Every Day’s a School Day

We're back! On this month's episode of EDASD, we’re joined by Michael Osborne, CEO and founder of AccessibleMe. Michael’s goal is to create inclusive, accessible content for individuals and organisations across the world so that having a disability doesn’t mean having to limit your opportunities. From studying game technology, taking inspiration from animation, to becoming a leading voice in accessibility and gamification.   We also hear about how his personal experiences with neurodivergence, including ADHD and Tourette's, fuel his dedication to advocating for universal design principles.   Join us for this thoughtful conversation with Michael Osborne as we see how we can make the digital world more accessible for everyone. If you're passionate about creating inclusive physical digital experiences, this episode is for you.

Welcome back to EDASD! This episode is a must-listen as we sit down with the brilliant Saurav Chopra, a serial tech entrepreneur who's making waves in the world of AI and workplace learning. If you're curious about the power and pitfalls of ChatGPT and GenAI, this conversation is for you.   Saurav, the visionary mind behind 5Mins.ai—dubbed the "TikTok of workplace learning"—brings a wealth of experience, from co-founding Perkbox, a global leader in employee experience, to winning accolades like Barclays Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year and the London Business School Accomplished Entrepreneur Award.   In this episode, we dive deep into: The Good: How GenAI is sparking innovation and creativity in learning design The most exciting, game-changing applications of ChatGPT and AI The Bad: The notorious Blackbox problem When AI creates more noise than knowledge The Ugly: The looming challenges of data privacy The dark side of AI: manipulation and misuse of generated content Whether you're an AI enthusiast or a skeptic, this episode will give you fresh insights and practical takeaways. Don't miss out—school's in session!

On this episode, we're joined by the incredible Donald H. Taylor. His work consists of writing, researching and public speaking. Don has been highly influential and highly regarded across the global learning and development landscape. Since 2000, Donald has chaired the Learning Technologies Conference, and since 2014 he's produced the annual L&D Global Sentiment Survey, which attracts participation from over 3,000 people across 100 countries every year. This episode focuses on the Global Sentiment Survey Trends of 2024. As Donald says, L&D is fascinated by the latest thing: AI, but quick to discard it when it ceases to be in the headlines. Are we seeing the AI hype fade, or is it just the beginning of a revolution in AI-assisted learning? Donald explains how to get people comfortable with AI tools. Plus, the importance of engagement in learning, the decline and potential resurgence of social and collaborative learning, the role of AI in coaching and mentoring, the use of VR in training, the future of VR technology, and the evolving understanding of human evolution. School's in session! Chapters: 01:57: L&D Trends and the Global L&D Survey 03:18: Involving People Outside of L&D in Training and Upskilling 06:55: Practical Steps to Help People Become Comfortable with AI Tools 11:40: Building Relationships and Solving Business Problems in L&D 18:00: Focusing on Business Partnering in L&D 19:56: Moving Beyond Content Creation: The Role of L&D Professionals 24:43: Engaging a Diverse Audience in Learning 26:44: The Rise and Fall of Social and Collaborative Learning 29:13: The Role of AI in Coaching and Mentoring 35:11: Immersive Training with VR Technology 40:48: The Future of VR in Learning and Development 46:19: Reevaluating Human Evolution: New Insights

Welcome back to 'Every day’s a School Day' and in today's episode, hosts Hannah Frame and Nicki Finnigan are joined by Harald Overaa, Tech Advisor at Docebo. What’s Docebo? It’s a learning platform that enables you to drive engagement, productivity, and connections with your customers, partners, and employees.   We cover Docebo and their mission, the importance of change management, the role of AI in L&D, the learning tech jungle, and the excitement for L and D professionals moving forward. However, the episode focuses on tackling famous Learning and Development myths, examining their intersection with tech, cutting through the noise, to offer genuine solutions.   The trio discuss a consultative approach toward identifying learning needs from different sectors of an organisation and viewing technology as a tool instead of the complete solution in L&D.   Listen to this episode to understand how leveraging a collaborative learning ecosystem can unlock the full potential of your L&D initiatives, ensuring a more adaptable, skilled, and engaged workforce.   Harald has also curated playlist of articles from topics discussed on the podcast, which gives you an opportunity to dive into any topic in more detail linkedin.com/smart-links/AQHdeZpPVxVuDg [linkedin.com]   Listen now and discover the exciting future for AI in Learning & Development.

