Leading Learning Podcast

It’s been an exciting year here at Leading Learning. We recently reached the 300th episode of the podcast. And last month Tagoras, our parent company, marked 15 years in business, yet another celebratory milestone. If you’ve been listening to Leading Learning Podcast for a while, you know that we’re big fans of the power of reflection. That’s why in this episode we highlight some of the biggest changes—15 to be exact—that have fundamentally changed the learning business landscape over the 15 years since Tagoras got its start. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode309.

Dr. Veronica Diaz is director of professional learning at EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit professional association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology. In her role, she ensures that learning and development programs support and advance the overall strategic priorities of the professional learning, member communities, and research teams. She also supports the development and design of career pathways that guide the professionals supporting and transforming higher education through the innovative use of technology. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with return guest Veronica about microcredentials, mentoring, professional pathways, personalization, the need to reevaluate COVID pivots, and a “three Cs” approach to sourcing your portfolio of offerings: curate, create, and commission. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode308.

A passionate advocate for the global association community, Peter O’Neil is a seasoned leader known for transforming organizations by creating high-performing, diverse, and inclusive teams and cultures. Since 2016, he has been CEO of ASIS International, which serves over 30,000 security management professionals from around the globe. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Peter about the important role associations play both in society and in lifelong learning. They also discuss certificates, certifications, what it takes to be an effective international organization, and ASIS’s focus on four pillars: global, mobile, digital, and agile. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode307.

After not attending in-person conferences for a couple of years due to COVID, we had the chance to attend several. That return to in-person sparked some serious thinking related to learning (or not) at conferences. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we apply our unscientific but deep first-hand knowledge of the world of conferences to unpack key elements conference planners need to incorporate to foster effective learning. We also discuss the broader conference landscape and the comparative advantages of offering virtual versus in-person conferences. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode306.

David M. Rozsa is CEO of Metacred, an association management company dedicated to developing, managing, and growing the best credentialing programs in the world. They act as the certification or accreditation department for its clients, which include both not-for-profit associations and for-profit companies. In this episode, co-host Celisa Steele gets David’s expert perspective on the world of credentialing, including current related opportunities and threats; what it takes to create a successful credential; and why stakeholder input—beyond potential applicants—is so important. They also discuss how to demonstrate the impact of credentials, what learning businesses need to consider before launching a new credentialing program, and the value of digital badges. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode305.

Diane Elkins, founder of Artisan E-Learning and E-Learning Uncovered, is passionate about helping others design thoughtful, equitable, and impactful learning experiences. She has over two decades of experience in the e-learning industry, speaks regularly at national conferences, and is co-author of E-Learning Fundamentals: A Practical Guide and the E-Learning Uncovered book series. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with return guest Diane about the likely long-term implications of the pandemic-driven, massive shift to online learning. They also discuss meaningful interactivity; accessibility; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and why Diane favors the terms “access” and “ability.” They also talk about augmented, virtual, and mixed reality, and why it’s important for tech tools to add value, not just a cool factor. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode304.

Whitney Johnson is an innovation and disruption theorist and CEO of the tech-enabled talent development company Disruption Advisors. She hosts the long-running Disrupt Yourself Podcast and is the author of multiple books, including Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work and, most recently, Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company. Leading Learning Podcast co-host Celisa Steele and Whitney dive into key concepts from Smart Growth, particularly the S Curve of Learning, and why knowing where you and others are on the curve leads to individual, team, and organizational growth. They also discuss the relationship between leading and learning and how the S curve can be used as a powerful tool to guide, assess, and elevate your learning business. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode303.

Workforce development and credentialing have both been the focus of recent episodes. Though we didn’t set out to treat these as a series, some common themes have naturally emerged that we would like to call out and connect. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we synthesize our thoughts around workforce development and credentials, and the related challenges and opportunities they present for learning businesses. We analogize them to the tried-and-true combination of peanut butter and chocolate—both are good on their own, but they take on an even richer flavor when combined. We also share the key takeaways that emerged from the credentialing and workforce development experts we recently talked with: Clare Marsch (ABA), Jim Fong (UPCEA), Van Ton-Quinlivan (Futuro Health), and Jenna Cohen (ACT). Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode302. We are grateful to our sponsor for this episode, BenchPrep. *** BenchPrep is an award-winning learning platform purpose-built to help learners feel confident and prepared to take difficult entrance, certification, and licensing tests by delivering an intuitive, efficient, and engaging study experience. BenchPrep helps you accelerate test prep revenue growth by offering the tools you need to create market-ready products and data to improve your content and understand learner behavior. Many of the world’s leading associations, credentialing bodies, test providers, and training companies trust BenchPrep to power their online study programs, including ACT, the Association of American Medical Colleges, CFA Institute, CompTIA, GMAC, McGraw-Hill Education, AccessLex, and more. More than 8 million learners have used BenchPrep to attain academic and professional success. To discover more, visit BenchPrep.

Jenna Cohen is the workforce product manager at ACT. where their mission is to help people achieve education and workplace success. ACT’s mission is to help people achieve education and workplace success. It serves millions of people around the world with learning resources, assessments, research, and credentials to help them succeed from elementary school throughout their careers. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Jenna about ACT’s WorkKeys products, National Career Readiness Certificate, and Work Ready Communities program. They discuss the importance of listening to the market and using data and research to truly understand needs and solve real problems. Jenna also shares how the pandemic has created opportunities around credentials, remote work, and an overall emphasis on adapting to future disruptions. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode301. We are grateful to our sponsor for this episode, BenchPrep. *** BenchPrep is an award-winning learning platform purpose-built to help learners feel confident and prepared to take difficult entrance, certification, and licensing tests by delivering an intuitive, efficient, and engaging study experience. BenchPrep helps you accelerate test prep revenue growth by offering the tools you need to create market-ready products and data to improve your content and understand learner behavior. Many of the world’s leading associations, credentialing bodies, test providers, and training companies trust BenchPrep to power their online study programs, including ACT, the Association of American Medical Colleges, CFA Institute, CompTIA, GMAC, McGraw-Hill Education, AccessLex, and more. More than 8 million learners have used BenchPrep to attain academic and professional success. To discover more, visit BenchPrep.

It’s hard to believe, but here we are at episode 300 of the Leading Learning Podcast. When we sat down to record episode 1 back in 2015, we had no idea we’d make it this far. We are truly grateful for the thousands of learning business professionals who tune in each month and make this show part of their own lifelong learning. Milestones are a natural time to pause and reflect, so we’re doing exactly that. In this commemorative episode, we highlight the value of embracing your integral role as a provider of lifelong learning and as a learning business. We explain why recognizing that you are part of the ecosystem serving lifelong learners better positions you to serve them and deliver on the goals of reach, revenue, and impact. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode300. We are grateful to our sponsor for this episode, BenchPrep. *** BenchPrep is an award-winning learning platform purpose-built to help learners feel confident and prepared to take difficult entrance, certification, and licensing tests by delivering an intuitive, efficient, and engaging study experience. BenchPrep helps you accelerate test prep revenue growth by offering the tools you need to create market-ready products and data to improve your content and understand learner behavior. Many of the world’s leading associations, credentialing bodies, test providers, and training companies trust BenchPrep to power their online study programs, including ACT, the Association of American Medical Colleges, CFA Institute, CompTIA, GMAC, McGraw-Hill Education, AccessLex, and more. More than 8 million learners have used BenchPrep to attain academic and professional success. To discover more, visit BenchPrep.