Live From the OLC Conference: Innovation, AI Realities, and Lessons from the Exhibit Hall
Episode Summary
In this special conference edition of the Engaged By Design Podcast, Michael and Vernon bring listeners directly into the heart of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) conference exhibit hall. This episode blends thoughtful narration with real, unedited booth-floor audio conversations between the Engaged By Design team.
You’ll hear Michael and Vernon reflect on conference attendance, the uncertainty of today’s VUCA higher education climate, and the overwhelming presence of AI in sessions and vendor halls. They share reactions from Course Design Accelerator demos — especially the moment attendees gasped when a complete Canvas course was exported live in seconds.
Jarred joins to reflect on the challenges institutions are facing around AI, innovation, and course development. He explains why solution-first thinking is leading campuses down homogenizing paths, and why the real innovation lives within people, not tools.
Vernon and Michael discuss new learning research, including the study showing how students learn more when they draft first and use AI second. They talk openly about academic integrity, learning theory, and the role of faculty in shaping responsible, discipline-specific AI use.
The episode closes with a story from Jarred about a meaningful human connection he made at the booth — a reminder that, even amid technological change, the heart of education is still people.
Key Topics Covered
- What we observed at the 2025 Online Learning Consortium conference
- Why attendance felt different this year (budget constraints, cancellations, VUCA realities)
- How AI dominated the conversations — and why nobody fully understands its implications yet
- Demo reactions to the Course Design Accelerator and Canvas export
- Solution-first vs. problem-first thinking in edtech
- The role of design thinking, backward design, and intentionality in course development
- New research on learning and AI (FMRI essay-writing study)
- The future of student learning & time-on-task
- Faculty-in-the-loop AI and preventing “AI slop”
- The difference between shiny tools and practical innovation
- Jarred’s reflections on human connection in crowded spaces
- Why authentic interactions matter even more than technology
Notable Quotes
“Technology should lighten the load without replacing the creativity or humanity.” – Vernon
“AI isn’t the solution. The solution is already inside the institution — in the people and the processes.” – Jarred
“You still need time on task. You still need cognitive effort. AI can’t do the learning for you.” – Michael
“The future of education isn’t AI alone. It’s human. It’s faculty in the loop.” – Michael
Links
Engaged By Design AI Tools: https://www.engagedbydesign.com/course-design-ai-tools
OLC Conference: https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/events/
