How to Design with AI in 2026 (based on the most compelling research published in 2025). — from linkedin.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
On 01/22/2026,
in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, design, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, teachers, teaching & learning, training / L&D, trends, UK, universities, vendors, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
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On 01/22/2026,
in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, business, career development, change, changing business models, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, curriculum, emerging technologies, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), intelligent systems, learning ecosystem, student-related, teaching & learning, trends, United States, universities, workplace, youth,
by Daniel Christian
What’s Happening to Jobs for New Grads — from linkedin.com by Jeff Selingo
No matter where you go to college, the job market math for new graduates is grim right now, as I write in a new article out yesterday in New York magazine.
There were 15% fewer entry-level and internship job postings in 2025 than the year before, according to Handshake, a job-search platform popular with college students; meanwhile, applications per posting rose 26%.
How much AI is to blame for the fragile entry-level job market is unclear. Several research studies show AI is hitting young college-educated workers disproportionately, but broader economic forces are part of the story, too.
As Christine Y. Cruzvergara, Handshake’s chief education strategy officer, told me, AI isn’t “taking” jobs so much as employers are “choosing” to replace parts of jobs with automation rather than redesign roles around workers. “They’re replacing people instead of enabling their workforce,” she said.
Today’s graduates are stuck in an in-between moment. Many started college before AI mattered and graduated into a labor market reshaped almost overnight, where entry-level roles are disappearing faster than students can adapt.
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On 01/22/2026,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), intelligent systems, leadership, lifelong learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, research, skills, society, sociology, student-related, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, vocational / trades, workplace, youth,
by Daniel Christian
The following resources were mentioned in Paul Fain’s posting entitled, “High Demand, Low Wage“ — from the-job.beehiiv.com by Paul Fain
- AI And Automation Will Take 6% Of US Jobs By 2030 — from forrester.com by J.P. Gownder
- Measuring US workers’ capacity to adapt to AI-driven job displacement — from brookings.edu by Sam Manning, Tomás Aguirre, Mark Muro, and Shriya Methkupally
- Anthropic Economic Index report: economic primitives — from anthropic.com
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On 01/20/2026,
in business side of he, change, changing business models, colleges, community colleges, digital learning, education technology, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, more voice more choice more control, new business models, online learning, student-related, teaching & learning, trends, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
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On 01/12/2026,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, change, colleges, community colleges, digital learning, emerging technologies, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, learning ecosystem, liberal arts, lifelong learning, pace of change, robotics, skills, staying relevant, student-related, teaching & learning, technology (general), trends, United States, universities, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
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On 01/06/2026,
in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, education, education reform, ideas, K-12 related, student-related, teachers, trends, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Reflecting on Education in 2025 — from by Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth
Educators have become more discerning about initiatives to invest in, tools to explore, and expectations to set. The question “Can we do this?” shifted to “Should we do this? And “Why?” Which then led to the “How” part.
This shift showed up in conversations around curriculum, assessment, technology use, and student well-being. Schools began reducing or being more selective rather than layering, which helped educators to adjust better to change. Leaders focused more on coherence instead of compliance. And in some conversations I had or articles I read, I noticed respectful pushback on practices that added complexity without improving learning.
I think this is why the recalibration mattered.
AI has become less about “cheating” and more about helping students and others learn how to think, evaluate, and create responsibly in an AI-infused world.
…
Educators have become more discerning about initiatives to invest in, tools to explore, and expectations to set. The question “Can we do this?” shifted to “Should we do this? And “Why?” Which then led to the “How” part.
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On 01/06/2026,
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by Daniel Christian
At CES 2026, Everything Is AI. What Matters Is How You Use It — from wired.com by Boone Ashworth
Integrated chatbots and built-in machine intelligence are no longer standout features in consumer tech. If companies want to win in the AI era, they’ve got to hone the user experience.
Beyond Wearables
Right now, AI is on your face and arms—smart glasses and smart watches—but this year will see it proliferate further into products like earbuds, headphones, and smart clothing.
Health tech will see an influx of AI features too, as companies aim to use AI to monitor biometric data from wearables like rings and wristbands. Heath sensors will also continue to show up in newer places like toilets, bath mats, and brassieres.
The smart home will continue to be bolstered by machine intelligence, with more products that can listen, see, and understand what’s happening in your living space. Familiar candidates for AI-powered upgrades like smart vacuums and security cameras will be joined by surprising AI bedfellows like refrigerators and garage door openers.
