Kent Gustafson was born in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, attended Worcester State University and the University of Massachusetts, and then received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University, where he continued on to teach as professor in the Department of Instructional Development and Technology. In 1981, he moved to the University of Georgia, where he has taught a variety of courses in educational technology.

Gustafson is a researcher of electronic performance support systems, is interested in the management of design process, in the evaluation of education and training programs, and in professional education. He is the past President for the Association of Educational Communications & Technology, where he has served in a number of capacities such as editor for their journals (The AECT is probably best known for their publication "TechTrends", which is a periodical modeled after popular magazines [no footnotes, active voice], promoting educational technology and education. ) The AECT also publishes the more scholarly "Educational technology Review and Development".)

Gustafson is also interested in the diffusion of technology over the Internet, the use of electronic media, and through the use of computer technology within education. In his article, "Return on Investment (ROI) for Electronic Support Systems" (co-authored by Charles Hawkins and Tom Nielson), Gustafson discusses the advantages of a web-based system of instruction developed for the U.S. Office of Veterans Affairs, and concludes that while the initial cost of development is high, subsequent service and maintenance cost justify this system.

Publications

Return on Investment (ROI) for Electronic Support Systems (co-authored by Charles Hawkins and Tom Nielson)