This is a special episode that features seven mini-interviews with speakers at last year’s Learning Ideas Conference, which was held at Columbia University in New York City. As we approach the Learning Ideas Conference 2025, taking place from June 11th to 13th, I reflect on last year’s conference and the conversations I had with some of the speakers, including the three keynote speakers. 

Learning Ideas Conference: https://www.learningideasconf.org

The interviews can be found at the following timestamps:

0:08:25

Prof. Chris Dede 

Associate Director for Research, National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (AI-ALOE)

Senior Research Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Title of Talk: Complementing Human Minds with Digital Brains: The Role of GenAI in Learning

Links:

https://www.chrisdede.com

0:25:40

Dr. Alina von Davier 

Chief of Assessment at Duolingo

Honorary Research Fellow at Oxford University

Talk Title: Building Digital-first Assessments in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Links: 

https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/person/alina-von-davier/

0:37:20

Dr. Christina Katopodis

Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate

CUNY Humanities Alliance

Talk Title: Connecting Learners to Their Internal Motivations for Success

Links:

https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/members/ckatopodis/

0:55:00

Sam Lee and Veronica Gomez

Learning Design at McKinsey & Company

Talk Title: Emerging Tech in Learning: From Overwhelming to Innovative

Links: 

Sam Lee’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/junghwasamleeny/

Veronica Gomez’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicagomezatencio/

1:11:00

Mike Kentz

Founder of AI Literacy Partners (ALP)

Talk Title: Stop Grading Essays, Start Grading Chats

Links:

Substack: https://mikekentz.substack.com/p/a-new-assessment-design-framework

ALP: https://www.litpartners.ai

1:25:45

Gary Dickelman, EPSScentral LLC and Jan Greenberg, National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (DTL)

Talk Title: AI in Early Learning and How it Affects Higher Education and Workplace Learning

Links:

https://www.higheredandwork.org/gary-dickelman-bio

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-greenberg-7252b1a/

1:37:50

Teemu Patala, 

Co-founder & Cief Learning Officer, Airport College International

Title of Talk: Fostering Innovation through Strategic Partnerships in Aviation Training Post-Pandemic

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/teemu-patala-1b09562/

https://www.airportcollege.com