Prof. Dr. Paul Kirschner

Dr Paul A. Kirschner (1951) is Distinguished University Professor at the Open University of the Netherlands as well as Visiting Professor of Education with a special emphasis on Learning and Interaction in Teacher Education at the University of Oulu, Finland. He is an internationally recognised expert in the fields of educational psychology and instructional design. He is Research Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Science, and currently a member of the Scientific Technical Council of the Foundation for University Computing Facilities (SURF WTR) in the Netherlands. Dr Kirschner was a member of the Dutch Educational Council and, as such, was advisor to the Minister of Education (2000-2004). He is also Chief Editor of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Associate Editor of Computers in Human Behavior, and has published two very successful books: Ten Steps to Complex Learning and Urban Legends about Learning and Education. He co-edited Visualizing Argumentation and What we know about CSCL. His areas of expertise include interaction in learning, collaboration for learning (computer supported collaborative learning), and regulation of learning.