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Leading the Future of Learning: CEHD’s Holly Fake Elected President of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology’s Division of Design and Development
May 14, 2026
By Kiersten Caputy
Photo by Hassan Malik
For Holly Fake, MS ’11, PhD ’18, being elected President of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology’s (AECT) Division of Design and Development is both a professional milestone and an opportunity to help shape the future of learning.
“Being elected to serve as President of AECT’s Division of Design and Development is both an honor and a meaningful milestone in my career,” Fake said. “To me, it reflects that my advocacy in designing thoughtful, human-centered impactful learning experience with technology is resonating within the community and making a contribution to the field.”
AECT is a leading international organization dedicated to improving learning and instruction through technology. Its Division of Design and Development focuses on how learning experiences are created, implemented, and evaluated, helping bridge the gap between theory and practice in educational technology.
“In practice, this work helps ensure that learning experiences are not only innovative, but also effective, measurable, and responsive to the needs of learners and organizations,” Fake said. “That might sound straightforward, but it’s where the hardest problems live.”
For Fake, the role comes at a critical time in the field. “We are at a pivotal moment in educational technology, where advances in AI and digital learning environments are rapidly expanding what’s possible,” she said. “With that comes a responsibility to ensure that innovation remains grounded in sound learning science and human-centered design.”
Her path to leadership in the field began at George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), where she first connected with AECT through a faculty mentor. That introduction led to a professional community that has influenced her career for more than a decade. “I still remember attending my first AECT conference in 2015 in Indianapolis,” Fake said. “What stood out far more than anything else was the sense of intellectual energy and community.”
She describes AECT as more than a professional organization. “AECT is not just a place to share research,” she said. “It is an ecosystem for collaboration, mentorship, and ongoing learning.”
Fake’s own relationship with CEHD has been equally transformative. Over the course of more than 15 years, she earned two degrees while working full-time, an experience that helped define her approach to learning design.
“My education at George Mason has allowed me to continuously test theory in practice,” she said. “I wasn’t just learning about instructional design concepts. I was applying them in real organizational contexts and refining them through feedback and iteration.” She says that this experience created a powerful foundation for a career spanning nonprofits, corporations, and government systems.
“George Mason instilled in me a deep commitment to bridging theory and practice, and that continues to guide my work today,” Fake said. Now serving as an adjunct faculty member in CEHD’s Educational Instructional Technology program, Fake has the opportunity to give back to the same institution that helped shape her path.
“What I value most about George Mason students is their dedication to solving real problems in meaningful ways,” she said. “Many of them are working professionals, which creates a dynamic learning environment where theory and practice are constantly informing one another. This places increased responsibility on instructional designers and faculty members to create experiences that promote productive struggle, critical thinking, and meaningful engagement rather than simply outsourcing thinking to technology,” she said.
When asked what she loves most about CEHD students, Fake remarked, “It’s energizing to work with individuals who are actively trying to change their world for the better.”
As President of AECT’s Division of Design and Development, Fake is especially focused on advancing participatory and community-centered learning experience design.
“As learning environments become increasingly complex, effective design must account not only for technical and pedagogical considerations, but also for the social and cultural contexts in which learning occurs,” she said. “In the age of AI, incorporating multiple perspectives isn’t optional. It’s essential.”
Her leadership priorities reflect a broader belief that technology should enhance human learning rather than replace it. “Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly one of the most significant developments shaping the field of educational technology today,” Fake said. “Its impact, however, depends entirely on how it is designed and implemented.”
When used thoughtfully, she says, AI can create more personalized and responsive learning experiences. When poorly designed, it can diminish learning through overreliance, inaccuracies, and unresolved concerns around bias, ethics, and privacy.
“This places increased responsibility on instructional designers to create experiences that promote productive struggle, critical thinking, and meaningful engagement rather than simply outsourcing thinking to technology,” she said.
That philosophy extends into her own work, including a proof of concept focused on differentiating learning for students with disabilities and adapting materials to better align with individual learner motivations and interests.
“I’m deeply interested in examining both the opportunities and limitations of AI, ensuring that its use enhances rather than diminishes meaningful learning,” Fake said.
Throughout her journey, she credits George Mason faculty and mentors for helping shape her leadership philosophy, particularly Nada Dabbagh, BA, MS, PhD, Professor Emerita of Education. “She had a profound influence on both my professional trajectory and my approach to leadership,” she said. “She modeled what it means to balance intellectual rigor with genuine care for people.”
That mentor also reinforced a principle that still guides Fake’s work today: “Research should not exist in isolation,” she said. “Research should be in service of meaningful, real-world impact.”
For current CEHD students and alumni interested in instructional technology, learning design, or curriculum development, Fake offers practical advice rooted in collaboration and humility. “Problem solving with training begins by listening deeply,” she said. “Take the time to truly understand the problem you are trying to solve and the people who will be impacted by your work.”
She also encourages future designers to remain flexible. “You will not get it right the first time. That’s part of the process,” Fake said. “Test your ideas, gather feedback, refine your approach, and continue learning.”
As she looks ahead, Fake remains energized by the opportunity to help guide the future of learning through applications that remain deeply human-centered.
“More broadly, I’m excited to continue advancing human-centered approaches to learning design that leverage emerging technologies while maintaining a strong focus on equity, engagement, and impact,” she said.
For Fake, the future of educational technology is not simply about new tools. It is about designing learning experiences that truly serve others.