Our Design, Culture, and Training Specialists
As leaders in the fields of transformative education, game design, and cultural bridge building, we can work with you on your latest project, run a workshop at your conference, create a program for your clients, or meet your organizational needs.
Luis Eduardo Gaitan
Global Transformative Designer and Policy Innovator
Location United States
Biography
Empowering global transformation through technology, games, and cultural storytelling
Luis began his career as a 3D Modeler at Epic Software Group, where he found his passion for video game design and, on the side, created a game that taught youth in developing nations how to recycle. He went on to become a classroom teacher, wearing his trademark Mario hat to help make students feel welcome and seen. After earning his degree in Learning Design Innovation and Technology and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Luis now helps organizations with transformative experiences by combining his expertise on Technology, Games, and Policy.
Who Luis Helps:
- Businesses & Organizations: Creating transformative educational experiences for audiences or employees, ensuring long-term behavioral change.
- Government Institutions: Creating transformative educational experiences for audiences or employees, ensuring long-term behavioral change.
- Universities: Program development for research grants and guest speaking on informal education, transformative experiences, and global collaborations.
- Libraries, Museums, Aquariums, Zoos: Creating interactive adventures and activities that inspire patrons to learn and question.
- Cultural Organizations: Building bridges across varied cultures, honoring and valuing diverse lived experiences.
How Luis Helps: Luis begins by becoming immersed in the client’s worlds and understanding the desired change they wish to see. After an initial exploration meeting, Luis usually travels to the site where change is desired and diagnoses the client’s context, speaking with those who the change will affect, and co-designing a plan with the client to meet their expectations. Once the client approves the plan, Luis assembles a team to execute, test, and provide guidance on the intervention designed. His extensive background in designing customized solutions with technology, as well as his close contact with Latin America and USA context, allows him to craft solutions that resonate with audiences across cultures and geographies.
Engagement Tools:
- Cultural Stories: Leveraging rich cultural narratives to foster understanding and empathy.
- Hands-On Interactive Games: Facilitating active learning and teamwork that engages a wider range of learning styles.
- Scenario Roleplaying: Immersing participants in real-world challenges to develop problem-solving skills in a safe practice environment.
- Policy Design: Creating and supporting policies that lead to organizational transformation.
- Customized Game/AI Design: Creating software solutions that enable transformation in communities and organizations.
Key Clients:
- El Salvador’s Ministry of Education
- Northeastern University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Boston College
- St. Ignatius of Loyola University Corporation (Peru)
- Sam Houston University
- Flowers for the Future
- Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)
- Department of Energy of The United States (DOE)
Notable Achievements: Luis has developed AI and Education Policies for the governments El Salvador and Peru, helping shape curricula for the countries leveraging playful learning pedagogies and create change for their 2030 Educational Agendas. He has also developed several learning simulations in virtual reality, combined with AI, to enhance training workflows at HARC and the DOE, including foreign language learning and green technologies installations. Lastly, Luis presented his “Flowers for the Future virtual gallery” at Comic Con 2024, a virtual gallery to help girls in Afghanistan attain art education through virtual reality.
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Notes
EDUCATION LEVEL
Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, Minor in Spanish
Master of Education in Learning Design Innovation Technology
LANGUAGES
Spanish (Native proficiency)
English (Native proficiency)
PUBLICATIONS
Gaitan, L., Peña, M., Vivanco, M., & Stanton, L. (2024). Addressing the digital literacy gap in El Salvador. Learning Education Policy Analysis to Make The World Better Volume 2, 277–302.
Gerber, H. R., & Gaitan, L. (2017). “Let’s change already”: Community activism and pro-social play in Egypt. Educational Technology, 57(2), 55–61.
PATENTS
Gerber, H. R., Ashworth, M. L., Cronje, C. S., & Gaitan, L. E. (2016). Pro-social, educational game system (United States Patent US20160247414A1).
REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Gaitan, L., & Gerber, H. R. (2013). Oil rig simulation and serious games. Academic Arcade Simulation Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the GLS Conference. Games Learning and Society Conference.
PEER-REVIEWED PRESENTATIONS
Gaitan, L., (May, 2024). Gestures: Human perception of motion in virtual reality. Project presented at MIT Museum: Virtual Reality and The Brain, Cambridge, MA.
Gaitan, L., Lu, M., Dockterman, D. (February, 2024). Using GenAI to support learning at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Three workshops presented regarding the use and impact of AI in Education at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
Gaitan, L., Peña, M. M., Vivanco, M., & Stanton, L. (January, 2024). Addressing the digital literacy gap in El Salvador. Paper presented at the Global Education Conference: Education, Climate Change, and Inequality at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA.
Gerber, H. R., Gaitan, L., & Cronje, S. (November 2015). Playtesting in mobile game creation: Engagement through play. Paper presented at the Association of Educational Computing and Technology Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Gerber, H. R., Gaitan, L., Ashworth, M., Bodon, T., Aboulkacem, S., & Votteler, N. K. (November, 2015). Mobile gaming, girls’ empowerment, and developing nations: A civic engagement project during Egypt’s transitional democracy. Paper presented as Featured Paper on the Association of Educational Computing and Technology, Indianapolis, IN.
Gerber, H. R., Gaitan, L., & Aboulkacem, S. (October, 2015). Designing mobile games for pro-social engagement and environmental awareness in developing nations: The case for Egypt. Paper accepted for the International Council of Educational Media, Medellin, Colombia
Gerber, H. R., Gaitan, L., Ashworth, M., Cronje, S., & Bodon, T. (May, 2015). Citizen media, digital literacy, and mobile games: Shifting pedagogy for exploration and discovery. Paper presented at the International Multidisciplinary Conference on English Language, Literature, and Information Technology. Muscat, Oman.
Gerber, H. R., Gaitan, L., Bodon, T., Ashworth, M. (February, 2015). Mobile games and citizen activism: Empowering girls in community engagement through pro-social gaming apps. Paper presented at the 3rd Annual Mobile Learning Week Showcase at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France.
INVITED TALKS
Gaitan, L. (December, 2024). Contemporary Learning with Artificial Intelligence. Talk presented at Reitaku University. Chiba, Tokyo, Japan.
Gaitan, L. (April, 2024). Learner Responsible AI Pedagogies. Talk presented at Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios – ESEN University. La Libertad, El Salvador.
Gaitan, L. (December, 2023). Game design: Learning. AI. Metaverse. Talk presented at New York University. New York City, NY.
Gerber, H. R. & Gaitan, L. (April, 2015). Understanding the power of pro-social mobile games. Paper presented at the Sam Houston Computer Science Conference on Future Tech, Huntsville, TX.
RESEARCH FUNDINGS
2014 Sam Houston State University | Enhancing Undergraduate Research Experiences and Creative Activities
Gerber, H. R., Gaitan, L., Ashworth, M. ($8,000)
Using Pro-social Gamified Apps to Solve Global Problems
SKILLS
Proficient in 3D Studio Max, Unity 3D, After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Software Development. Public Speaking. Policy Analysis.
Talk to Us
Guardian Adventures is a company specializing in transformative experiences and games as well as culturally relevant story-based programs for summer camps, schools, educational organizations, and entertainment companies.
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