Along these lines, see
live updates from CNET here.
ChatGPT is overrated. Here’s what to use instead. — from washingtonpost.com by Geoffrey A. Fowler
When I want help from AI, ChatGPT is no longer my default first stop.
How Collaborative AI Agents Are Shaping the Future of Autonomous IT — from aijourn.com by Michael Nappi
Some enterprise platforms now support cross-agent communication and integration with ecosystems maintained by companies like Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, and Oracle. These cross-platform data fabrics break down silos and turn isolated AI pilots into enterprise-wide services. The result is an IT backbone that not only automates but also collaborates for continuous learning, diagnostics, and system optimization in real time.
Nvidia dominated the headlines in 2025 — these were its 15 biggest events of the year — from finance.yahoo.com by Daniel Howley
It’s difficult to think of any single company that had a bigger impact on Wall Street and the AI trade in 2025 than Nvidia (NVDA).
…
Nvidia’s revenue soared in 2025, bringing in $187.1 billion, and its market capitalization continued to climb, briefly eclipsing the $5 trillion mark before settling back in the $4 trillion range.
There were plenty of major highs and deep lows throughout the year, but these 15 were among the biggest moments of Nvidia’s 2025.
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On 01/04/2026,
in apprenticeships, business, career development, change, colleges, community colleges, corporate / business world, internships, student-related, surviving, trends, United States, workplace, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Rebuilding The First Rung Of The Opportunity Ladder — from forbes.com by Bruno V. Manno
Two-thirds of employers say most new hires are not fully prepared for their roles, citing “experience,” not technical skill, as the greatest shortfall. At the same time, 61% of companies have raised their experience requirements.
As a result, many so-called entry-level roles now demand two to five years of prior work experience. The first rung of the career ladder has been pulled even farther out of reach for new job seekers. A portfolio—or full-spectrum—model of work-based learning is one promising way to rebuild that rung.
Experience has become what Deloitte calls “the new currency of employability.” But the places where young people once earned that currency are disappearing.
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On 12/22/2025,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, liberal arts, library / librarians, Microsoft, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, research, skills, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, trends, United States, universities, vendors, workplace, youth,
by Daniel Christian
How Your Learners *Actually* Learn with AI — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
What 37.5 million AI chats show us about how learners use AI at the end of 2025 — and what this means for how we design & deliver learning experiences in 2026
Last week, Microsoft released a similar analysis of a whopping 37.5 million Copilot conversations. These conversation took place on the platform from January to September 2025, providing us with a window into if and how AI use in general — and AI use among learners specifically – has evolved in 2025.
Microsoft’s mass behavioural data gives us a detailed, global glimpse into what learners are actually doing across devices, times of day and contexts. The picture that emerges is pretty clear and largely consistent with what OpenAI’s told us back in the summer:
AI isn’t functioning primarily as an “answers machine”: the majority of us use AI as a tool to personalise and differentiate generic learning experiences and – ultimately – to augment human learning.
Let’s dive in!
Learners don’t “decide” to use AI anymore. They assume it’s there, like search, like spellcheck, like calculators. The question has shifted from “should I use this?” to “how do I use this effectively?”
8 AI Agents Every HR Leader Needs To Know In 2026 — from forbes.com by Bernard Marr
So where do you start? There are many agentic tools and platforms for AI tasks on the market, and the most effective approach is to focus on practical, high-impact workflows. So here, I’ll look at some of the most compelling use cases, as well as provide an overview of the tools that can help you quickly deliver tangible wins.
…
Some of the strongest opportunities in HR include:
- Workforce management, administering job satisfaction surveys, monitoring and tracking performance targets, scheduling interventions, and managing staff benefits, medical leave, and holiday entitlement.
- Recruitment screening, automatically generating and posting job descriptions, filtering candidates, ranking applicants against defined criteria, identifying the strongest matches, and scheduling interviews.
- Employee onboarding, issuing new hires with contracts and paperwork, guiding them to onboarding and training resources, tracking compliance and completion rates, answering routine enquiries, and escalating complex cases to human HR specialists.
- Training and development, identifying skills gaps, providing self-service access to upskilling and reskilling opportunities, creating personalized learning pathways aligned with roles and career goals, and tracking progress toward completion.
