The Learning Lab is 25 This Year!
The Learning Lab was established in September 2001 with funding from Alfred West, Jr., an alumnus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and former Executive Chairman and CEO of SEI Investments. Then Wharton Dean Patrick T. Harker established the Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab to explore ways “to reach a deeper understanding of how people learn and to push that process to a higher level using advancements in technology and learning science.”
Long Ago in 2000…
The foundation for the Learning Lab was established in Fall of 2000 with a pilot program that included two new projects and expansion of an existing project. All three projects reflected Wharton’s commitment to research that would have a significant impact within the school. These new projects were earmarked for MBA “core” courses – those taken by all first-year Wharton MBA students. The third project was the expansion of a portfolio-management simulation previously developed at Wharton for one of the school’s finance faculty members (which eventually became Wharton’s now retired Online Trading and Investment Simulator, or OTIS).
All three projects met the criteria to have a positive impact on student’s classroom experience and foster a deeper, more engaged learning within the course the simulations were embedded in. And thus, in Fall 2001, The Learning Lab was born!
Cheers to 25 more years of innovation in experiential learning at The Wharton School! Stay tuned to see what we come up with next…
What’s happening?
OPEQ: How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Remote Delivery May 14, 2020
Pivot or Perish: How to Survive the Retail Apocalypse May 11, 2020
VR in the Classroom: If We Get This Right, Nobody Explodes March 7, 2019
Guest Post: Student Researcher Cracks Open the Case for Classroom AR February 18, 2019
Have a great idea?
The Learning Lab is always interested in working with Wharton faculty on new learning tools, so get in touch!
Having accessibility issues?
Report accessibility issues, and get assistance here.
External to Penn?
Good news: Our simulations aren’t just available for use at Wharton!
You can also order and immediately use our most popular learning tools from Harvard Business Publishing.