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A Conversation with Egle Vinauskatie: What L&D Needs to Become in the Age of AI + other solid articles from the Learning Guild

On 11/10/2026, in adult learning, business, career development, change, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, instructional design, intelligent systems, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, training / L&D, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

A Conversation with Egle Vinauskatie: What L&D Needs to Become in the Age of AI — — from learningguild.com

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As generative AI reshapes how people work, learn, and perform, L&D teams are facing important questions about their role and value. In this interview, Egle Vinauskaite, Strategic Advisor, AI in L&D, at Nodes, discusses the people side of AI transformation, the changing value of content, and the commercial thinking learning professionals need to develop. She also offers a preview of the session she will lead at DevLearn, based on new research into how L&D professionals are using AI.

But at the same time, generative AI has presented L&D with the ability to create the kinds of upskilling and orchestrate expertise sharing in ways that we never could before. So that value claim is still there for the taking. And of course, this transformation has meant that the way businesses operate and how fast they need to change to react to competitive pressures, that has made the case for people development very salient.

The 7 Seats at Your Leadership Table — from learningguild.com by Paige Yousey

That’s emerging leadership. You have more responsibility, bigger decisions, and higher stakes, but no magical handbook appears with the promotion. Eventually, you’ll hit a decision you can’t Google, a problem you’ve never seen before, or a moment when you simply need someone who gets it.

The smartest leaders don’t wait until that moment to figure out who to call. They build their list of people before they need them.

Think of it as your personal board of directors. Not one mentor expected to somehow meet every need, but a collection of people who each bring something different to the table. Some will challenge you. Some will remind you what you already know. Some will have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, and that might be exactly why you need them.

So, who gets a seat?

The Content Boom Is Coming. Is Learning Operations Ready? — from learningguild.com by Tiffany Baltazar

But more content does not necessarily mean more value.

Without the operational infrastructure to manage this growth, the same content boom that creates new opportunities for learning can also create redundancy, conflicting information, oversaturated catalogs, outdated resources, and learning experiences competing for learners’ already limited attention.

In an AI-enabled learning organization, content may become abundant, while learner attention and the systems needed for governance and evaluation may struggle to keep pace.

So, as content creation accelerates, a different question becomes increasingly important: Is the learning ecosystem prepared to manage what follows?

The cost of creating learning content may be falling, but the cost of managing it is not. A healthy learning ecosystem, is not simply one that grows. It is one that can respond as the organization changes.

EdTech’s Cybersecurity Reckoning [Hill]

On 11/05/2026, in change, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, computer science, corporate / business world, education technology, higher education, ideas, programming, tools, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

EdTech’s Cybersecurity Reckoning — from onedtech.philhillaa.com by Phil Hill
The Canvas breach was an early marker of a new reality. PHP2Shell shows why EdTech’s move toward managed services will accelerate.

Higher education has a particularly large exposure because so much of its technology grew through local initiative: someone built a useful tool, installed an open-source application, or kept a departmental website running. That approach delivered considerable value and fit the education ethos, but it also distributed responsibility for maintaining and defending software across multiple teams and individuals with very different capabilities.

I believe we are entering a period that will significantly accelerate the move toward managed services, shared infrastructure, and restrictions on locally operated applications exposed to the public internet, particularly for under-resourced institutions. This reaches into budgets, institutional autonomy, and the ways educational technology gets built and delivered—well beyond the immediate work of a CIO responding to a security alert.

Are We Sending Young People False Signals About Their Futures? — from workshift.org by Emily M. Dickens and Elissa Salas

For years, we’ve told young people that training + credentials = opportunity. And for many pathways, that’s still true. But an AI-disrupted labor market is forcing us to be uncomfortably honest about what has always been a much more complicated equation.

Mixed Signals
Today’s young people need us to be able to say that we don’t fully know what the future of work looks like. Mixed signals abound. For example, at major tech companies, new graduate and entry-level hiring is down roughly 65% compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. So far in 2026, AI has been cited in more than 120K announced job cuts.

On the other hand, major companies including Google and CSX announced plans to hire to meet growth goals. Some of the fastest-growing occupations range across healthcare, skilled trades, and tech. In September, Business Roundtable’s CEO Economic Outlook Index showed a seven-point increase in hiring plans. The messages sent to young people are genuinely contradictory, and we need to help them cut through the noise.

Helping young people develop in this way will require smarter, stronger bridges between the systems that shape our workforce, such as better connecting K-12 classrooms to career pathways, aligning higher education institutions with the evolving job market, and ensuring untapped talent has access to in-demand employment opportunities.

