2026 Keynotes
The Learning Ideas Conference 2026 was pleased to feature four keynote speakers:
Dr. Margaret Korosec is the Director of Digital Education and Learning Innovation at the University of Leeds, where her work has catalyzed institutional progress and expanded access for diverse learners. A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Fellow of the Centre for Online and Distance Education, Dr. Korosec brings extensive experience expanding online degree programs at universities in both the U.S. and the UK. She holds a Ph.D. in Technology-Enhanced Learning from the University of Hull.
Dr. Maciej Pankiewicz is a Senior Research Investigator and Associate Director at the Penn Center for Learning Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Pankiewicz has extensive experience as a software developer, data analyst, and researcher in educational data mining and his current work focuses on designing intelligent educational systems using large language models. Dr. Pankiewicz holds a doctorate from the University of Bonn in Germany.
Dr. Candace Thille is an Associate Professor at Stanford University and Faculty Director for Adult and Workforce Learning at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. She is the founding director of the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) – developed first at Carnegie Mellon University and then at Stanford – and formerly served as Director of Learning Science at Amazon. Dr. Thille currently serves on the board of trustees at ETS and on the board of directors for the California Learning Lab, and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley; a master’s from Carnegie Mellon; and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
Megan Torrance is the CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, where she helps organizations blend learning science, experience design, data, and technology to solve real workplace challenges. She is the author of multiple books in the field, including Agile for Instructional Designers, Data & Analytics for Instructional Designers, Making Sense of xAPI, and The AI Implementation Guide for L&D. Ms. Torrance has taught at Penn State University and Cornell University and has been named a Learning Guild Master for her contributions to professional development in workplace learning. She holds both a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Cornell University.
Margaret Korosec,
Ph.D., SFHEA
Director of Digital Education and Learning Innovation
University of Leeds
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Talk: Not what we were, not yet what we’ll be: Liminal Leadership for Digital Transformation in Higher Education
Higher education is no longer where it was—but it is not yet what it will become. As institutions scale online and digital learning, experiment with new credential models, and respond to accelerating demands for skills-focused, flexible education, they are entering a liminal space: an in-between state defined by uncertainty, experimentation, and possibility.
This opening keynote reframes digital transformation not as a technical or strategic challenge, but as a deeply human journey of transition. It explores the tensions facing established institutions as they work at the intersection of campus and online, innovation and regulation, global reach and local identity—and the implications this has for academic practice, student expectations, and institutional purpose.
Introducing the idea of liminal leadership, the session offers a fresh lens for leading through ambiguity—one that prioritises sensemaking over certainty, recognises identity shifts alongside structural change, and creates the conditions in which innovative forms of educational practice can emerge. Rather than rushing towards premature resolution, liminal leadership asks how leaders can intentionally hold and steward the space of transition.
Participants will be encouraged to reflect on how they lead not just change itself, but the lived experience of change - for staff, students, and their institutions - and what it might mean to lead with care, clarity and courage in the space between.
About Dr. Korosec
Dr. Margaret Korosec is an innovative leader in higher education known for bringing creativity, a human-centered approach, and a systems perspective to her work in scaling online, open and flexible education.
Margaret’s work at the University of Leeds has catalyzed institutional progress and expanded access for diverse learners. She leads the strategic investment in and expansion of the University’s online degree and flexible learning portfolio. Her systems-thinking approach and measurable impact have shaped institutional progress in digital education more broadly, culminating in her current appointment as Director of Digital Education and Learning Innovation. In this expanded role – following her tenure as Dean of Online and Digital Education – Margaret is responsible for aligning key strategic enablers and collaborative efforts across the University to integrate online, flexible, and campus-based digital education more effectively and cohesively.
Prior to her current role, Margaret played a key role in expanding online degree provision at both the University of Derby Online Learning in the UK and Western Governors University (WGU) in the USA. Her experience across international institutional models has shaped a strong foundation of how digital education can broaden access and improve student success. Witnessing the transformative power of accessible, high-quality learning on individuals and communities underpins her dedication to advancing online, professional and flexible learning for a global student population.
