Michael Birdsell
Co-Founder, Director of Operations
Michael Birdsell is a humanities pedagogy and course developer, philosophy professor, and co-founder of Peak Academic Solutions (PAS)™. His work brings together more than three decades of experience in higher education, research, technology, and innovation with a commitment to personalized, student-centered learning. At PAS™, Michael oversees company operations while helping shape the educational practices and standards that define the PAS™ experience.
His professional experience includes service on federally funded grant teams supporting research and educational initiatives through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as privately funded projects. He has also developed and implemented online courses using Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Quality Matters (QM) principles, and Open Educational Resources (OERs), with longitudinal Learning Outcomes Assessment (LOA) informing course and curriculum development.
As a philosophy professor, Michael teaches Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, and Contemporary Moral Problems at several Maryland community colleges. His teaching emphasizes critical thinking, structured dialogue, and inquiry-driven learning. He holds a B.S. from Arizona State University, completed post-baccalaureate studies in Education, did his practicum under an Educational Psychologist, and earned an M.A.L.A. in Classical Studies from the Graduate Institute at St. John’s College in Annapolis, where he cultivated a strong commitment to discussion-based learning grounded in the Great Books tradition.
In 2026, Michael developed SIMPL Inquiry™, a student-driven inquiry framework designed to help educators ethically integrate AI in ways that deepen rather than replace student thinking, reflection, and intellectual ownership. He and his wife founded Peak Academic Solutions on the belief that education should embrace technology while remaining deeply personal, human-centered, and responsive to the world students inhabit.
Michael is presenting his SIMPL Inquiry™ Method of Personal Learning at the Community College Humanities Association (CCHA) National Conference in October 2026, “Being Human in a World on Fire."