The Faculty Bargain Of 2040: What Should The University And Its Faculty Owe One Another? — from forbes.com by David Rosowsky

What if we stopped reforming the existing faculty career for a moment? What if we started over?

Suppose we were designing the faculty career today for the university of 2040, starting with a blank sheet of paper. There would be no rigid departmental affiliations, ranks, tenure systems, promotion policies, or inherited assumptions. We could keep anything that still made sense. But nothing would be presumed necessary simply because it has been around for decades.

What would we build?

When machines can increasingly perform parts of the work that once consumed enormous amounts of human time, the scarce attributes may shift toward judgment, curiosity, creativity, disciplinary depth, the ability to frame consequential questions, the capacity to connect ideas across fields, and the ability to know when a machine is wrong.

That is not an argument for fewer faculty. It may be an argument for different faculty – and for a faculty employment system capable of recognizing those important (even desirable) differences.

[Gifted article] This used to be a cornerstone of every job application. Not anymore. [Carpenter]

On 10/16/2026, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, career development, change, skills, student-related, surviving, United States, workplace, youth, by Daniel Christian

This used to be a cornerstone of every job application. Not anymore. — from washingtonpost.com by Julia Carpenter; this is a gifted article
Has AI finally killed the cover letter?

“It’s not just easier to write a cover letter, it’s easier to write a phenomenal cover letter,” Kessler said. “That’s become more of a prerequisite and less of a differentiator.”

At the same time, the use of AI has contributed to an explosion of applications. For every open role in 2026 there are twice as many applicants as there would have been for similar roles in 2022, according to a recent study from LinkedIn Research.

That makes hiring managers and recruiters less likely to give cover letters even a perfunctory glance. They have too much else to handle during a busy job search, said Johnny C. Taylor, president and chief executive officer of the Society for Human Resource Management.

“The cover letter is literally dead, never to be resuscitated,” he said. “There’s too much volume for this beautiful piece of prose.”

“It’s tough when no one can give you a right answer,” Ogunlana said. “You have some recruiters saying ‘It’s worth it’ and others saying ‘No.’”

If there is any consensus, it’s that cover letters with a “human element” still can help an applicant stand out.

They need to sound different from all the ones written with AI, said Jason Baker, vice president of talent acquisition at Arctic Wolf, a security operations firm.

Baker recalled one applicant who didn’t land the job they originally applied for, but because their cover letter made such an impression, Baker invited them back when the company was hiring again for a similar position.

The Reinvention of Liberal Arts Colleges — from educationnext.org by Jon Marcus; via Ryan Craig
To remain relevant amid evolving attitudes toward higher education, Brandeis University and institutions like it are redefining their purpose

By the fall, the university will have reorganized itself into four new schools that bring together existing professional programs in areas such as business, technology, and public policy with liberal arts disciplines including history, biology, philosophy, and sociology. Before the first semester starts, each arriving student will be assigned not only an academic adviser, but also a career counselor. And in what has become the most prominent symbol of the strategy, graduates will leave with “career-competency” transcripts alongside their conventional ones, listing what skills they have learned that employers value, from communicating and writing to proficiency with AI. This second transcript also will include internships and jobs students have held as well as microcredentials, which the university now gives them a chance to earn, at no additional cost, in digital-knowledge-economy subjects such as data analytics and statistical analysis.

Let’s record the durable skills. Let’s record the life skills. Let’s record the career skills.” That way, employers will understand exactly what students have been taught to do—as will students themselves.

…
The liberal arts are in a quiet crisis of their own. The number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the liberal arts—generally defined as a broad education offering majors in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and math—fell to a 30-year low in 2024, the latest period for which data are available, according to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. That was 30 percent below the peak in 2012. Students have instead been choosing majors in subjects they consider tied directly to careers, including business, management, and health professions.

Social Learning in a Skills-Based Economy [Hall]

On 10/13/2026, in adult learning, career development, change, communications, communities of practice, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, skills, social learning / networks, training / L&D, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Social Learning in a Skills-Based Economy — from learningguild.com by George Hall

In a skills-based economy, social learning should not be understood merely as interaction around content. It should be understood as part of the learning architecture itself: the social and emotional structure that helps people ask questions, test ideas, practice judgment, receive feedback, and stay open when learning feels personally risky.

That distinction matters.

In a defensive culture, social learning creates the conditions in which people can stay engaged with difficult ideas long enough to learn from them.

People often need other people to help them think:

They need to hear others reason their way through complexity
They need to see peers ask questions they were afraid to ask
They need to practice disagreement without rupture
They need to discover that uncertainty is shared
They need to see that changing one’s thinking does not have to mean losing face

This is not soft. Far from it.