As a Fellow of the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE), she is part of a scholarly network exploring institutional culture and academic challenges in online and flexible education.
Margaret earned her M.A. in Education from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the U.S. and her Ph.D. in Technology-Enhanced Learning from the University of Hull in the UK.
Maciej Pankiewicz, Ph.D.
Senior Research Investigator
Associate Director, Penn Center for Learning Analytics
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Talk: From ChatGPT to Classroom Impact: Causal Evidence for LLMs in Education
Generative AI has entered education at an unprecedented pace, expanding from simple chatbots into feedback tools, tutors and content generators. Early studies reveal a surprisingly strong body of positive evidence, reporting improved task performance, faster feedback, and higher learner satisfaction across many contexts.
As researchers, we should read these encouraging results with a measure of skepticism, asking what is actually being measured and whether the method truly provides evidence for the claims being made. Are we observing genuine learning, or only short-term performance and satisfaction? A related question then follows: are these tools truly helping all learners, or mainly those who are already confident and engaged? If AI assistance primarily benefits students who need it least, it may quietly widen existing gaps even as average outcomes improve.
This keynote explores how to understand AI's real classroom impact. Rather than asking whether a tool "works," I focus on how to make defensible claims about learning with LLMs: clarifying what the AI is doing instructionally, measuring outcomes beyond short-term performance, and separating tool effects from surrounding pedagogy.
Grounded in learning theory and real classroom evaluation, the talk emphasizes identifying mechanisms such as scaffolding, feedback timing, and self-regulation, measuring actual engagement with support, and treating heterogeneity as central: who benefits, who does not, and why.
Drawing on real deployments of LLMs in authentic learning workflows, I will discuss how to develop well-supported conclusions about what works, for whom, and when. The goal is to strengthen the empirical foundation for generative AI as a tool that broadens access to effective support rather than reinforcing existing advantages.
About Dr. Pankiewicz:
Dr. Maciej Pankiewicz leads innovative research at the intersection of education and technology. With a background in computer science, he utilizes a contemporary toolbox of learning analytics, artificial intelligence, and large language models to enhance educational outcomes.
He has extensive experience as a software developer, data analyst, and researcher in educational data mining. His technical expertise encompasses a wide range of IT skills such as software development, data management, and predictive modeling using various technologies and programming languages. This expertise has been instrumental in his latest research work, aimed at designing intelligent educational systems using large language models.
Candace Thille, Ed.D.
Associate Professor & Faculty Director for Adult and Workforce Learning, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
Stanford University
Stanford, California, USA
Talk: Navigating the AI-Generated Inflection Point: What and How We Learn
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming entire sectors of society, including higher education and workplace learning. Through thoughtful incorporation of AI—anchored in the sciences of human learning and the principles of transparency, integrity, equity, and humanity—we have the potential to make our teaching and learning systems more effective and equitable. Achieving these outcomes and mitigating negative consequences will require an associated transformation in the relationship between learning research and educational practice.
The emergence of generative AI, which produces “human-like” conversations based on patterns learned from vast amounts of data, has accelerated interest in AI in education. The field of digital education has used AI for decades, mostly in the form of predictive AI, which analyzes trends and patterns in digital records to predict outcomes and make instructional recommendations to support individuals and groups. Generative AI combined with advances in affective computing that leverages multi-modal signals to infer human emotions, sophisticated human computer digital interfaces, and advanced modeling, facilitate new ways to create content, collect data, generate insights, and support learning. AI systems can now function as collaborators and their presence reshapes participation, trust, and epistemic agency.
Done thoughtfully, digital systems could measure real learning, provide valuable insight to support human decision-making, and accelerate creativity and innovation. Done wrong, digital systems risk turning schools and workplaces into surveillance states, homogenizing thought, and reinforcing existing systemic bias.
In 1967, economist William Baumol asserted that a "complete revolution" in teaching approaches was necessary to surpass current levels of productivity. More than 50 years later, we find ourselves on the brink of a scientific revolution in human learning. Dr. Thille will discuss the conditions driving this transformation, the strengths and limitations of historical practice, the strengths and limitations of the emerging technology, what we can and should be learning, and the opportunities and challenges inherent in redefining the educational and cultural landscape for public good and the betterment of all learners.
