Synergistic Activities

Collaboration with CMU Engineering and ETC - AM Training Tutor - Learning 3D printer maintenance with VR

Keynote Talks and Invited Presentations

Keynote speaker for the 11th International Conference on e-Learning and e-Teaching (ICeLeT 2024), Focusing on Technology Enhanced Learning. Title of talk: "A Decade with Decimal Point: How a Digital Learning Game Became a Research Platform," (Virtual Presentation) Isfahan, Iran. February 27, 2024   [ See announcement ]  [ Watch the keynote presentation ]

David Guralnick interviews Bruce McLaren about digital learning games at the The Learning Ideas Conference 2023  [ See the interview ]

Invited lecture - Harvard University; Harvard Graduate School of Education course 'Artificial Intelligence in Education,' “How AIED Digital Learning Games Have Made an Impact on Education and How They Could Do Much More," October 17, 2022   [ See announcement ]

Invited talk - University of Bari, Bari, Italy, “Learning with AI-Infused Digital Learning Games”, May 24, 2022   [ See announcement ]

Keynote speaker for the 2021 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology, and Education (TALE 2021), Wuhan, China, "How AIED Digital Learning Games Have Made an Impact on Education and How They Could Do Much More," December 6, 2021  [ Watch the keynote presentation ]

Keynote speaker for the Australian Learning Analytics Summer Institute 2019 (ALASI 2019), the University of Wollongong, Australia,  "Bridging Education, Design, Learning Technology and Learning Analytics: Leveraging Multidisciplinarity in Striving for the Classroom of the Future",  November 28, 2019  [ Watch the keynote presentation ]

Invited talk – International Congress on Cognitive Science in the Classroom,  Paris, France,  “Advanced Technology for Learning in the Classroom”,  March 29, 2019  Sponsored by UNESCO  [ Watch the invited talk ]

Keynote speaker for e-Learning Korea 2018, Seoul, South Korea, “Classroom Orchestration: How Innovation and Artificial Intelligence are Impacting Education and Teaching“,  September 14, 2018      [ Watch the keynote presentation ]

Presentation at CHI 2018 (Montreal, Canada) of the paper titled  “Educational Game and Intelligent Tutoring System: A Classroom Study and Comparative Design Analysis.“  McLaren stepped in for Vincent Aleven and Yanjin Long to give this talk comparing an ITS and an educational game.   [ See Paper Citation ]

Invited talk - Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María,  Valparaíso, Chile,  “Addressing the Challenges of Education in a Technological World: How Learning Science is Leading the Way”,  December 26, 2017   [ See announcement ]

Invited talk - East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai, China,  “Learning with Educational Games and Educational Technology Education at Carnegie Mellon University ”,  March, 2017   [ See announcement ]

Keynote speaker at the 24th International Conference on Computers in Education IIT, Bombay India, “Learning With Educational Games: Is it Just Hype or Supported by Evidence?“ Nov 30, 2016  [ See announcement ]  [  Watch the keynote presentation ]

Invited talk - Texas A&M,  “How the Networked World, Our Understanding of Collaborative Learning, and Advanced Technology are Converging for New Learning Opportunities.”,  November 12, 2014,  [  Watch the invited talk ]

Invited Speaker – Wiley Faculty Network – Talks on adaptive educational technology and collaborative learning technology.  Talks given online on March 10, 13, 2014 and December 2, 2013.

Keynote Speaker – 5th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2013)  Aachen, Germany “The Educational Software Gold Rush: How the Learning Sciences and Advanced Technology Can Lead the Way”, May 2013.  [  Watch the keynote presentation ]

Invited talk - University of Sydney, School of Information Technologies, Basser Seminar Series. Sydney, Australia “Supporting Collaborative Learning and E-Discussions Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques”, April 3, 2013

Invited talk - University of Canterbury, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering Symposium Lecture. Christchurch, New Zealand “Supporting Collaborative Learning and E-Discussions Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques”, March 20, 2013

Invited talk - Millersville University's Department of Computer Science Fall 2012 Symposium Lecture. Millersville, Pennsylvania “The Educational Software Gold Rush: How Can the Learning Sciences Help?”, November 26, 2012

CSCL-2009 symposium “The Assistance Dilemma in CSCL", Rhodes, Greece, June 2009. Talk titled "Adapting Assistance to the Student(s): Preliminary Ideas from Individual and Collaborative Computer-Supported Learning Contexts”

Kaleidoscope Symposium on Technology-Enhanced Learning, Oberhausen, Germany, July 2005. Talk titled “The Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center: Learning Studies and Technology in Actual Classroom Settings” (Contact: Dr. Andreas Harrer)

Intelligent Automation Incorporated, Rockville, Maryland, May 2003. (Contact: Dr. Jackie Haynes)

GE Research, Albany, New York, February 2003. (Contact: Dr. Bill Cheetham)

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, February 2003.

