Clark Aldrich

Clark Aldrich
Born (1967-01-03) January 3, 1967
Concord, Massachusetts, United States
Alma materBrown University (B.A. in Cognitive Science, 1989)
OccupationsAuthor, Simulation Designer, Educational Technologist
Years active1999–present
Known forEducational simulations and serious games
Notable workVirtual Leader, six books on education and simulations

Clark Aldrich (born January 3, 1967) is an American author and practitioner in the field of educational simulations. Since 1999, he has worked on alternative approaches to traditional education, with a focus on interactive learning and computer-based simulations. Aldrich is the author of six books on education and simulations, in which he discusses the use of game-based methods for educational and training purposes, including approaches often described as edutainment.[1]

Background

Education

Aldrich grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where he attended The Fenn School, a private middle school for boys. Aldrich then attended the Lawrence Academy at Groton, a private co-educational preparatory high school. He attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he earned his bachelor's degree in cognitive science in 1989.[2][3][4][5]

Career

Aldrich initially worked at Xerox as the speechwriter for the Executive Vice President Wayland Hicks. He transitioned out of this role when he became the Governor’s appointee to the Joint Committee on Educational Technology, and served in this role from 1996 to 2000. He then moved to Gartner, where he launched Gartner's e-learning coverage and reported on topics related to the formal analysis of education.

Later, he left Gartner to design educational simulations independently. Aldrich 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.[6] In 2003, Aldrich described the game: "The player is in a room discussing issues with simulated characters—'bots'—whose words and behavior are controlled through artificial intelligence (AI)."[7]

Personal life

Clark Aldrich is married to Muffy Aldrich; the couple have collaborated on lifestyle/blogging projects and photo essays and have published material under the name "The Daily Prep" / "Salt Water New England".[8] He has been described in conference biographies as living in the San Francisco Bay Area with his family.[9] Aldrich has said that he works from home with his wife, and that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent much of his life travelling to conferences and visiting numerous countries for research and presentations.[10] In addition to his writing and simulation design work, Aldrich has photographed and co-edited online content with his wife, and has expressed a continuing interest in building simulations for a wide variety of humanitarian, academic and corporate clients.[11]

Books

  • Aldrich, Clark (2004). Simulations and the Future of Learning. San Diego: Pfeiffer. ISBN 978-0-7879-6962-2.[12]
  • 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.[13][14]
  • 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.[15][16][17]
  • Aldrich, Clark (2009). Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction. San Diego: Pfeiffer. ISBN 978-0-470-43834-3.[18]
  • 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.[19]

[8] [9] [10] [11]

References

  1. ^ "Serious Play Conference Aims Program at Corporate, Military, Education, Healthcare Decision-Makers, Developers for Serious Games; DigiPen to Host". Computer Weekly. TechTarget. April 14, 2011. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  2. ^ Conlin, Michelle (2006-02-19). "Meet My Teachers: Mom And Dad". Businessweek. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
  3. ^ Lesczinski, Mike (2013-04-13). "Excelsior College to Host "Games and the Curriculum: Towards a New Educational Model" Gaming Symposium on May 17". Excelsior College. Archived from the original on 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
  4. ^ Leigh, Pam (2001-05-01). "Training's New Guard 2001: Clark Aldrich". T+D. HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2014-09-16.(subscription required)
  5. ^ "Computer Games and Formal Learning Programs" (PDF). Conduit. 15. Brown University: 6.
  6. ^ Becker, David (July 10, 2002). "Think you can run Enron? Play the game". CNET. San Francisco, California: CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  7. ^ Morrison, James L.; Aldrich, Clark (September–October 2003). "Simulations and the Learning Revolution: An Interview with Clark Aldrich". The Technology Source. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  8. ^ a b Muffy Aldrich — Substack / Salt Water New England (author page and blog). Retrieved 2025.
  9. ^ a b Accelerating Change 2004 — Clark Aldrich bio (conference biography noting residence in the San Francisco Bay Area). Retrieved 2004.
  10. ^ a b The Sim Cafe — Interview with Clark Aldrich (Dec 12, 2022): Aldrich discussing working at home with his wife and extensive prior travel. Retrieved 2022.
  11. ^ a b Ivy Style / Museum at FIT related materials and event captions noting Clark Aldrich as photographer/co-editor for The Daily Prep. Retrieved 2012.
  12. ^ Gery, Gloria (September 1, 2003). "Simulations and the Future of Learning: An Innovative (and Perhaps Revolutionary) Approach to E-Learning". T+D. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  13. ^ Fillicaro, Barbara (July 1, 2005). "Not Just for Kids". T+D. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  14. ^ Kapp, Karl (September 2005). "Review of "Learning by Doing: A Comprehensive Guide to Simulations, Computer Games and Pedagogy in E-learning and Other Educational Experiences by Clark Aldrich"". eLearn Magazine. New York City: Association for Computing Machinery. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  15. ^ Bozarth, Jane. "Book Review: The Complete Guide to Simulations & Serious Games by Clark Aldrich". Learning Solutions Magazine. The eLearning Guild. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  16. ^ Aleckson, Jon (January 1, 2009). "The Complete Guide to Simulations & Serious Games". Training Media Review. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  17. ^ Shea, Peter (November 2009). "Review of 'The Complete Guide to Simulations & Serious Games' by Clark Aldrich". eLearn Magazine. New York City: Association for Computing Machinery. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  18. ^ Brandon, Bill. "Book Review: Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction by Clark Aldrich". Learning Solutions Magazine. The eLearning Guild. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  19. ^ Neibert, Jennifer. "Book Review: Unschooling Rules, by Clark Aldrich". Learning Solutions Magazine. The eLearning Guild. Retrieved March 22, 2014.

Further reading

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