Decades of research in the science of human learning have produced results that could transform the way educational institutions and workplaces support learners to build  knowledge and capabilities; however, research findings have not often translated into successful changes in instructional practices, educational technology design, or employee and student learning.  Fortunately, the pervasiveness of networked technology mediated learning environments coupled with rapid progress in computational and data sciences facilitate a transformative change in the relationship between learning research and teaching practice.  Well-designed networked learning environments are vehicles not only for transferring knowledge from learning research into teaching practice but also serve as ubiquitous research laboratories.  In this talk, I will describe how setting up the right infrastructure can support a much needed shift in the relationship between research and practice:  a shift away from a unidirectional linear transfer model toward a virtuous cycle of research and practice continuously interacting and improving each other.  I will also provide examples and lessons learned from doing this work in the field.

Bio: Candace Thille was the founding director of the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) at Carnegie Mellon University and at Stanford University. At Stanford University, she was also an Associate Professor (teaching) in the Graduate School of Education, faculty in the Neurosciences Interdepartmental Program, and a Research Fellow in the Office of the Vice Provost for Online Learning. Her focus is in applying the results from research in the science of learning to the design and evaluation of technology mediated learning environments and in using those environments to conduct research at the intersection of human learning and machine learning.

Dr. Thille currently serves on the board of trustees of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and has served on the board of directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities; as a fellow of the International Society for Design and Development in Education; on the Assessment 2020 Task Force of the American Board of Internal Medicine; on the advisory council for the Association of American Universities STEM initiative; and on the advisory council for the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources. She served on the working group of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) that produced the Engage to Excel report and on the U.S. Department of Education working groups, co-authoring the 2010 and 2015 National Education Technology Plans.