Michael B. Horn

When the COVID-19 pandemic imposed strict social distancing standards, many companies went digital by investing in robots, technology and automation. While that initially affected a segment of workers, digital learning strategist Michael Horn – a leading authority on the future of work and education – has a more optimistic long-term view. A senior strategist at Guild Education, Horn works closely with Fortune 1000 employers as Guild helps them facilitate upskilling and reskilling to secure jobs, as well as the company’s future. In this presentation, he explains why (contrary to popular myths) robots will NOT be stealing our jobs, how the future of work will cast humans and robots as co-workers, and why the pandemic simply accelerated what was already an inevitable transition to a digital future.

Learning gaps and unique individual needs have always been there for students, but the pandemic laid bare just how widespread those gaps and needs are. In 2020, forced online schooling not only gave learners options, it allowed for more students to be reached – as long as they had computers and Wi-Fi. In this presentation, digital learning strategist Michael Horn – a leading authority on the future of work and education – discusses the lessons learned during the pandemic and why we need an equitable system that ensures all students have access to online learning. He also outlines valuable digital learning tools and explains why the future of education must include online options.

In today’s education landscape, colleges are struggling to meet the needs of students as well as businesses facing shortages of skilled workers. There’s a growing sense that a degree is no longer worth the time, money and effort. So how can higher education institutions transform their model into something that works for everyone in the 21st century? In this presentation, Michael Horn – a leading authority on the future of work and education – outlines ways colleges and universities can gain a competitive edge and thrive. Since no two institutions are exactly alike, Horn helps participants evaluate gaps between the desired goals of their organization and existing efforts so they can develop and implement a nimble, discovery-driven path toward success that requires the least amount of capital investment.

Policies that create access to online learning are outpacing policies that transform the system and focus on learning outcomes. The focus on outcomes is a positive trend – it makes sense to pay providers not just for serving students but also for student performance. But we must also eliminate the input-focused rules that dictate how school leaders accomplish these goals, says digital learning strategist Michael Horn, a leading authority on the future of work and education. In this presentation, he examines policies that need to be struck down – from those dictating student-to-teacher ratios, teacher certification requirements or rules governing seat time. He then outlines a framework that will allow institutions and educators to position future generations for success.