. Clark earned her Ed.D. in Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology from the Uni...

Sharon E. Smaldino is a Professor Emerita and former L.D. and Ruth G. Morgridge Endowed Chair in Teacher Education at Northern Illinois University. A pioneer in instructional technology and teacher preparation, she is widely known for co‑authoring the textbooks Instructional Technology and Media for Learning and Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Media from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (1987), following an M....

Professor and Chair of the Department of Education at Concordia University (Montréal). His research and teaching focus on the design of instructional and informational materials for the workplace, management of groups that produce these materials, and related issues of professionalism; he also studies teaching and learning in higher education. An active consultant, he has authored books, journal articles, and chapters on instructional design, online learning, and technical communication, and ...

Sasha A. Barab is a Professor at Arizona State University (ASU) in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and a Senior Global Futures Scientist. He holds the Pinnacle West Chair of Education in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and co‑founded and serves as Executive Director of ASU’s Center for Games and Impact. An internationally recognized learning scientist, Barab’s work focuses on game‑infused and designed learning environments, transformational play, design‑based research,...

Royce Kimmons is an Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology & Technology at Brigham Young University (BYU) and currently serves as Department Chair of Educational Leadership and Foundations. His scholarship focuses on digital participation divides—particularly social media, open education (OER), and classroom technology use—and he is the creator/founder of the open publishing platform EdTechBooks.org. Before BYU he was the founding Director of the Doceo Center for Innovation + Learnin...

Associate Professor (retired) in Athabasca University’s Centre for Distance Education. Her teaching and research focused on instructional design, learning communities in online courses, and especially accessibility and distance/online learning for adults with disabilities. Early in her career she served as an instructional designer at Athabasca University (mid‑1970s–1984), then completed a doctorate in Educational Psychology (specializing in computer‑based learning) and worked more than a dec...

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 ...

Shirley Alexander is an Australian educational technology leader and Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Over a 30‑year UTS career she served as Director of the Institute for Interactive Media and Learning, Dean of the Faculty of Education (2005–2007), and Deputy Vice‑Chancellor and Vice‑President (Education and Students) (2007–2022). Internationally recognized for research and leadership on technology‑enhanced learning, curriculum and learning space transformatio...

Steven M. Ross is Professor, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, and Executive Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. He is Editor Emeritus of the research section of Educational Technology Research and Development and author/coauthor of six textbooks and 140+ journal articles on educational technology, program evaluation, school reform, extended learning time, and supports for at‑risk learners. He joined Johns H...

Sheryl Burgstahler is an Affiliate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington and a longtime leader in accessible educational technology. She founded the DO‑IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center at UW in 1992 and, through 2023, directed Accessible Technology Services (including DO‑IT and the UW‑IT Access Technology Center). In January 2024 she stepped down from those director roles to focus on teaching, writing, and speaking while ...

Starr Roxanne Hiltz is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Information Systems at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and a pioneering scholar of computer‑mediated communication, online/virtual classrooms, and asynchronous learning. She co‑authored The Network Nation (Addison‑Wesley, 1978; rev. MIT Press, 1993), widely cited as a foundational text that anticipated today’s Internet‑enabled social and educational networks. She led seminal work on the first “Virtual Classroom” at NJIT...

Vicki L. Plano Clark is a professor of research methods in the School of Education at the University of Cincinnati. A leading mixed methods methodologist, her scholarship focuses on designs and procedures for integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches and on the contexts that shape the adoption and use of mixed methods across disciplines. She was the founding Managing Editor and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Mixed Methods Research, co-developed the NIH Best Practices for M...

Professor Emeritus in the Instructional Psychology and Technology program at The University of Oklahoma, Tillman J. (“Tim”) Ragan was a prominent instructional design scholar and co‑author (with Patricia L. Smith) of the widely used textbook Instructional Design (1993/1999/2004). He earned his Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from Syracuse University in 1970 and published books, journal articles, and ERIC papers on instructional strategy design, visual literacy, computer‑based learning, and ...