Immersive technology is transforming the L&D landscape. AI, VR, and other innovations are revolutionising the current and future workplace. But how? On today’s podcast, we’ll find out. Dr. Ashwin Mehta (MBA FLPI MChem, FRSC) joins Hannah and Nicki across this three-part mini-series to offer up his expert insights on digital learning's burning questions. Episode One: Explores all things AI, unveiling the latest trends, advancements, and limitations of the current L&D tech landscape. Episode Two: Looks at immersive learning, highlighting the power of gamification and role-play in boosting learner engagement and retention. Expect to hear the challenges of implementing immersive tech as well as the steps to overcome them. Episode Three: Wraps up with a discussion on the combined impact of both AI and immersive learning in forging the future of learning and development. Key Takeaways: It’s All in The Why: Ash says that before rolling out AI or immersive tech, truly consider why you’re doing it. What are you getting out of it? How will it help? Hopping on the bandwagon and doing it for the sake of it won’t get you anywhere. Be Deliberate: Purpose-driven L&D strategies are paramount when it comes to applying immersive tech. Know your people and your clients and make it relevant and beneficial for their needs - keep it simple! One to Watch Out For: An exciting application of user data to create algorithms and personalised learning pathways. As tech evolves, roles should evolve too - we need training that keeps pace with this. Be Adaptable: these days, according to Ash, your 5-year learning plan should really be a 1-year. It’s hard to future-proof in such a fast-moving space, so don’t be afraid to try new things and always remain flexible and agile.  For more from Ash, be sure to follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ashwin-mehta-mba-flpi-

Immersive technology is transforming the L&D landscape. AI, VR, and other innovations are revolutionising the current and future workplace. But how? On today’s podcast, we’ll find out. Dr. Ashwin Mehta (MBA FLPI MChem, FRSC) joins Hannah and Nicki across this three-part mini-series to offer up his expert insights on digital learning's burning questions.   Episode One: Explores all things AI, unveiling the latest trends, advancements, and limitations of the current L&D tech landscape.   Episode Two: Looks at immersive learning, highlighting the power of gamification and role-play in boosting learner engagement and retention. Expect to hear the challenges of implementing immersive tech as well as the steps to overcome them.   Episode Three: Wraps up with a discussion on the combined impact of both AI and immersive learning in forging the future of learning and development.   Key Takeaways: It’s All in The Why: Ash says that before rolling out AI or immersive tech, truly consider why you’re doing it. What are you getting out of it? How will it help? Hopping on the bandwagon and doing it for the sake of it won’t get you anywhere.   Be Deliberate: Purpose-driven L&D strategies are paramount when it comes to applying immersive tech. Know your people and your clients and make it relevant and beneficial for their needs - keep it simple!   One to Watch Out For: An exciting application of user data to create algorithms and personalised learning pathways. As tech evolves, roles should evolve too - we need training that keeps pace with this.   Be Adaptable: these days, according to Ash, your 5-year learning plan should really be a 1-year. It’s hard to future-proof in such a fast-moving space, so don’t be afraid to try new things and always remain flexible and agile.    For more from Ash, be sure to follow him on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ashwin-mehta-mba-flpi-mchem-frsc-85818724/ [linkedin.com]

Immersive technology is transforming the L&D landscape. AI, VR, and other innovations are revolutionising the current and future workplace. But how? On today’s podcast, we’ll find out. Dr. Ashwin Mehta (MBA FLPI MChem, FRSC) joins Hannah and Nicki across this three-part mini-series to offer up his expert insights on digital learning's burning questions.   Episode One: Explores all things AI, unveiling the latest trends, advancements, and limitations of the current L&D tech landscape.   Episode Two: Looks at immersive learning, highlighting the power of gamification and role-play in boosting learner engagement and retention. Expect to hear the challenges of implementing immersive tech as well as the steps to overcome them.   Episode Three: Wraps up with a discussion on the combined impact of both AI and immersive learning in forging the future of learning and development.   Key Takeaways: It’s All in The Why: Ash says that before rolling out AI or immersive tech, truly consider why you’re doing it. What are you getting out of it? How will it help? Hopping on the bandwagon and doing it for the sake of it won’t get you anywhere.   Be Deliberate: Purpose-driven L&D strategies are paramount when it comes to applying immersive tech. Know your people and your clients and make it relevant and beneficial for their needs - keep it simple!   One to Watch Out For: An exciting application of user data to create algorithms and personalised learning pathways. As tech evolves, roles should evolve too - we need training that keeps pace with this.   Be Adaptable: these days, according to Ash, your 5-year learning plan should really be a 1-year. It’s hard to future-proof in such a fast-moving space, so don’t be afraid to try new things and always remain flexible and agile.    For more from Ash, be sure to follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ashwin-mehta-mba-flpi-mchem-frsc-85818724/ [linkedin.com]

