Clark Aldrich

Clark Aldrich
Born (1967-01-03) January 3, 1967
Alma materBrown University (BA)
Occupations
  • Author
  • simulation designer
  • educational technologist
Known for
  • Educational simulations
  • serious games
SpouseMuffy Aldrich
Websiteclarkaldrich.com

Clark Aldrich (born January 3, 1967) is an American author and the founder of companies in the interactive learning and serious gaming industry.

Early life

Aldrich grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where he attended The Fenn School. He then attended the Lawrence Academy at Groton. He earned a bachelor's degree in cognitive science at Brown University in 1989.[1][2][3]

Career

Aldrich first worked at Xerox as a speechwriter under Executive Vice President Wayland Hicks.[2] Aldrich was appointed by Governor Paul Cellucci (Republican) to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Educational Technology from 1996 to 2000, serving as a governor's appointee in Massachusetts. He then moved to Gartner, working in e-learning analysis.[2]

Later, he left Gartner to design educational simulations. He founded SimuLearn, which developed training simulations for use in corporate learning environments.[2] The first product released by the company was Virtual Leader, which simulated the conduct of a series of business meetings while balancing professional interactions.[4] 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)."[5]

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".[6][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]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b c d Leigh, Pam (May 2001). "Training's New Guard 2001: Clark Aldrich". T + D. 55 (5). Association for Talent Development: 40–42, 62. ProQuest 227012594. Full access available to users of The Wikipedia Library.
  3. ^ "Computer Games and Formal Learning Programs" (PDF). Conduit. 15. Brown University: 6.
  4. ^ Becker, David (July 10, 2002). "Think you can run Enron? Play the game". CNET. San Francisco, California: CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Accelerating Change 2004". accelerating.org. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  7. ^ "The Sim Cafe | Interview with Clark Aldrich". thesimcafe.buzzsprout.com. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Fillicaro, Barbara (July 1, 2005). "Not Just for Kids". T+D. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Bozarth, Jane. "Book Review: The Complete Guide to Simulations & Serious Games by Clark Aldrich". Learning Solutions Magazine. The eLearning Guild. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Neibert, Jennifer. "Book Review: Unschooling Rules, by Clark Aldrich". Learning Solutions Magazine. The eLearning Guild. Retrieved March 22, 2014.

Further reading