Design Economics Podcast (Season 2 | Episode 3)
Join host Vinny Tafuro for an engaging conversation with guest Dr. Walter Balser, Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Florida. Dr. Balser teaches graduate courses on organizational leadership, technology leadership, and qualitative research methods, and his research examines the changing education ecosystem from the standpoint of decentralization, blended capital, and technological disruption. Their conversation explores the decentralization and paradigm shifts occurring in K-12 education and how AI will not replace teachers but instead may help scale the creative ability of education systems to meet students where they are.
About Dr. Walter Balser
Walter Fernando Balser is an academic, educator, and leader with a focus on the intersection of technology, education, and leadership. He serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Florida, where he teaches graduate courses on topics such as organizational leadership, technology leadership, and qualitative research methods. His scholarship examines the changing education ecosystem from the standpoint of decentralization, involving the growing role of agencies and nonprofits working in schools, the relationship between public schooling and private capital, and how all of this may intersect in a rapidly evolving digital world. His current research explores how these changes, including implementation of AI, may impact organizational behavior and leadership roles. In addition to his academic roles, Dr. Balser has a history that includes founding the Open Partnership Education Network at the University of South Florida, which now operates independently as an open source learning platform, learnopen.org.