Director/Principal Investigator

Norman Bier is Director of the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) and the Executive Director of the Simon Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. His work at OLI sits at the intersection of CMU’s internal educational practice, ongoing learning science research, and external collaborations.

Norman has spent his career at the intersection of learning and technology, working to expand access to and improve the quality of education. His experience spans the higher educational sector, including 2-year and 4-year; public and private; domestic and international; and commercial institutions. Prior to joining OLI, he was Director of Training and Development at iCarnegie Inc., a CMU subsidiary chartered to deliver software development education through international partner institutions. Using technology and faculty support, iCarnegie reaches thousands of students who would otherwise not have access to a CMU-level education. He has taught computer science courses as an adjunct faculty member at the Community College of Allegheny County, philosophy courses at Carnegie Mellon University, and served as a founding committee member of the Cook Honors College at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as a member of the board for Shady Lane School and the Next Generation Learning Challenges-funded Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative.