An Interactive Discussion on Design, Creativity, Learning, and Usability

Steve Fadden (Moderator), Landmark College

In this session, we will host a roundtable discussion with our presenters and demonstrators to highlight the many connections between our different disciplines and areas of specialty. Participants will engage in interactive activities and conversations to explore opportunities for designers and developers, open new fields of inquiry for research, discuss how creativity and design can be applied to instruction and learning, and pose unanswered questions to presenters. In addition to having an opportunity to meet with presenters and demonstrators, participants will come away from the session with an appreciation for the diverse ways in which creativity and design can complement learning and usability for all people, regardless of ability profile, context of use, and area of expertise.

About Steve Fadden

Steve Fadden is the Director of Research at Landmark College and the Director of the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training, in Putney, Vermont. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with research interests in human performance and decision-making as it relates to interface design, usability, and education and training for specialists with diverse learning needs. Steve currently serves as Principal Investigator on a number of federal grants, including a project to improve education for struggling students in community colleges, and a research initiative to improve the design of learning resources in mathematics. He has also developed the Universal Design and Usability Lab at Landmark College, where researchers conduct usability and eye movement studies to identify and remove barriers to science, technology, engineering, and math education for students with learning disabilities.

Steve currently teaches Human Computer Interaction and Usability Engineering at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, as well as seminars in Psychology/Education at Landmark College. He has also taught for Brigham Young University and George Mason University in Psychology and Engineering. Prior to working in academia, Steve worked in consulting and industry positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, PeopleSoft, Intel, and Lockheed Martin. In industry, he gained experience in a number of domains developing systems to support operators in complex and high-risk systems, such as pilots, air traffic controllers, nuclear security personnel, and intelligence analysts. He has also developed software tools and training systems for network administrators, financial personnel, supply chain specialists, and consumers.