Mike Law, Ph.D.
Scholar-practitioner bridging 30+ years of Fortune 500 L&D leadership with academic excellence in instructional design and technology.
Academic & Professional Background
Dr. Mike Law serves as Clinical Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator for the M.S. in Instructional Design & Technology program in the Department of Learning Sciences at Georgia State University, a role he has held since 2022. He also served as Graduate Program Coordinator and Clinical Assistant Professor from 2015–2021.
With more than 25 years of experience in Fortune 500 corporate learning & development — including 17 years at The Home Depot, where he rose to Sr. Manager of Learning Design leading eLearning strategy for 300,000+ associates — Dr. Law brings an unmatched practitioner perspective to his academic work. He is a two-time Brandon Hall Excellence in eLearning Gold Award winner.
A recognized innovator in digital badging and micro-credentialing, Dr. Law developed and deployed an accelerated credentialing curriculum for corporate cohorts at Delta Air Lines, achieving 100% completion rates across three badge-earning courses. He has secured funded research in Student Technology Fee grants (FY2019–FY2025) to fund Articulate 360 licenses for 150+ students.
Dr. Law earned his Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Georgia (1999), and all three of his degrees are from UGA. He holds an ROI Certification from the ROI Institute and is an active member of ISPI, ATD, and PMI.
Education
Positions & Certifications
Awards & Honors
Bridging Theory and Practice
My teaching philosophy is rooted in the scholar-practitioner model. I believe that rigorous academic theory and real-world practice are not in tension — they are mutually reinforcing. The best instructional designers emerge from programs that challenge them to think critically about evidence while simultaneously applying that knowledge to authentic problems.
In every course I teach, students engage with real clients, real data, and real organizational challenges. This is not simulation — it is supervised practice, grounded in the theoretical frameworks that give practitioners the language and logic to explain what they do and why it works.
I have pioneered curriculum innovations at GSU including integrating SCORM LMS experience into coursework, introducing Learning Experience Design (LXD) using Adobe XD and Figma, and negotiating free professional accounts with enterprise tools so every student graduates with Fortune 500-grade technical skills.
Core Principles
Learning interventions must be evaluated against measurable performance outcomes. ROI Certified through the ROI Institute, Dr. Law brings rigorous evaluation discipline to both teaching and practice.
Students engage with real organizational clients in every course — building professional portfolios while solving actual learning challenges for local and national organizations.
Curriculum is aligned with employer needs through the Learning Leaders Advisory Board. Students graduate proficient in Articulate 360, Figma, Smartsheet, LMS administration, and learning analytics.
Professional Experience
Academic Career
Leading the M.S. IDT program serving 100+ students. Overseeing curriculum, assessment, accreditation, industry partnerships, and student advising.
Coordinated M.S. IDT program, taught core graduate courses, established industry partnerships and Corporate Advisory Board.
Industry Career
Led enterprise-wide eLearning strategy serving 300,000+ associates. Developed award-winning rapid eLearning, earning two Brandon Hall Gold Awards.
ISPI Atlanta Chapter Leadership
2019–Present — Board oversight of technology strategy and member resources for the ISPI Atlanta Chapter.
2014–2019 — Led ISPI Atlanta Chapter, developing innovative programming on AI in learning, AR/VR, ROI evaluation, and performance support.
2012–2014, 2019 — Curated professional development programming for L&D practitioners across metro Atlanta.