Mastery - Why Deeper Learning is Essential in an Age of Distraction
This is a hybrid event. Please find the Teams link in the abstract.
Join us for a fireside chat with Ulrik Juul Christensen M.D, co-author of Mastery: Why Deeper Learning is Essential in an Age of Distraction written with Tony Wagner.

How are teachers’ roles evolving? From sources of information – to sources of inspiration.

The outside world is changing digitally – humans need to change fast as well but stay human!

We’ll explore why deeper learning is more essential than ever, how AI is reshaping education, and what it means to reimagine learning in this digital age.

Fireside chat at OxfordXML Wolfson College, University of Oxford and Online with Jessica Kennedy White, Ph.D researcher University of Sussex, University of Oxford Alumni, Wolfson College

Teams link: teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MDYzMjAyMzktOTE1Yy00YzQwLTgyMDUtNjZkZTlhMjY5NWEz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22e44820d7-5edb-4030-9763-4c8cdc3aafd6%22%7d

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Short bio:

Ulrik Juul Christensen M.D: www.linkedin.com/in/ulrikjuulchristensen
Executive Chairman and Founding Partner of Area9: area9lyceum.com

Growing up in a family of educators he has long had an affinity for both teaching and learning. Since founding his first company in 1997, he has continued to devote his professional life to advancing a highly individualised, improved way of learning and have been driving the development of Area9 and McGraw-Hill Education’s adaptive learning platforms.

His first company, Sophus Medical, was sold to Laerdal Medical in 2002 where the technologies became the basis for Laerdal Medical’s dominant role in emergency medicine computer simulation which works with customers like HealthStream and the American Heart Association among others. He has given numerous keynote lectures and has spent the last 20 years pioneering advancements in adaptive learning, blended learning, computer simulation, and debriefing technologies.

In February 2014 Area9 and McGraw-Hill Education joined forces through a large acquisition of Area9’s educational company and most of Area9’s educational activities at the time. Area9 Labs was established to continue to be a powerhouse for cutting edge research in educational technologies, and Area9 Learning to pioneer the market for adaptive learning in the corporate/organisational space. As part of the acquisition, he joined McGraw-Hill Education’s board of executives as senior fellow for digital learning to facilitate McGraw-Hill Education’s journey as an industry leader in digital and personalised learning.

He is serving as the Executive Chairman for the Area9 Group that counts a high-end computer science company, Area9 Innovation, and Area9 Lyceum™ which was founded in 2018 to develop the next generation infrastructure for education targeting K-12, higher education, workforce development and corporate as well as government and defence.

He currently serve on the boards a number of companies as well as on the board of the Technical University of Denmark and Global Underwater Explorers and advisory boards of several educational organisations

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Jessica Kennedy White BA(Hons), M.Sc.
Oxford University, Wolfson College Alumni
Ph.D. interdisciplinary researcher in Education and Human Computer Interaction at University of Sussex

She is a Learning Sciences Researcher and advisor to digital learning companies on learning design and innovation.

She served as Senior Director of Learning Sciences at Area9 Lyceum™ where her doctoral research explored evidence-based applications of their Adaptive Learning Platform that enables a mastery-based approach to teaching and learning.

She has also served as a Research Mentor at UCL on a €4.5M EU Horizon project supporting EdTech startups, and as an Academic Consultant at McGraw Hill Education integrating evidence-led adaptive learning developed by Area9 into diverse curricula

Earlier in her career, she founded Thinc, an NGO in Austria advancing participatory digital education, and collaborated with EDUCULT on EU-funded projects connecting schools and cultural institutions across Europe.

Inspired by a family of educators who pioneered language reform and early educational technologies in higher education, she has dedicated her career to reimagining teaching and learning.

Published research on Ph.D. topic:
White, J., du Boulay, B. (2024). Supporting Learners’ Metacognition and Meta-Affect. In: Santoianni, F., Giannini, G., Ciasullo, A. (eds) Mind, Body, and Digital Brains. Integrated Science, vol 20. Springer, Cham. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-58363-6_5

Forthcoming chapter: Ethics in Digital Education in Elgar Companion to Applied AI Ethics: www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/the-elgar-companion-to-applied-ai-ethics-9781803928234.html
Date: 14 October 2025, 14:00
Venue: Wolfson College, Linton Road OX2 6UD
Venue Details: Levett Room
Speakers: Dr Ulrik Juul Christensen (Area9 Lyceum), Jessica White (University of Sussex)
Organising department: Wolfson College
Organiser: Dr. Yi Yin (Wolfson College, University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: yi.yin@wolfson.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Oxford Cross-Disciplinary Machine Learning (OxfordXML) Research Cluster Seminar Series
Booking required?: Not required
Cost: Free (Coffee, tea and cake will be provided)
Audience: Public
Editor: Yi Yin