“Well-designed Serious Games seamlessly integrate gaming and instructional elements,” explains Lisa Scott Holt, Ph.D, Senior Research Scientist in the Education and Training Technology Division at Intelligent Automation, Inc. “There is potential for significant impact – high levels of engagement, and more importantly, acquisition of valuable knowledge and skill.”

Lisa’s passion is bringing the science of learning to gaming. As the incoming Serious Games Showcase & Challenge IPT industry lead for 2015, and a member of the committee since 2011, Lisa has focused the last 10 years of her professional life on the development of training systems for adult learners, primarily in defense-related domains.

In her current position, she applies cognitive psychology, educational theory, and instructional design processes to design, develop and evaluate training and learning technologies. Her interest in how people learn began early in her career as a high school physics and math teacher. Lisa was always seeking the best ways to get her students interested in and engaged in science.

During her doctoral work in Cognitive Studies in Education at the University of Pittsburgh, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan, Lisa also became very interested in the important role that assessment plays in education. Lisa believes it’s not only critical to find out what students know, but also what they can do with their knowledge. Serious games engage students in unique ways, and often allow them to apply high-level decision-making and problem-solving skills. She’s excited about the many ways serious games can improve education.