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The world of Learning Technologies is ever changing.

Harrisburg University aims to prepare students in the Learning Technologies Master of Science program for the advances in technology that will require them to adapt to the demands of the field.

“If you started in the industry 20 years ago and wanted to build simulations, people would have thought you were very unrealistic,” said Richard Kordel, LTMS program lead at HU. “What will happen tomorrow is unknown. My goal is to prepare students to not only adapt to changes but to be the ones who encourage change, to be viewed as future leaders of the world.”

After joining Harrisburg University as a member of the LTMS advisory board in 2008 and then coming on as a corporate faculty member in 2009, Kordel has seen how the school strives to place itself in front of market changes. Kordel joined HU full time in June as the LTMS program lead.

His professional experience includes working 15 years for Verizon, including several years on a virtual team, allowing him to video conference in with other team members around the country, and two years as the director of training for the manufacturing company DORMA Americas out of Lancaster County.

“Without that professional experience my academic experience would be bland and theoretical,” Kordel said.

Thanks to that background, Kordel said, he’s able to understand the needs of training professionals and the needs of industry leaders seeking that training. Until someone experiences working to meet the goals of those two entities, they won’t learn how to deal with it, he said.

Kordel has focused his efforts on the communications among the LTMS program, the university as a whole and its assessment teams. He also caters to the needs of LTMS faculty, advises students and teaches classes within the LTMS program.

His goals for the program focus on determining what courses will benefit students the most while predicting the learning landscape that students should be prepared to walk on. He hopes to blend practical experience and theoretical knowledge that guides students from the classroom to the professional world.

Harrisburg University’s genuine focus on students is a motivator for Kordel, who said his position at HU is everything he’s ever wanted to do in a career. Going to work and engaging in tasks that are fascinating, interesting and of value not only help Kordel find fulfillment in his own career path, but help him contribute to the future careers of his students.

“I want students to leave Harrisburg University and be viewed as the go-to person for what’s happening in learning technologies, whatever that need happens to be,” he said. “I truly believe these students can go out and make that future a reality.”

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