Clark Aldrich

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

Clark Aldrich
Clark Aldrich, expert in educational simulations
Born	Concord, Massachusetts, United States
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Brown University (B.A. in Cognitive Science, 1989)
Occupation(s)	Author, Simulation Designer, Educational Technologist
Years active	1999–present
Known for	Educational simulations and serious games
Notable work	Virtual Leader, five books on education and simulations

In 1999, Aldrich began writing about alternative approaches to traditional education, focusing on interactive learning and the potential of computer game-based simulations. He proposed new types of computer games that could be developed to serve both educational and entertainment purposes. His work on educational simulations led to several publications, including five books.^[1]

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 in Providence, Rhode Island, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science in 1989.^[2][3][4][5]

Career

Aldrich worked at Xerox as the speechwriter for Executive Vice President Wayland Hicks, becoming 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 writing on formal analysis of education. Later, he left Gartner, starting to design and build simulations himself, and increasing his writing about the industry in books, columns, and articles.^[6]

Aldrich later founded SimuLearn, which developed training simulations for use in corporate learning environments. The first product released by the company was Virtual Leader, which simulated the conduct of a series of business meetings while balancing professional interactions.^[7]

Books

• Aldrich, Clark (2004). Simulations and the Future of Learning. San Diego: Pfeiffer. ISBN 978-0-7879-6962-2.^[8]
• Aldrich, Clark (2005). Learning by Doing: A Comprehensive Guide to Simulations, Computer Games and Pedagogy in E-learning and Other Educational Experiences. San Diego: Pfeiffer. ISBN 978-0-7879-7735-1.^[9][10]
• Gibson, David V.; Aldrich, Clark; Prensky, Marc (2006). Games And Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks. IGI Global. ISBN 978-1-59904-304-3.
• Aldrich, Clark (2009). The Complete Guide to Simulations and Serious Games. San Diego: Pfeiffer. ISBN 978-0-470-46273-7.^[11][12][13]
• Aldrich, Clark (2009). Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction. San Diego: Pfeiffer. ISBN 978-0-470-43834-3.^[14]
• Aldrich, Clark (2011). Unschooling Rules: 55 Ways to Unlearn What We Know About Schools and Rediscover Education. Austin: Greenleaf. ISBN 978-1-60832-116-2.^[15]