Clark Aldrich

Clark Aldrich (born 3 January 1967) is an American author and a practitioner in the field of educational simulations.

In 1999, Aldrich began writing on perceived gaps in educational approaches. He suggested that interactive learning experiences, inspired by computer game genres, could offer alternative models for content presentation. He also proposed that new genres of computer games might be developed to serve both educational and entertainment purposes. His work on educational simulations led to several publications, including five books.

Background

Childhood and education

Aldrich grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, graduating from The Fenn School and Lawrence Academy. He later studied cognitive science at Brown University located in Providence, Rhode Island, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science in 1989.

Career

Aldrich worked at Xerox as the speechwriter for Executive Vice President Wayland Hicks. Aldrich became the Governor’s appointee to the Joint Committee on Educational Technology and served in this role from 1996 to 2000 while at Xerox. He then moved to Gartner, where he launched their e-learning coverage, and began formal writing and analysis of education. Later, he left Gartner to begin hands-on work in designing and building simulations himself, where he also increased his external writing about the industry through books, columns, and articles.

Aldrich later founded SimuLearn, which develops training simulations for use in corporate learning environments. The first product that was released by the company was Virtual Leader. It required the user to conduct a series of business meetings, while still balancing professional interactions within simulated business meetings.

External links

• Aldrich Repository of Simulations and Serious Games
• Aldrich Unschooling Rules Blog