Clark Aldrich BIO

A Thought Leader in Evolving Education, Business Analysis, and Media through Simulations, Serious Games, and other Virtual Learning Environments.

Clark Aldrich has created some of the most effective, celebrated, and innovative "soft skills" simulations of the past decade. He has designed simulations on areas ranging from influencing skills to cyber security, and with clients as diverse as the Department of Defense to private universities. He was awarded a patent for SimuLearn's Virtual Leader global product line (which is the most popular leadership simulation in the world and was the winner of the "best online training product of the year"). SimuLearn's Virtual Leader (and the updated vLeader) is currently used in hundreds of corporations, universities, and military installations and has been translated into multiple foreign languages.

Aldrich also advises many of the world's most influential organizations (private and government), and serves on over a dozen boards, including with the NSA, magazines, and universities, on educational and business analysis projects.

He is the author of four books, Simulations and the Future of Learning (Wiley, 2004), Learning By Doing (Wiley, 2005), The Complete Guide to Simulations and Serious Games - How the Most Valuable Content Will Be Created In the Age Beyond Gutenberg to Google (Wiley, 2009) and Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds (Wiley, 2009); and columnist and analyst.

His work has been featured in hundreds of sources, including CBS, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, CNET, Business 2.0, BusinessWeek, U.S. News and World Reports, and, among other distinctions, he has been called an "industry guru" by Fortune Magazine.

Aldrich was the founder and former director of research for Gartner’s e-learning coverage. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Cognitive Science, and earlier in his career worked on special projects for Xerox' executive team.

A partial list of published sims and writings include (to be completed and cleaned up, but necessarily omitting work done under NDA's):

• The Complete Guide to Simulations and Serious Games - How the Most Valuable Content Will Be Created In the Age Beyond Gutenberg to Google (Wiley, 2009)
• Learning with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds - Strategies for Online Instruction (Wiley, 2009)
• Aldrich, C. 2009. Virtual worlds, simulations, and games for education: A unifying view. Innovate 5 (5).
• Chapter: Defining Simulation Terms (Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education, 2008)
• Chapter: The Four Slates of Educational Experiences (Beyond Fun: Serious Games and Media, 2008)
• Army Influence! Simulation (2008)
• Chapter: What Is a Simulation? The New Structure of Actions-Systems-Results (ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals, 2008)
• Clark Aldrich's Style Guide for Serious Games and Simulations, Blog, 2007-2008
• "Engaging Mini-Games Find Niche in Training." T + D, July 2007
• eLearning Guild 360 Report: Immersive Learning Simulations (eLearning Guild, 2007, 2008), one of five authors for 430 page landmark study
• Games and Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks, (2006). D. Gibson, M. Prensky, & C. Aldrich (eds). Hershey, PA: Idea Group.
• "1996-2006 E-Learning in the Workplace." T+D, September 2006
• "9 Paradoxes of Educational Simulations." T+D, May 2006, Vol. 60 Issue 5, p49-52 [link]
• “Simulation philosophies: Researching, teaching and learning in a post-linear world,” Conduit, Brown University, Fall/Winter 2006 [link]
• Foreman, J., and C. Aldrich. 2005. The design of advanced learning engines. Innovate 1 (6).
• Aldrich, C. (2005). Learning by doing: A comprehensive guide to simulations, computer games, and pedagogy in e-learning and other educational experiences. NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Aldrich, C. (2004). The four slates of educational experiences. On The Horizon, Volume 12, Number 1, January 2004, pp. 14-17(4). Highly Commended Award 2005 (Literati Club, Emerald)
• Aldrich, C. (2004). Simulations and the future of learning: An innovative (and perhaps revolutionary) approach to e-learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
• Aldrich C., 2004. IT Conversations: Simulations and the Future of Learning. [http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail372.html]
• "Using Leadership to Implement Leadership." T D, May 2003, Vol. 57 Issue 5, p94, 7p
• Aldrich,C. (2003). Elearningpost interview: Going the "Simulation Way": Q&A with Clark Aldrich. [http://www.elearningpost.com/features/archives/002199.asp]
• Chapter 27, Global Learning, 2008, The AMA Handbook of E-Learning, George Piskurich, 2003
• “Six Criteria of an Educational Simulation.” Learning Circuits, 2003
  Available at: http://www.learningcircuits.org/NR/rdonlyres/F2ED000A-7A59-4108-A6CB-1BE4F4CC1CA5/4719/clark_e2.pdf
• SimuLearn's Virtual Leader Platform (Lead Designer)
• Aldrich, C. (2003). Using leadership to implement leadership. T & D, 57(5), 94-. 101. [link]
• Aldrich, C. (2003). The new core of leadership. T & D. 57(3), 32-37. [link]
• "Can We Build It? Yes We Can!" Training, February 1 2003
• "E-Learning Pieces: The End-Learner Experience." Training, November 1 2003
• "How Is E-Learning Sold?" Training, August 1 2003
• "Managing E-Learning Pieces." Training, October 8 2003
• Aldrich, Clark (2002). A tale of two vendors. Training. Magazine, 6 (1), pp. 12. [2]
• Aldrich, C. (2002). Field guide to educational simulations. Learning Circuits, American Society for Training and Development.[http://www.learningcircuits.org/Aldrich.htm]
• Aldrich, C. (2002, January). The learning frontier: Words of advice from the computer-gaming industry. Online Learning Magazine, 6(10), 34, 36-37.
• "Don't Look Down." Online Learning, July 1 2002
• Aldrich, C. (2002). Measuring success: In a post-Maslow/Kirkpatrick world, which metrics matter? Online Learning, 6(2), 30, 32.
• "Is Content King?" Online Learning, November 1 2001
• "Party Of Six" Online Learning, October 1 2001
• Aldrich, C. (2001). The State of Simulations: Soft-Skill Simulations Emerge as a Powerful New Form of E-Learning. Online Learning, 5(8), 52,54,56,58-59.
• "Wither The Ivied Walls" Online Learning, June 1 2001
• "An Open Mind: Open-source e-learning" Online Learning, May 1 2001
• "The Sound of Learning." Training, April 1 2001
• "Strong Medicine." Online Learning, July 1 2001
• "The End Of The Beginning." Online Learning, January 1 2001
• Aldrich, C. (2001). Meeting of the Minds: Get ready for a big merger - the one between knowledge management and e-learning. OnlineLearning. Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 74 - 75.
• "Small Chunks, Big Impact: The Rise of Learning Content Management Systems." Training, February 1 2001
• Aldrich, C. (2001). Strategic e-learning: Trends and observations. (In K. Mantyla, and J. Woods (eds.) The 2001/2002 ASTD Distance Learning yearbook, pp. 3-29. New York: McGraw Hill.
• Aldrich, C. (2000, November). Something about simulations. OnlineLearning Magazine, 4(10), 90-91.[link]
• ASTD’s field guide to educational simulations. Learning Circuit Series. ASTD (American Society for Training & Development); 2000 [link]
• Aldrich, C. (2000). "Customer-Focused E-Learning: The Drivers." Training & Development 54 (8): 34.
• Aldrich, C. (2000). The Justification of IT Training. Gartner Research Note DF-11-3614.
• Aldrich, C. (1999). Best Practices in End-User Training. Gartner Research Note TU-09-4549.
• Aldrich, C., (1999). What is next for the training market if the economy falters? Training and Development, pp.29-30.
• Xerox' Documents at Work series (co-author)

