r. Hannafin earned his MS in Psychology from Ft. Hays State College in Kansas in 1974, and his Ph.D. in Educational Technology from Arizona State University in 1981. Dr. Hannafin is the Charles H. Wheatley-Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Technology-Enhanced Learning, and Director of the Learning and Performance Support Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Previously, he directed the Center for Instructional Development and Services (CIDS), and was a member of the Instructional Systems faculty at Florida State University (1989-1995).

He also served as a visiting professor at the United States Air Force Academy (1992-1993), and in permanent positions at the The Pennsylvania State University (1984-89) and University of Colorado (1981-84). He has published research in a variety of journals and textbooks, and has presented his work both within the U.S. and in countries including the former Soviet Union, Germany, Norway, Mexico, Taiwan, and South Korea. He has received both the Outstanding Textbook and Outstanding Journal Article in Instructional Development recognitions by AECT, and served in numerous editorial capacities in a variety of journals.

Dr. Hannafin's research focuses on developing and testing frameworks for the design of student-centered learning environments, especially those that are open-ended in nature.