Dr. Kapp is the kind of professor that is so knowledgeable that you always want to pick his brain, but is so calm and friendly that you become XBOX live friends with him,” says Beth Meyers, a BU alum who took classes with Dr. Karl Kapp, a BU professor and leading expert in gamification.

    In December, Kapp was recognized by professional social networking site LinkedIn on it Top 10 Voices in Education list for 2017. LinkedIn creates this list annually to spotlight professionals who revamp education.

    Kapp says, “It was an unexpected honor. I try to engage with everyone who sends me a message or leaves a comment on my LinkedIn posts and I feel my interaction and engagement lead to the recognition as a leading voice. There are so many smart and talented people writing and speaking about education that I feel fortunate to be a part of the conversation.”

    This year’s list is the third annual compilation of forward thinkers. The individuals were selected based on how effective they were in starting conversations and how well they utilized the LinkedIn platform.

    In George Anders’ article, detailing the 2017 Education list he says, “Kapp digs deep into the successful habits of game designers to illuminate new ways that educators can create meaningful and engaging learning experiences.”

   Kapp speaks often about game design and how educators can use it as a tool in their classrooms. He has published multiple books, has presented his ideas in various talks including a TEDx talk and has created a LinkedIn Learning courses where educators can learn how to implement these ideas in their own classrooms.

    Kapp is an instructor for the Instructional Technology program at Bloomsburg. “Instructional Technology is one of the most exciting industries anyone can get into,” Kapp says, “In short, it’s the design, development and delivery of online instruction which includes the design of instruction, creating mobile apps, the development of learning games and the use of leading edge technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality.

   This new industry is in high demand and Bloomsburg University boasts a 99.9% job placement rate for students graduating with this degree. “I like the fact that my work helps people recognize Bloomsburg University as one of the top schools in the country in terms of Instructional Technology,” says Kapp.Kapp found his was to BU in 1997 after getting his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.

    Previously he had worked as a “one person” training department for a software company.Kapp started utilizing LinkedIn around 2005-6 and began sharing his lessons online when a representative from Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning’s predecessor, reached out to him after seeing Kapp at a conference. Kapp expressed that he enjoyed the process so much he ended up authoring six courses on LinkedIn Learning.

   Kapp frequently uses his LinkedIn experience in his classrooms, often assigning part of his courses as homework; which allows him to cover more information during the semesters. Kapp’s students embrace and enjoy his method of teaching.

    Meyers says, “He is a natural mentor and took me under his wing, giving me opportunity after opportunity. He truly looks at his students as professionals and colleagues.”John Vitiello, another BU alum who has enjoyed Kapp’s lessons, says, “This guy is one of the leading experts on the gamification field and inspired me to want to get into it. I always thought that to make a lesson more entertaining would help promote people to actually want to take training as opposed to dreading it.

    ”While he teaches courses at BU, creates meaningful conversations on LinkedIn and publishes LinkedIn Learning courses Kapp also finds time to research and publish books. He has published seven so far and is working on an eigth, “The Big Book of Microlearning”. “My books are all about the convergence of learning, technology and business.

    One of the great things about writing a book is that it forces you to really think through the subject matter and to take a critical look at the subject…I’ve gained some tremendous insights into my field by writing about a particular subject and then having an ah-ha moment as I am writing,” says Kapp. Kapp’s most recent co-authored book, “Play to Learn”, is currently being translated into Portuguese and he is planning a speaking trip to Brazil in September. Kapp is also working on an instructional card game and developing an instructional video game, “Zombie Sales Apocalypse”.
 

“Kapp is an instructor for the Instructional Technology program at Bloomsburg and was recognized by LinkedIn on the Top 10 Voices in Education list for 2017.”