The Fraunhofer Institute, Berlin, Germany, February 2003. (Contact: Dr. Thomas Gordon)

University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, February 2003. (Contact: Dr. John Zeleznikow)

University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, September 1999.


Participation with Academic Organizations, Conferences, Workshops, Seminars, and Journals

Past President - International Artificial Intelligence in Education Society (Vote in December 2015, for the years 2017-2019)

Re-Elected to the Executive Committee of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education Society (IAIED Executive Committee) in November 2021, for a six-year term, 2022-2027.

Co-Chair of the Doctoral Consortium Committee (ECTEL 2024). September 2024.

Conference Co-Chair of the 16th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2024). May 2024.

Served on the Doctoral Consortium Committee (ECTEL 2023). September 2023.

Conference Co-Chair of the 15th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2023). April 2023.

Conference Co-Chair of the 14th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2022). Online Streaming Event, April 2022.

Conference Co-Chair of the 20th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2019), Chicago, Illinois, June 2019.

Conference Co-Chair of the 19th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2018). London, England, June 2018.

Program Co-Chair of the 10th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2018). Madeira, Portugal, March 2018.

Conference Chair of the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2017). Porto, Portugal, April 2017.

Honorary Conference Chair of the 8th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2016). Rome, Italy, April 2016.

On the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (IJAIED)

On the Editorial Board of the Journal of Educational Data Mining (JEDM) since November 2008.

Elected to the Executive Committee of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education Society (IAIED Executive Committee) in October 2011, for a six-year term, 2012-2017.

Conference Co-Chair of the 7th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM-2014). London, England, July 2014.

Co-Chair, Poster Organization of the 16th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2013), Memphis, July 2013.

Co-Chair, Local Organization of Intelligent Tutoring Systems 2010 (ITS-2010), Pittsburgh, June 2010.

Chair, Workshops for the Fifth International Conference on Electronic Commerce (ICEC 2003), Pittsburgh, PA - October 1-3, 2003.

Journal and Book Editorships:

Co-Organizer of the following workshops and seminars:

  • Doctoral Consortium, LAK 2019, Phoenix, Arizona, June, 2019.   (Co-Organizers: Tiffany Barnes, Simon Buckingham Shum, Katrien Verbert)
  • Workshop: "Intelligent Support for Exploratory Environments: Exploring, Collaborating, and Learning Together"  Part of ITS 2012, Crete, Greece, June, 2012. (Co-Organizers: Toby Dragon, Manolis Mavrikis, Sergio Gutiérrez Santos)
  • Seminar on Technology-Enhanced Learning for Mathematics and Science (TELMAS): Landmark Research and New Contributions.  Part of EC-TEL 2011, Palermo, Italy, September 21, 2011. (Co-Organizers: Sergey Sosnovsky, Christoph Igel,  Joerg Siekmann)
  • Workshop: "CSCL Argumentation Systems:  How Do Empirical Results and Emerging Technologies Inform System Development?"  Part of CSCL 2009, Rhodes, Greece, June, 2009. (Co-Organizers: Niels Pinkwart, Oliver Scheuer, Frank Loll)

On the program committee and/or reviewer for the following conferences and workshops:

  • CSEDU 2024, CSEDU 2023, AIED-2022 (Senior program member),  CHI 2020,  AIED-2019, AIED-2018, AIED-2015 (Senior program member), AIED-2013 (Senior program member), LAK-2013, CSEDU-2013, EDM-2012,  Workshop "Intelligent Support for Learning in Groups" (ITS-2012), AIED-2011, CSCL-2011,  FLAIRS-2009 Special Track on Artificial Intelligence Education,  AIED-2009,  EDM-2008,  FLAIRS-2008 Special Track on Intelligent Tutoring Systems,  Workshop on Intelligent Tutoring Systems in Ill-Defined Domains (ITS-2008),  AIED-2007,  ECCBR-2006,  IJCAI-2005,  ICCBR-2005,  Second Workshop on Agent-based Computing for Enterprise Collaboration (ACEC),  ECCBR-2004,  ICCBR-2003,  AAAI-2002 Workshop on Agent-Based Technologies for B2B E-Commerce,  ICCBR-2001