

Data Pipelines that Support Globalized Education and Training Programs - with Norma Scagnoli of the Illinois Institute of Technology
Sep 3, 2025
Norma Scagnoli, Chief Learning and Innovation Officer at the Illinois Institute of Technology, shares her expertise in scaling online education. She discusses the challenges of integrating Massive Open Online Courses into traditional programs and emphasizes the importance of social presence in online learning. Scagnoli explores how enterprises can partner with universities and leverage AI for personalized workforce training. She also highlights cultural barriers in education and the need for effective governance to support a diverse student demographic.
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Culture Over Technology
- Cultural habits are the main bottleneck to scaling MOOCs, not technology.
- Accreditation, rankings, and entrenched norms block large-scale online learning adoption.
Presence Drives Engagement
- Social presence drives learner connection and engagement in large online courses.
- Small, personal video snippets and authentic settings help learners feel connected to instructors and institutions.
Students Traveled To Video Locations
- Students visited campus spots they'd seen in instructor videos, proving connection works.
- Short, informal clips like a professor walking a dog increased engagement and rapport.