Kevin Popović

As Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer, he established the University's academic program and leads its academic direction. He designed the University's course model, the common structure every course follows. In that model, a learner is given direct instruction, applies it in guided practice, reflects on that practice, and is then formally evaluated.

1. 01

   Direct instruction

2. 02

   Guided practice

3. 03

   Reflection

4. 04

   Formal evaluation

His responsibilities include instructional design, assessment and the academic standards each course must meet before release. He aligns the curriculum with the competencies measured by the Trader Score, so that what a learner studies prepares them for the behaviors they later demonstrate in simulation.

Degrees conferred

Studies in progress

His doctoral research examines participatory innovation: how human insight and artificial intelligence can be combined to identify problems within organizations. The current study evaluates a participatory human-insight and AI innovation process inside a working organization.

Academic appointments

1. Founding Dean, Chief Academic Officer

   Current

   SimFi University

2. Instructor, design thinking, creativity and innovation

   Current

   UC San Diego Extended Studies

3. Zahn Chair of Creativity & Innovation; Founding Director, ZIP Idea Lab

   Former

   San Diego State University

4. Education Manager and academic program management

   Former

   UC San Diego Design Lab

5. Adjunct Professor, Multimedia Technology Program

   Former

   Duquesne University · 1999–2004

Professional roles

1. Principal

   Current

   The Idea Guy®

2. Founder

   Ideahaus®, a creative communications agency · 1990

At San Diego State, he founded the ZIP Idea Lab, which brought design thinking, creativity and applied problem-solving into university courses and into work with outside organizations. At the UC San Diego Design Lab, he developed the Junior Designer Program, which connected classroom learning with applied design work.

He has taught in higher education since 1999. His subjects include multimedia technology, design thinking, creativity, innovation, problem definition, and the combined use of human insight and artificial intelligence.

• Multimedia technology
• Design thinking
• Creativity
• Innovation
• Problem definition
• Human insight and artificial intelligence

His learners have included university and continuing-education students, faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs and organizational leaders. Through his classes and programs he has taught learners from India, Mexico, Sweden, Ukraine, Serbia, Japan and other countries.

• India
• Mexico
• Sweden
• Ukraine
• Serbia
• Japan

Books

Frameworks and instruments

Writing and talks

His teaching is built around meaningful problems. Learners examine their assumptions, develop a response, and improve it through application and reflection. He pairs guided instruction with hands-on exercises and discussion, so that each new concept is used soon after it is taught.

At SimFi University, this approach shapes how courses relate to the simulation. A learner should understand the purpose of each exercise, interpret the feedback it produces, recognize patterns in their own behavior, and build capabilities they can demonstrate through practice.