"McGraw Prize recipient (the 'Nobel Prize' of education), New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 4 million students. "
Professor Oakley received the prestigious McGraw Prize in Education and has been named Michigan's Distinguished Professor of the Year. She co-teaches "Learning How to Learn" on Coursera with over three million registered students worldwide.
She has presented at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Google Headquarters, University of Tokyo, and the Financial Times in London. Her writing appears regularly in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and she has been featured on NPR's Science Friday and Bloomberg News.
About Professor Oakley
Barbara Oakley is Professor of Engineering at Oakland University (Michigan), currently on sabbatical in New Zealand. Her work focuses on the connection between neuroscience and social behaviour. Her research has been described as "revolutionary" in the Wall Street Journal.
Professor Oakley brings an extraordinary background to her academic work. She served as a US Army Captain, worked as a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers in the Bering Sea, and spent time as a radio operator in Antarctica, where she met her husband (they married in New Zealand!). She made a significant career change from linguistics to engineering later in life, giving her unique insight into effective learning across different disciplines.
Watch our recent webinar to introduce Professor Barbara Oakley and the exciting mission she will be embarking on over the next 5 months in New Zealand.
In this episode, Michael talks to Professor Barbara Oakley, a McGraw Prize recipient, New York Times bestselling author and creater of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 5 million students. They discuss evidence-based approaches to mathematics education and the problems with constructivist teaching methods, while outlining their mission to support New Zealand's new knowledge-rich curriculum through workshops for teachers across the country. Read more
"McGraw Prize recipient (the 'Nobel Prize' of education), New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 4 million students. "
This is a fascinating journey into the art of learning with Professor Barbara Oakley, the brilliant mind behind the popular online course "Learning How to Learn" and New York Times bestselling author, as she joins us as our new Senior Fellow. Over the next 5 months, Barbara will embark on an exciting mission across New Zealand, collaborating directly with Primary and Secondary schools to transform how teachers approach education, particularly in mathematics. Read more
"McGraw Prize recipient (the 'Nobel Prize' of education), New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 4 million students. "
I’m Barbara Oakley, and I’m delighted to be spending nearly six months with The New Zealand Initiative. My husband, Phil and I are thrilled to return to New Zealand. Read more
Professor Barbara Oakley
"McGraw Prize recipient (the 'Nobel Prize' of education), New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 4 million students. "
Dr Michael Johnston discusses his new report Welcome to the Machine: Opportunities and risks of generative AI for education with Prof Barbara Oakley. Dr Oliver Hartwich moderates this discussion. Read more
"McGraw Prize recipient (the 'Nobel Prize' of education), New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 4 million students. "
This podcast episode is from our recent AI in education webinar where Michael presents his report on generative AI in education, emphasising its potential as a supportive tool while cautioning against replacing traditional learning methods. Prof Barbara Oakley joins as a special guest to provide expert commentary on the cognitive science aspects. Read more
"McGraw Prize recipient (the 'Nobel Prize' of education), New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 4 million students. "
The New Zealand Initiative's Executive Director Oliver Hartwich interviews Senior Fellow Michael Johnston about his report Welcome to the Machine: The opportunities and risks of generative Artificial Intelligence for Education. Special guest Professor Barbara Oakley also joins their discussion. Read more
"McGraw Prize recipient (the 'Nobel Prize' of education), New York Times bestselling author, and creator of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 4 million students. "
