Dear Commons Community,

My last day at the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) Annual Meeting was enjoyable.  It started with a panel discussion given by me and colleagues Chuck Dziuban, Patsy Moskal, Mary Niemiec, and Karen Swan on Higher Education’s Digital Future Is Closer Than We Think!   The feedback was very positive from the one hundred or so attendees in the audience.

I also attended a session given by Eric Fredericksen on a survey/study he conducted of leaders of online education at community colleges. He presented lots of data on their opinions of  issues and the future directions of online education at their institutions.  It was well-done.

The morning concluded at a general session during which Diane Oblinger presented her view of future technology specifically robotics and artificial intelligence.  She proposed that in a super-connected world, new sources of expertise are emerging and educators are challenged to re-conceptualize learning and research. She raised the question that in a world in which computers are increasingly capable: How do we prepare students for a new division of labor between people and machines?

The afternoon and evening were spent at meetings with the Online Learning Consortium’s Board of Directors.  Dinner was with Frank Mayadas, his wife Judy, and Ken Hartman.

A long and enjoyable day!

Tony