It is foundational.

[Gifted article] Most college students get grants. See how they cut the price at 2,100 schools. [Wallack, Moriarty & Douglas-Gabriel]

On 10/08/2026, in business side of he, change, changing business models, colleges, cost of getting a degree, credentialing, dangers of the status quo, funding / grants, higher education, parents/guardians, society, student-related, trends, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Most college students get grants. See how they cut the price at 2,100 schools. — from washingtonpost.com by Todd Wallack, Dylan Moriarty and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel (this is a gifted article)
The Post created a list that shows the average cost to attend over 2,100 U.S. colleges. This tool allows you to see a school’s sticker price compared with the average real price — factoring in the average amount students get in grants and scholarships.

You might have seen us report recently that students often don’t pay the full sticker price for tuition at expensive schools.

So how much does college actually cost where you live?

We put together a searchable list of more than 2,100 four-year colleges and universities across the country so you can see how much colleges cost on average after factoring in grants and scholarships, including money students receive from the government, private organizations or the schools themselves.

The Education Design Lab’s Reimagining Community Colleges Summit [Lauritsen]

On 10/08/2026, in career development, change, changing business models, communities of practice, community colleges, design, experimentation, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, ideas, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, United States, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
A couple of key quotes jumped out at me here:

And what would have to change for every learner to experience a college that knows them, believes in them, and is connected to the community where they hope to build a life?
…
The ideas these colleges started with aren’t necessarily the ideas they’re pursuing now, and that’s exactly the point. Through human-centered design, they listened deeply to learners, employers, faculty, staff, and community partners. They challenged assumptions and changed direction based on what they learned. What they are building reflects the needs, strengths, and aspirations of their communities. That is what designing with people looks like.

Making real work visible: Credentialing Community Justice Workers with Frontline Justice [eddesignlab.org]

On 09/29/2026, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Access to Justice (A2J), change, communities of practice, credentialing, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, skills, society, vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Making real work visible: Credentialing Community Justice Workers with Frontline Justice — from eddesignlab.org (also educationdesignlab.org)

Frontline Justice is working toward a simple, ambitious vision: By 2035, anyone, no matter their background or location, can access the legal help they need for everyday civil issues. To move toward that future, the work is organized around two goals that run in parallel: (1) rapidly growing a new workforce of justice workers now, and (2) laying out long-term vocational paths so this role becomes a lasting and respected part of the justice ecosystem.

Your Next Job Interview Could Be With a Bot. Here’s How to Prepare. [Rumage]

On 09/23/2026, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, career development, change, communications, corporate / business world, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Your Next Job Interview Could Be With a Bot. Here’s How to Prepare. — from builtin.com by Jeff Rumage
More employers are using AI to screen candidates before they ever speak with a recruiter. Here’s what to expect from an AI interview and how to put your best foot forward.

Summary: AI-led interviews are becoming a common early-stage hiring screen as employers use conversational AI to evaluate applicants at scale. Candidates can prepare by practicing aloud, keeping answers concise, using mock AI interview platforms and avoiding scripted responses.

New study: 15 community college presidents on what it will take to lead higher ed’s next chapter [eddesignlab.org]

On 09/19/2026, in career development, change, changing business models, community colleges, competency-based learning/education, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, skills, student-related, teaching & learning, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

New study: 15 community college presidents on what it will take to lead higher ed’s next chapter — from eddesignlab.org

Community colleges are at a pivotal moment.

As learners, employers, and regional economies change, these institutions have an opportunity to lead the next evolution of higher education — if they can move beyond structures built for a different era.

In the Lab’s new study, Insights from 15 Community College Presidents on the Future of Learning in a New Economy, leaders share their perspectives on the opportunities and barriers facing the sector, as well as the institutional changes needed to help more learners access economic mobility.

Their insights validate Education Design Lab’s Future of Learning framework, which asks five essential design questions:

How might we make skills and competencies visible?
How might we create stackable pathways that credential skills along the way?
How might we make learning universally flexible through multiple modalities?
How might we guarantee applied learning opportunities for every learner?
How might we ensure every learner has access to adequate support services?

Per Anthropic’s CEO: “We Must Pace the Frontier: I’ve written a new essay on why the AI industry should slow down, with a three-part plan for doing so.”

On 09/14/2026, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, communities of practice, dangers of the status quo, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, global, legislatures / government / legal, pace of change, society, technology (general), the downsides of how people use tech, trends, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

We Must Pace the Frontier: I’ve written a new essay on why the AI industry should slow down, with a three-part plan for doing so.

