Thoughts from EDUCAUSE and DevLearn

Over the last few weeks, I attended my first EDUCAUSE and DevLearn conferences since the onset of the pandemic. It was nice to see the shows back to what seemed like full strength. It was even better to reconnect with colleagues and clients – many of whom I hadn't chatted with face to face in years.

At both events, I had the opportunity to present on the growing impact of skills-based learning on educational institutions, industry, and learners – and the value these efforts provided to all involved. I was also happy to send copies of the presentations to all who asked – I hope the information helped them grow their budgets for meaningful teaching and learning. 

Here are four observations and takeaways from both conferences. 

Why are your alumni taking courses elsewhere?

In the weeks before EDUCAUSE, I was able to speak with leadership at several universities and community college networks. The conversations initially centered around the impact of ROI-focused learners and the need to integrate certification-driven skills-based learning. But in every case, the conversations quickly flowed into the question, “Why are your alumni taking courses at Coursera, LinkedIn, or the SANS Institute, instead of enrolling in professional development programs offered through their alma mater?” There were a wide variety of answers and opinions ranging from simple business prioritization, content development and ownership, brand impact, etc. Developing these life-long learning relationships with your alumni seems a highly valuable and desired service. It’s time for Higher Ed to stop ceding this ground and get into the game.

AI, AI, it’s home from work I go…  

There were “AI-enhanced” proclamations everywhere – so many in fact that I quickly tuned them out. Most of what I saw were first-generation, quick-to-market tools that focused on simplifying the submission of well-formed prompts. These early tools will indeed drive value, but I’m anxious to see the next iteration of these tools. I’ll get excited when I see AI helping learners align their degrees to discrete industry-driven job skills, or using AI to align items in a question bank with various industry-driven skill sets.

Engagement Tools vs. Learner Value in Compliance Training

I’d guess that 20% of the vendors at DevLearn were content enhancement vendors with tools that create attractive templates, animations, and even comic book quality lesson pages. Count me skeptical on the ROI of these products when used within the typical corporate compliance courses – and not because these products aren’t great – because completing compliance courses drives benefits for the company while delivering relatively little market value for the learner. In my experience, simple compliance courses don’t deliver a professional certification that I can apply in future workplace settings. Engaging content within these courses is not going to matter to me because the result is a benefit for the company, not for me. So, count me guilty of the “skip to the end of the course to take the quiz” approach. But, I am eager to see someone flip the switch there.

Getting Past Compliance to Certifications

Recent McKinsey research published in “Cracking the code on digital talent” indicated that meaningful professional development and career paths are the number one reason people choose to stay in an organization and it’s also the number one reason they chose their new employer.  This higher-order professional development can drive huge benefits for the company and the learner.  A previous McKinsey report, “Attracting and retaining the right talent” found that superior talent improves productivity in all job roles and is up to eight times more productive in very complex roles. It’s amazing to see the positive impact these high-value training courses have had on employers, job-seekers, and business in general.

I’m hoping to spark a conversation, perhaps utilizing Cunningham’s Law. Your thoughts?