Ruth Clark is a specialist in instructional design and technical training, determined to bridge the gap between academic research and practitioner application in instructional methods. She holds a doctorate in the field and is president of her own company, Clark Training & Consulting. Her books and articles focus on various aspects of training and e-learning. 

Karl Kapp is a professor of instructional technology at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA and is the author behind the widely read “Kapp Notes†blog and a regular contributor to ASTD’s “Learning Circuits†blog. Karl has written five books on the convergence of learning and technology. His latest book, The Gamification of Learning and Instruction is where much of the material for this presentation is discussed in more detail. In his Gamification book, Karl explores the research and theoretical foundations behind effective game-based learning. He examines everything from variable reward schedules to the use of avatars to the use of games to teach pro-social behaviors. Karl is committed to helping organization’s develop a strategic, enterprisewide approach to organizational learning. He believes that effective education and training are the keys to increased productivity and profitability. He can be reached at www.karlkapp.com.

Associate Professor Robert Atkinson holds a joint appointment in the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering in the Ira A. Schools of Engineering and the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation in the Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College. He earned an Applied Cognitive Science Ph.D. in 1999 from University of Wisconsin, Madison with a minor in statistics and research design. He joined the ASU faculty in 2002 as an assistant professor after teaching for three years at Mississippi State University.

M. David Merrill is professor emeritus at Utah State University. Since receiving his PhD from the University of Illinois in 1964 he has served on the faculty of George Peabody College, Brigham Young University-Provo, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, Utah State University, Florida State University and BYU Hawaii (as a missionary volunteer). He served a service mission at BYU Hawaii where he helped faculty put course online. Since retiring he has taught online courses at Florida State University, BYU Hawaii, and Utah State University.

Professor Susanne Lajoie received her Doctorate from Stanford University in 1986. She is a Canadian Research Chair, Tier 1 in Advanced Technologies in Authentic Learning Settings and Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, appointed for her outstanding contributions to the field of Psychology as well as an Inaugural Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.She uses a cognitive approach to identify learning trajectories that help novice learners become more skilled in the areas of science, statistics, and medicine. She has designed effective computer based learning environments in these domains based on her research findings. She has been invited to present her research worldwide including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Mexico, the UK and the Ukraine.