Barbara Oakley

Barbara Oakley (born Barbara Ann Grim, 1955) is a Professor of Engineering at Oakland University. She is involved in multiple areas of research, ranging from STEM education, to Engineering education, to learning practices. Most recently, Professor Oakley has co-created and taught Learning How To Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects, the world's most popular online course, It is available on Coursera. She also wrote a book, A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra). This is a standalone book, though it is also recommended for those who wish to learn more about the ideas presented in the MOOC. Oakley has recently been featured in the Wall Street Journal with an op-ed article entitled How We Should Be Teaching Math. 2Biography Oakley was born in Lodi, California, in 1955. She was born to parents Alfred and Constance Grim. Alfred was in the US Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot during World War II. After the war, Alfred became a veterinarian, and then went on to get a Master in Food Technology from MIT. He went on to head the Air Force program to develop food for astronauts. Oakley moved frequently with her family as a child, moving to ten different places by the time she was in tenth grade. After leaving high school, Oakley enlisted in the U.S. Arm