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About This Course

What if you could create interactive educational simulations in minutes instead of weeks—without writing a single line of code?

This course teaches you how to leverage AI-assisted tools to transform learning objectives into interactive educational simulations called MicroSims. You'll bridge the gap between abstract pedagogical goals and concrete, interactive learning experiences that engage students and deepen understanding.

You'll learn to analyze learning objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy, select appropriate visualization paradigms, write effective specifications, and generate working simulations—all without programming experience.

Who This Course Is For

This course is designed for educators and learning professionals who want to create engaging interactive content:

  • K-12 Teachers seeking to bring abstract concepts to life
  • Corporate Training Specialists building memorable learning experiences
  • Higher Education Faculty enhancing lectures with interactive demonstrations
  • Instructional Designers at EdTech companies scaling content creation
  • Curriculum Developers modernizing educational materials
  • Subject Matter Experts who want to share knowledge visually

No programming experience required. The course focuses on specification, evaluation, and iteration—you describe what you want, and AI handles the implementation.

What You'll Learn

  • Bloom's Taxonomy Analysis - Classify objectives by cognitive complexity
  • Visualization Paradigms - Match concepts to the right visual representation (p5.js, vis-network, Chart.js, Mermaid, and more)
  • MicroSim Specifications - Write detailed blueprints that AI can implement
  • Cognitive Load Design - Create effective learning experiences
  • Quality Evaluation - Assess simulations across technical, pedagogical, and UX dimensions
  • Iterative Refinement - Test with users and improve designs

Getting Started

Ready to create your first MicroSim? Start with Chapter 1: Foundations of Learning Objective Analysis, where you'll learn to deconstruct learning objectives and identify the perfect visualization approach for any concept.

Use the left sidebar to explore:

  • Chapters - Main course content (12 modules)
  • Learning Graph - Interactive concept visualization
  • MicroSims - Interactive educational simulations
  • Glossary - Key terms and definitions
  • Stories - Narrative explorations of key concepts

Background for the Course

A 30-Year Journey

In 1995, I read Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk novel The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer. The story captivated me: a young girl acquires an AI-powered tablet that generates personalized lessons in real time, adapting to her every educational need. For three decades, that vision has driven my work. How could we actually build such a device?

As a software engineer, I recognized that the key was representing learning paths—understanding which concepts depend on others and how knowledge builds over time. But traditional database tables weren't designed for these interconnected relationships.

The Knowledge Graph Revolution

In 2007, my friend Kurt Cagle introduced me to graph databases. I was amazed at how much faster development could be with the right data structures. In 2011, I launched the NoSQL Now! conference series and published Making Sense of NoSQL with Manning Publications. My research on knowledge graphs confirmed what I had suspected: intelligent textbooks needed non-tabular foundations.

The AI Turning Point

On September 12, 2020, I first blogged about using GPT-3 to generate lesson plans. At the time, I was building the world's largest healthcare knowledge graph for a Fortune-10 company, earning several patents on non-relational databases in healthcare. I realized that the ultimate tool for generating intelligent textbooks would combine LLMs with knowledge graphs that store concept dependencies.

MicroSims Are Born

In fall 2023, working with Val Lockhart, we refined the concept of AI-generated classroom simulations. Val's breakthrough insight: by having AI generate p5.js code directly, we could produce high-quality interactive visualizations without wrestling with raw HTML, SVG, and CSS. We continued refining our approach until publishing our research paper on MicroSims.

The Final Piece

The introduction of Claude Code Skills triggered a 100x productivity jump in MicroSim generation. The pieces finally came together: knowledge graphs for structure, AI for generation, and MicroSims for engagement. We're now ready to transform how instructional design is done.

Dan McCreary December 19th, 2025