In this special episode, Hannah and Nicki hand the microphone over to Dan Cottrell to cover Europe’s leading workplace learning event, Learning Technologies - LIVE from the ExCeL! Across the two-day event, Dan catches up with a whole host of industry leaders from companies working at the forefront of L&D, HR, Immersive Technologies and more. You'll hear from Nicky Hoyland and Suzi Archer from Huler, Teresa Rose, Director of ConsultHer, Luke Willett from our friends over at Virti, Thirty Under 30 winner, Ciara Archbold from Siemens Digital Industries Software, Sophie Costin and Tonia Mamai from Make Real , Sam Benton and Jack Beldon from 5Mins.ai and one of HR’s most influential thinkers of 2023, Michelle Parry-Slater from Kairos Modern Learning.   They discuss their respective spaces within L&D, the exciting things that are happening within the industry (including tech!) as well as the challenges and opportunities and the future of the industry. Happy listening!

In today's episode, hosts Hannah Frame and Nicki Finnigan are welcomed by leaders in the field of experiential training - Alex Young, founder of Virti and Luke Willet, account executive at Virti. Virti is an award winning immersive enterprise learning solution for healthcare and beyond with a mission to enhance human performance through accessible and affordable experiential learning. They help professionals prepare for real life high pressure environments including surgery, sports, emergency response and military training. Virti's innovative approach is truly reshaping the future of education.    The discussion covers the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and immersive learning technologies, and with these trail-blazing innovations dramatically reshaping educational landscapes, our panellists explore the host of benefits they bring to experiential learning and professional training spaces.   They also discuss the highly personalised nature of these platforms and how they can cater to diverse user requirements. This forward-thinking perspective encourages a revaluation of traditional 'soft skills,’ (or ‘power skills’ as Alex calls them) and how the advent of analytic platforms is reinforcing their vital importance in sectors including healthcare and emergency response to name a couple.   Luke and Alex also share a few success stories from renowned organisations like Cedar Sinai Hospital, in LA and Amazon. Despite the immense promise these immersive platforms hold for the future of professional learning and success, the discussion doesn't shy away from addressing the challenges and obstacles faced in the process.   Listen now and discover the exciting future coming up in the education and professional development space.  

Historically, soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and teamwork were gained through practical experience, often limited by the availability and affordability of personal coaching or classroom-style instruction. However, virtual reality (VR) has redefined the landscape of storytelling, leveraging its immersive capabilities to deliver experiences unimaginable with traditional media. Arguably, VR as a storytelling medium is more powerful than anything that came before it. With it’s capacity for hyper-realistic roleplay scenarios, expansive training is achievable, scalable, and can cater to the mass market.   In the Future of Jobs Report 2023, The World Economic Forum listed 6 of the top 10 skills as the most important skills for the next ten years. So how do we make sure we’re skilled up on them?   Enter Bodyswaps. The award-winning leading provider of immersive AI simulations for education, healthcare, and enterprise - deeply human in its approach.   In this episode we speak to founder and CEO, Chris Mallet on his learning platform designed to transform behaviours for good.    Since leaving the world of social media strategy consultancy and founding the company in 2019, Bodyswaps has helped private organisations, public agencies and educational institutions all deliver measurable business value by building empathetic and inclusive cultures. They've built scenarios which create a safe and realistic space where learners can not only practise their soft skills, they also get AI enabled analytical feedback which optimises personal improvement. The platform demonstrates the untapped potential of immersive tech in cultivating a workforce that is both technologically adept whilst heightening emotional connections and deepening understanding.   Tune in to find out the incredible personal story that led to the creation of Bodyswaps via an improv class, a pub and Van Gogh painting, the challenges Chris has faced since creating the platform plus discussion around accessibility - it’s importance and how Bodyswaps is successfully navigating it.    We also discuss the future of personalised learning, how to work best with AI in the soft skills space (hint: it’s not a replacement for humans) plus the magic combination that is AI and VR.