Anna Arici's work involves the design, curricula, and research of game-infused learning ecosystems for personal growth, lifelong learning, and societal impact. As a learning scientist with the Center for Games and Impact, she designs empirically grounded innovations for learning, based on rich theoretical models for how games, platforms, micro-credentials, and other innovations can drive sustainable personal growth and impact. The center's members believe that innovation is not some technological fix, and instead serves to unlock latent human potential, with the real innovation coming from within the learner. The group's designs situate learners within an ecosystem of expert ideas, meaningful relationships, digital experiences, and real-world practice. The center's goal is to shape the future of education by blending formal and informal learning opportunities, making growth and impact available to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
She is currently director the NSF-funded program, STEM Mio, creating college and career pathways in the STEM arena for Latino youth, in collaboration with HACU (Hispanic Assoc of Colleges & Universities) and VME (Spanish Public Television). She is also collaborating with Intel to create game-infused learning platforms and interactive ecosystems within their Intel Educate programs, which reach 10 million educators worldwide, and Intel's She Will Connect program, taking digital literacy experiences to women and girls in African countries and helping them use these tools to pursue entrepreneurial goals.
Her design and research in these areas demonstrate the value of game-influenced platforms for learning, engagement, and impact while illuminating the importance of interaction, relationships and agency in the process of improving one's self and community.