Heather Haseley https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-haseley/ and Dan Munnerley https://www.linkedin.com/in/munnerley/ were both told as children that they did not have the skills to graduate from higher education. Now as Co-Executive Directors of Learning Futures, they are inspiring future generations by helping students find their passion in an environment focused on learning to “play, fail, learn, and iterate through authentic collaboration.”

When the team was first brought to Arizona State University, they were told to build a technology center, but they wanted to understand what problem they were actually solving. They first focused on the set of values for the center. https://lfc.asu.edu/

Next, they focused on what could the future look like, centered on believing in students and listening to their ideas. “The future of learning is values based, not tech based,” according to Haseley.  “It really shows what can happen to a student when you believe in them and find the right path for them to achieve their goals,” said Haseley. From this Learning Futures became a space to create and collaborate, which enhances the learning process, changing the future of how students learn.

Learning Futures has three components:

•  Collaboratory  – individuals, research, and communities collaborate on what learning in the future looks like

•  Studios – prototypes, proof of concepts and minimum viable products are made to support scaling a vision

•  Emporium – tools and inspiration can be accessed by everyone to co-create the future.

Students have the possibility to work with technology that is shaping our future and to network with tech companies such as Zoom, Verizon and Logitech.

Learning Futures has an open house every other Friday and is on the lookout for technology industry partners.  Learn more at https://lfc.asu.edu/