The Learning Ideas Conference Launches First-Ever Month-Long Winter Event Series
New York, NY (March 3, 2025) - For the first time, The Learning Ideas Conference (TLIC) expanded its annual one-day winter event into a month-long online event series throughout February. Centered on the theme “Preparation for the Workplace: The Changing Role of Higher Education,” the virtual series brought together a diverse range of voices—including employers, educational innovators, and industry professionals—to unpack how higher education can better prepare graduates for the evolving workforce.
Hosted by online learning expert Dr. David Guralnick, the four-part series ran every Friday, from February 7th to 28th, 2025:
Episode 1 - February 7th: “The Current State of Higher Education and Workforce Preparation”
Episode 2 - February 14th: “Alternative Education Paths for Workplace Preparation and Advancement”
Episode 3 - February 21st: “Workforce Preparation and Student Career Paths”
Episode 4 - February 28th: “Skills for the Future Workforce”
Throughout the month, a lineup of 14 speakers shared insights on topics ranging from the employer perspective and faculty hesitancy to retail education, AI transformation, workforce preparation from the employees’ angle, student career navigation, and essential future workforce skills. The lineup represented a wide range of industries and institutions, including Coursera, Amazon, Microsoft, ETS, National Retail Federation Foundation, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
“I really enjoyed hearing a variety of perspectives–including from people new to the workforce–and exploring both traditional and non-traditional educational paths.”
Among the highlights, Dr. Alexandra Urban of Coursera emphasized the disruptive but enabling role of generative AI in reshaping how students acquire and apply skills. Kate Fessler of the National Retail Federation Foundation highlighted how industry-recognized credentials are opening doors in non-traditional sectors such as retail. Ariel Fleurimond of Columbia University shed light on faculty perspectives and the ongoing challenges and disconnect between faculty and administrative perceptions of the potential of online education.
The winter event series builds on the momentum of The Learning Ideas Conference’s main annual event, the June conference in New York City, which has become a global gathering for learning professionals, technologists, and educators. Missed this year’s winter event? The recordings of all event series sessions are available to access now via the Event Site.