Julie Dirksen is an independent consultant and instructional designer who has more than 15 years’ experience creating highly interactive e-Learning experiences for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to innovative technology start-ups to major grant-funded research initiatives. Her focus has been on utilizing the disciplines of educational psychology, neuroscience, change management and persuasive technology to promote and support the improvement of peoples’ lives through sustainable long-term learning and behavioral change.

Dirksen holds an M.S. degree in instructional systems technology from Indiana University. She has also been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where she taught courses in project management, instructional design, and cognitive psychology.

She recently published Design For How People Learn, in which she gets ridiculously excited about everything from learning applications of behavioral economics to the way glucose is regulated in the brain. She’s happiest whenever she gets to learn something new. You can find her online at www.usablelearning.com.