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On 12/22/2025,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, digital audio, digital video, Google, internet, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, media/film, microlearning, new business models, new media literacies, platforms, podcasting, streams of content, trends, TVs, United States, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
People Watched 700 Million Hours of YouTube Podcasts on TV in October — from bloomberg.com (this article is behind a paywall)
- That’s up from 400 million hours a year ago as podcasts become the new late-night TV.
- YouTube Wins Over TV Audience With Video Podcasts.
- YouTube is dominating in the living room.
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On 12/16/2025,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Australia, bots, business, career development, change, changing business models, creativity, Facebook / Meta Platforms, faith, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, Google, innovation, intelligent systems, leadership, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Open AI, platforms, society, sociology, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, trends, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
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On 12/16/2025,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, adult learning, Alternatives, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, Australia, bots, career development, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, CMS/LMS, collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education technology, experimentation, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), India, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, liberal arts, library / librarians, lifelong learning, microlearning, online media, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, training / L&D, trends, UK, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, youth,
by Daniel Christian
AI Has Landed in Education: Now What? — from learningfuturesdigest.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
Here’s what’s shaped the AI-education landscape in the last month:
- The AI Speed Trap is [still] here: AI adoption in L&D is basically won (87%)—but it’s being used to ship faster, not learn better (84% prioritising speed), scaling “more of the same” at pace.
- AI tutors risk a “pedagogy of passivity”: emerging evidence suggests tutoring bots can reduce cognitive friction and pull learners down the ICAP spectrum—away from interactive/constructive learning toward efficient consumption.
- Singapore + India are building what the West lacks: they’re treating AI as national learning infrastructure—for resilience (Singapore) and access + language inclusion (India)—while Western systems remain fragmented and reactive.
- Agentic AI is the next pivot: early signs show a shift from AI as a content engine to AI as a learning partner—with UConn using agents to remove barriers so learners can participate more fully in shared learning.
- Moodle’s AI stance sends two big signals: the traditional learning ecosystem in fragmenting, and the concept of “user sovereignty” over by AI is emerging.
Four strategies for implementing custom AIs that help students learn, not outsource — from educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au by Kria Coleman, Matthew Clemson, Laura Crocco and Samantha Clarke; via Derek Bruff
For Cogniti to be taken seriously, it needs to be woven into the structure of your unit and its delivery, both in class and on Canvas, rather than left on the side. This article shares practical strategies for implementing Cogniti in your teaching so that students:
- understand the context and purpose of the agent,
- know how to interact with it effectively,
- perceive its value as a learning tool over any other available AI chatbots, and
- engage in reflection and feedback.
In this post, we discuss how to introduce and integrate Cogniti agents into the learning environment so students understand their context, interact effectively, and see their value as customised learning companions.
In this post, we share four strategies to help introduce and integrate Cogniti in your teaching so that students understand their context, interact effectively, and see their value as customised learning companions.
Collection: Teaching with Custom AI Chatbots — from teaching.virginia.edu; via Derek Bruff
The default behaviors of popular AI chatbots don’t always align with our teaching goals. This collection explores approaches to designing AI chatbots for particular pedagogical purposes.
Example/excerpt:
- Not Your Default Chatbot: Five Teaching Applications of Custom AI Bots
Agile Learning
derekbruff.org/2025/10/01/five-teaching-applications-of-custom-ai-chatbots/
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On 12/16/2025,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Australia, bots, business, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, emerging technologies, game-changing environment, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, intelligent systems, leadership, Legal operations, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, strategy, tools, trends, United States, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
7 Legal Tech Trends That Will Reshape Every Business In 2026 — from forbes.com by Bernard Marr
Here are the trends that will matter most.
- AI Agents As Legal Assistants
- AI As A Driver Of Business Strategy
- Automation In Judicial Administration
- Always-On Compliance Monitoring
- Cybersecurity As An Essential Survival Tool
- Predictive Litigation
- Compliance As Part Of The Everyday Automation Fabric
According to the Thomson Reuters Future Of Professionals report, most experts already expect AI to transform their work within five years, with many viewing it as a positive force. The challenge now is clear: legal and compliance leaders must understand the tools reshaping their field and prepare their teams for a very different way of working in 2026.