Anthropic is unilaterally committing to the first of these steps. We’ll provide third-party evaluators with permanent, employee-level access to our…

— Dario Amodei (@DarioAmodei) September 12, 2026

Dario Amodei’s article here:
We Must Pace the Frontier — from darioamodei.com

But like many technologies before it, AI brings risks, and because it is such a powerful technology, these risks are serious. I’ve written a lot about them too. They include the risk of losing control of AI systems, misuse of AI for cyberattacks and bioterrorism, and serious economic disruption. A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute.

Along with my co-founders and employees, I have grappled with this duality of risk and benefit since the beginning of Anthropic.

Also relevant/see:

I left Anthropic’s safety team two weeks ago. Now feels like a good moment to explain why.

AI companies are racing to build machines that are much smarter than any human, and we may not survive this. I want to work from the outside to ensure the public is informed about these…

— Joe Benton (@JoeJBenton) September 11, 2026

[GIFTED ARTICLE]
Anthropic CEO calls for the AI industry to slow down — from washingtonpost.com by Ted Hesson, Ian Duncan, and Gerrit De Vynck
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said he was worried about the ability to control self-improving AI models.

Three of the nation’s leading artificial intelligence executives endorsed slowing down the blistering pace of technological advancement, revealing the growing unease with its potential dangers at the industry’s very highest levels.

The call was first made in an essay Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei posted online Saturday. The idea has gained ground in recent weeks as AI companies have struggled in some cases to keep their creations under control, even as they usher in an age in which AI systems themselves can build the more powerful next generation of the technology.

[GIFTED ARTICLE]
For years, they warned AI could kill all humans. Now people are listening. — from washingtonpost.com by Nitasha Tiku
A doomsaying community once on the periphery of the tech industry has gained influence, as AI “agents” perform amazing and alarming feats.

But when Hubinger issued a similar warning this week in a post on X, his message was viewed tens of millions of times, prompting state and federal lawmakers to echo his concern. Now he spoke as a team lead at Anthropic, developer of the chatbot Claude and a company set to go public at a valuation of over $1 trillion.

“AI could kill all humans … I personally think it is >10% within the next decade,” Hubinger wrote, in response to the resignation of his colleague Jacob Coxon, who accused Anthropic of racing ahead despite the dangers.
.

Several items re: the changes needed within higher education

On 09/14/2026, in 21st century, adjunct faculty, business side of he, career development, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate / business world, cost of getting a degree, culture, dangers of the status quo, entrepreneurship, expectations, experimentation, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, ideas, innovation, instructional design, leadership, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, liberal arts, lifelong learning, new business models, reinvent, skills, society, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, traditional / tradition, United States, universities, youth, by Daniel Christian

Below are several items that were either mentioned by Matt Tower or I came across them via offshoots of items that he linked to:

Future Universities Alliance Names Inaugural Innovation Sandbox Cohort — from provost.duke.edu
Program incubated by Duke brings together higher education innovators from 23 countries for year-long peer exchange

The Future Universities Alliance has selected 49 institutions from 23 countries for the inaugural cohort of its Innovation Sandbox, a 12-month peer learning program for higher education leaders advancing ambitious, institution-level innovation.The cohort brings together founders of new universities, administrators and faculty leading high-stakes changes within established institutions, and leaders of proven models exploring how their innovations can travel to new contexts. Participants were chosen through a competitive process that drew applicants from around the world in its inaugural year.

A makeover for college: No gym, no meal plan and two years of work — from npr.org by Jon Marcus

An entirely new college is being planned here to change not only how higher education is delivered, but at what price. It also proposes to highlight ways the current business model no longer works, as evidenced by the 152 colleges and universities that have closed or merged since 2016, and the 442 others that a new projection says are at risk.

So deeply entrenched are the problems confronting higher education that a growing chorus of innovators says the easiest way to fix them is to begin again from scratch.

All undergraduates should get work-based learning, v-cs say — from timeshighereducation.com by Jack Grove. NOTE: this item is behind a paywall.
Bold plan to support graduate employment would require placements for 1.4 million students annually

Learning Ecosystems

A Conversation with Egle Vinauskatie: What L&D Needs to Become in the Age of AI + other solid articles from the Learning Guild

EdTech’s Cybersecurity Reckoning [Hill]

The Education Design Lab’s Reimagining Community Colleges Summit [Lauritsen]

Making real work visible: Credentialing Community Justice Workers with Frontline Justice [eddesignlab.org]

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