Today, Maria talks with Sarah Toms, Co-Founder and Executive Director at Wharton Interactive, a new initiative at The Wharton School that builds interactive learning platforms and marketplaces. Sarah first joined The Wharton School as the IT director of the Learning Lab in 2013, where she was hired to lead the team into a new era. Together they explored new approaches to learning through the development of serious games, simulations and interactive programs. During this time, Sarah co-founded an open-source simulation framework called simpl.world that is like nothing we’ve seen before. During this discussion, you will learn about the Alternate Reality Courseware, a gaming engine providing experiential learning through a realistic virtual experience. Sarah also talks about IdeaMachine, an innovative learning platform that lets instructors quickly and easily create engaging social communities around key questions and topics. You will also hear about the Startup Game and the Saturn Parable, examples of a handful of games they have been developing at Wharton Interactive. Tune in to learn from a serious games expert and established thought leader in the educational technology field, a role model who aspires to be known as a person who stepped into education and fiercely innovated.
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find more about Sarah Toms and Wharton Interactive:
Sarah on LinkedIn
Sarah at Wharton Interactive
Mentioned in this episode:
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Customer Centricity Playbook by Sarah Toms
Listen to this episode and explore:
Sarah’s childhood: born in Malawi and growing up in many countries before coming to the US in high school (4:15)
Studying international relations in college and building a technology startup in her early career (7:36)
The lessons Sarah learned during her entrepreneurial journey (9:24)
Transitioning from an entrepreneur and co-founder to a senior developer and corporate employee (12:22)
Joining the Wharton School as the IT director of the Learning Lab (16:12)
The path to co-founding Wharton Interactive (20:20)
Sarah’s personal mission: modernize, transform and democratize education (23:47)
Building the Alternate Reality Courseware (ARC) for a more personalized and democratized education (28:03)
The evolving role of educators within the ARC (30:58)
The critical skills students learn as they become self-directed lifelong learners (34:17)
Case Study: The Saturn Parable, an immersive game designed for high school students (36:58)
The learners Wharton Interactive is seeking to serve (39:59)
The summer launch of Wharton Interactive’s games for individuals and organizations (41:20)
Pandemic: Sarah’s concerns and opportunities in education (43:04)
What educators need to keep in mind when designing culture in their classrooms (45:45)
The one thing Sarah wants to leave her mark on during her lifetime (50:25)
Maria’s key takeaways and call-to-action (51:13)