Game on: ASU, Endless announce partnership to scale personalized learning solutions
Students attend a summer camp hosted by Endless Network. Photo courtesy of Endess Network
In a public conversation Monday about gaming and education at the ASU+GSV Summit, Arizona State University President Michael Crow and Endless Network founder Matt Dalio announced the creation of the Endless Games and Learning Lab at ASU.
“The Endless Games and Learning Lab represents a whole new era in education,” Crow said. “By merging cutting-edge technology and engaging game environments, the Endless Lab will redefine the future of games, learning and opportunity, and empower individuals and communities around the world.”
The Endless Lab, made possible by a $5 million gift from Endless Network, draws its inspiration from John Dewey’s philosophy that education should be organized around a learner’s everyday experiences, rather than being imposed “from above and from outside.”
The Endless Lab will advance ASU's pursuit of what it terms “Realm 5 learning” — massively distributed, universally accessible, high-intensity and personalized learning solutions for all people.
“Endless Network empowers the next generation to succeed in the digital economy," Dalio said. "We share ASU’s commitment to harnessing the transformative power of game design to advance learning across multiple disciplines. Endless Lab has the potential to enable millions of students to become creators through scalable game-based learning experiences.”
By connecting the full-scale research and learning assets of ASU to a range of partners and platforms where youth spend time playing and making games, the Endless Lab will catalyze a worldwide ecosystem that fosters both professional development and academic growth for learners of any age around the planet.
“Almost half a billion global youth between the ages of 15 and 30 are not in school or are unemployed,” Crow said. “Existing systems of education don’t meet learners where they are. As educators, we must find ways to build personalized learning and work pathways that are integrated into the interests, habits and lives of young people.
"This requires new educational technology, new models of mentorship and peer learning, new ways to assess knowledge, skills and competencies, and new curricular designs.”
The Endless Lab will be part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and physically will be within the Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in Mesa, Arizona.
The Endless Lab will amplify and benefit from connections across the entire university, including with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
The lab will have a Global Advisory Council that includes executives and leaders from the gaming, education and technology sectors, along with key ASU leaders.
Ranked No. 1 in innovation for nine consecutive years and No. 2 in the world for global impact, ASU is a fitting home for the Endless Lab, as it brings together researchers and industry experts in the fields of games, learning and work.
The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and the MIX Center have a strong history of research and teaching that spans engineering, design, art and storytelling. Among students, game design is one of the most popular and most requested majors, highlighting the growing interest and relevance of this field in today's educational landscape.
ASU leads the world in testing, evaluating and launching educational technologies, with a robust research infrastructure at its EdPlus Action Lab. Luminosity, a key partner for the Endless Lab, excels in rapid prototyping and building engineering and design solutions to solve educational challenges.
ASU, driven by Crow's vision, is the only university in the world that is trying to figure out Realm 5 learning — infinitely scalable education. The Endless Lab will be a signature component of ASU’s Realm 5 strategy, incorporating the growing demand for game design education and addressing the needs of a new generation of learners.
Learn more about the lab at herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/endless-lab.
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