Addendum on 12/17/25:
- Top 10 legal tech episodes in 2025 — from lawyersweekly.com.au
With AI and legal technology at the forefront of the profession’s mind now more than ever, The Lawyers Weekly Show and our special series LawTech Talks delivered in-depth explorations of these game-changing topics. Now, we’re highlighting the 10 most downloaded episodes that sparked conversation across the legal tech community. - eCourtDate Winner Of “LegalOps Platform of the Year” In 2025 LegalTech Breakthrough Awards Program — from globenewswire.com
Prestigious Annual Awards Program Recognizes Companies and Products Driving Innovation in the Global Legal Industry
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On 12/16/2025,
in adjunct faculty, business side of he, career development, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, faculty/staff, higher education, learning ecosystem, liberal arts, parents/guardians, reinvent, society, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, trends, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Higher education faces ‘deteriorating’ 2026 outlook, Fitch says — from highereddive.com by Laura Spitalniak
A shrinking pipeline of students, uncertainty about state and federal support, and rising expenses could all hurt college finances, according to analysts.
Dive Brief:
- Fitch Ratings on Thursday issued a “deteriorating” outlook for the higher education sector in 2026, continuing the gloomy prediction the agency issued for 2025.
- Analysts based their forecast on a shrinking prospective student base, “rising uncertainty related to state and federal support, continued expense escalation and shifting economic conditions.”
- With its report, Fitch joins Moody’s Ratings and S&P Global Ratings in predicting a grim year for higher ed — Moody’s for the sector overall and S&P for nonprofit colleges specifically.
Yale expects layoffs as leaders brace for $300M in endowment taxes — from highereddive.com by Ben Unglesbee
The Ivy League institution’s tax bill starting next year will be higher than what it spends on student aid, university officials said.
Dive Brief:
- Yale University is bracing for layoffs as it prepares to pay the government hundreds of millions of dollars in endowment income taxes.
- In a public message, senior leaders at the Ivy League institution said that Yale’s schools plan to take steps such as delaying hiring and reducing travel spending to save money. But they warned workforce cuts were on the horizon.
- “Layoffs may be necessary” in some units where cutting open positions and other reductions are insufficient, the university officials said. They expect to complete any downsizing by the end of 2026 barring “additional significant financial changes.”
Education Department adds ‘lower earnings’ warning to FAFSA — from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz
The agency will warn students when they’ve indicated interest in a college whose graduates have relatively low incomes.
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new disclosure feature that warns students who fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid if they’re interested in colleges whose graduates have relatively low earnings, the agency said Monday.
“Families deserve a clearer picture of how postsecondary education connects to real-world earnings, and this new indicator will provide that transparency,” U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a Monday statement. “Not only will this new FAFSA feature make public earnings data more accessible, but it will empower prospective students to make data-driven decisions before they are saddled with debt.”
Also from highereddive.com, see:
- College costs grew 3.6% in fiscal 2025, HEPI shows
Faculty salaries rose 4.3%, the highest recorded rate since the Higher Education Price Index began in 1998. - Martin University to ‘pause’ operations at the end of the month
The board of the private Indianapolis university is working to find a path toward economic viability, it said in a Tuesday press release. - Willamette University and Pacific University seek to merge
The two private nonprofits in Oregon said Thursday that they intend to create “the University of the Northwest,” with one state official voicing support. - University of Nebraska regents approve cutting 4 programs at flagship
The university’s governing board voted in favor of the plan despite sustained faculty objections over the eliminations and the process for determining them.
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On 12/10/2025,
in adjunct faculty, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, digital learning, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, graphics, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, learning spaces, liberal arts, library / librarians, lifelong learning, multimedia, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, skills, society, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, tools, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
Beyond Infographics: How to Use Nano Banana to *Actually* Support Learning — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr Philippa Hardman
Six evidence-based use cases to try in Google’s latest image-generating AI tool
While it’s true that Nano Banana generates better infographics than other AI models, the conversation has so far massively under-sold what’s actually different and valuable about this tool for those of us who design learning experiences.
What this means for our workflow:
Instead of the traditional “commission ? wait ? tweak ? approve ? repeat” cycle, Nano Banana enables an iterative, rapid-cycle design process where you can:
- Sketch an idea and see it refined in minutes.
- Test multiple visual metaphors for the same concept without re-briefing a designer.
- Build 10-image storyboards with perfect consistency by specifying the constraints once, not manually editing each frame.
- Implement evidence-based strategies (contrasting cases, worked examples, observational learning) that are usually too labour-intensive to produce at scale.
This shift—from “image generation as decoration” to “image generation as instructional scaffolding”—is what makes Nano Banana uniquely useful for the 10 evidence-based strategies below.
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