Sasha Barab

Biography

Photo of Sasha Barab

Sasha Barab is a professor in learning sciences, instructional systems technology, and cognitive science at Indiana University. He holds the Barbara Jacobs Chair of Education and Technology, and is the director of the Center for Research on Learning and Technology. His research has resulted in numerous grants, dozens of academic articles, and multiple chapters in edited books, which investigate knowing and learning in its material, social, and cultural context. The intent of this research is to develop rigorous claims about how people learn that have significant practical, pedagogical, and theoretical implications.

His current work involves the research and development of gaming environments designed to assist children in developing their sense of purpose as individuals, as members of their communities, and as knowledgeable citizens of the world. Central to this work has been a focus on the understanding the value of transformational play, referring to a state of engagement that involves projection into the role of a character who, engaged in a partly fictional problem context, must apply conceptual understandings to make sense of and, ultimately, transform the context. He also gives invited talks worldwide, and is considered a leader in scholarly and practical work on games and learning.

Sessions