Selected Public Conference Presentations include (and yes, I am resuming speaking after my year break):

• eLearning Guild, 2009
• Jossey-Bass OTL Conference, 2009
• Training Magazine, 2009
• Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum, Harrisburg, 2009*
• TTI/Vanguard, Washington DC, 2009
• Army War College Lecturer, Carlisle Barracks, 2009
• Army War College Lecturer, Carlisle Barracks, 2007
• eLearning Guild, Boston, 2007
• Playing and learning in virtual worlds, Delft, The Netherlands, 2006*
• Virtual Simulations, Tokyo, 2006*
• Triple-I, Taiwan, 2006*
• Defense Acquisition University’s Innovations in eLearning, Fairfax, 2006
• Army War College Lecturer, Carlisle Barracks, 2006
• eLearning Guild, Boston, 2006
• Training Conference, Games and Simulations Track, Long Beach, 2005**
• E-Learning Guild Developer Conference, San Francisco, 2005*
• Defense Acquisition University’s Innovations in eLearning, Fairfax, 2005
• Canadian Society of Training and Development, New Brunswick, 2005*
• Second Life Future Salon, Virtual, 2005*
• E-Learning Guild, San Francisco, 2005
• Accelerating Change, Stanford University, Palo Alto, 2004
• The Fourth Spearman Conference, Philadelphia, 2004
• OnlineLearning, San Francisco, 2004
• World Future Society, Washington, D.C., 2004
• NASAGA Online! Version 1.0, Virtual, 2004
• OnlineLearning, Los Angeles, 2003*
• VNU Learning Supplier Summit, Los Angeles, 2003*,**
• ASTD, San Diego, 2003
• Instructional Systems Association, Pebble Beach, 2003*
• ASTD TechKnowledge, Orlando, 2003
• E-Learn, Montreal, 2002*
• OnlineLearning, Anaheim, 2002*
• VNU Learning Supplier Summit, Anaheim, 2002*,**
• ASTD International, New Orleans, 2002
• Training Conference, Atlanta, 2002
• OnlineLearning, Los Angeles, 2001
• Training Director’s Forum, 2001
• ASTD International, Orlando, 2001
• Gartner Knowledge Management, San Antonio, 2000
• Gartner Spring Symposium, San Diego, 2000
• Gartner Fall Symposium, Orlando, 2000
• ITTA Annual Conference, Austin, 1999

* Keynoted** Chaired

[contact Clark Aldrich]

Different organizations ask for bio photographs for me. Rather than have me decide which style or tone they want, I present this variety of snapshots, all of which are clickable for high res versions. This presentation of photographs should offend the sensibilities of most people, as it appears egotistical and, frankly, just too much of me. I apologize.