NovoEd Instructional Designer, Ben Alisuag, Named ’30 Under 30′

Ben Alisuag has made Elliott Masie’s 30 Under 30, a distinction that recognizes individuals who are leading a generational shift in the way that organizations and institutions teach skills and develop talent.

Ben has dedicated his career to improving the quality and impact of education. After he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, he taught English at an underserved high school in the Bronx. By the end of his first year, Ben had helped his students leap two grade levels in reading and won funding to expand the catalog of his school library. Ben went on to receive a Fulbright Grant, spending a year in South Africa to coach primary and secondary school teachers in classroom management and curriculum development. When he returned to the United States, he managed the implementation of blending learning programs in some of California’s largest school districts, including Santa Ana, Riverside, and Stockton.

Now an instructional designer at NovoEd, Ben works with some of the world’s leading universities and services firms to create professional development programs that scale online. His partners include Darden Business School, Deloitte, and the Stanford School of Education, with his courses frequently achieving learner satisfaction scores over 85%. Ben credits his success to a pedagogy that is at its core practical and collaborative. His courses are designed to cultivate dynamic online communities and to enable learners to apply their skills to experiential and team-based projects. “What’s important is that students have the ability to interact, learn, and exchange experiences,” Ben said. “That’s the power of online learning.”

In the last six months, Ben has focused his energies on Philanthropy University, a nonprofit educational initiative to provide free, high-quality training to professionals in the social sector. Offered entirely online, the program carries the potential in its first few months to impact over 100,000 people working for social good, promising to enhance the effectiveness of NGOs and nonprofits across the globe.

“The social sector has traditionally lacked access to the kind of high-quality professional development that many businesses take for granted. Training is either too costly or it’s not locally available,” Ben said. “Philanthropy University’s is meant to broaden access to best-in-kind content for maximizing social impact. I am humbled to be a part of that.”

In November, Ben will travel to Orlando to attend Learning 2015, where he will meet other members of Elliott Masie’s 30 Under 30.

Learn more about the Elliott Masie 30 Under 30 Program here.