About Dr. Thille:
Dr. Candace Thille is the director for workforce and adult learning in the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and an associate professor in the graduate school of education and interdepartmental faculty in neuroscience at Stanford University.
In January 2018, Dr. Thille left the academy and joined Amazon to create and lead a new organization, Learning Science and Engineering. As the Director of Learning Science, she led the company’s global organization to build the technical infrastructure and work processes to innovate and scale workplace learning for Amazon’s 1.6 million employees world-wide. She resigned from Amazon in December 2022 and rejoined the Stanford faculty in February 2023.
Dr. Thille was the founding director of the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) at Carnegie Mellon University and at Stanford University. For the past two decades, in all her roles, her focus has been on applying the results from research in the science of human learning to the design and evaluation of technology mediated learning environments and in using those environments to conduct research at the intersection of human learning and machine learning (AI).
Dr. Thille currently serves on the board of trustees at ETS and on the board of directors for the California Learning Lab in the California Governor’s Office. She has served on the board of directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities; as a fellow of the International Society for Design and Development in Education; on the Assessment 2020 Task Force of the American Board of Internal Medicine; on the advisory council for the Association of American Universities STEM initiative; and on the advisory council for the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources. She served on the working group of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) that produced the Engage to Excel report and on the U.S. Department of Education working groups, co-authoring the 2010 and 2015 National Education Technology Plans.
Dr. Thille holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University, and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
Megan Torrance
CEO
TorranceLearning
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Talk: Leading AI: 14 Conversations Every Learning Leader Needs to Be Having
Artificial intelligence is moving quickly inside organizations: often faster than teams can thoughtfully absorb, govern, or sustain it. While much of the attention has focused on tools, models, and technical capability, the real challenge of AI adoption is organizational: aligning people, workflows, values, and decisions in the face of rapid change.
Let’s reframe AI implementation as a leadership challenge, with learning professionals as critical partners in getting it right.
Drawing from The AI Implementation Guide for L&D (ATD Press, 2026), this session introduces 14 essential conversations that determine whether AI initiatives stall, scale responsibly, or quietly fail. These conversations span strategy, readiness, workflow integration, ethics, adoption, and impact. They’re not a checklist or maturity model, but rather a practical way for learning leaders to engage earlier, ask better questions, and build credibility across the organization.
Instead of focusing on prompts or platforms, we’ll explore where L&D already has influence: shaping learner experience, facilitating cross-functional dialogue, and designing for real-world adoption. In moments of uncertainty, these capabilities become sources of legitimacy that enable L&D to move from a supporting role to a trusted implementation partner.
About Megan Torrance:
Megan Torrance is the CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, where she and her team have spent nearly 25 years helping organizations get learning right. Blending learning science, experience design, data, and technology, TorranceLearning builds learning ecosystems that move beyond “training” to drive measurable performance and meaningful change.
The firm’s Learning Science & Experience (LSX) framework anchors its work, uniting strategy, design, content, analytics, and platforms into solutions that stick. Megan’s background in organizational change consulting shapes the company’s approach—one that recognizes that learning and change are inseparable. Her team partners with Fortune 1000 companies, research universities, associations, and government agencies to deliver full-stack solutions that align people, processes, and technology.
A sought-after voice in learning strategy and technology, Megan is known for bringing clarity, practicality, and humanity to complex challenges. Her leadership has positioned TorranceLearning as both a service provider and an industry catalyst—building community, capacity, and capability across the L&D field. She founded the xAPI Learning Cohort, which ran for ten years and brought together thousands of professionals to explore learning data, analytics, and interoperability. That legacy continues through LIT—Learning Innovation and Technology, a global community helping practitioners experiment and evolve responsibly with emerging technologies.
Megan is the author of Agile for Instructional Designers, Data & Analytics for Instructional Designers, Making Sense of xAPI, and the forthcoming AI Implementation Guide for L&D (June 2026). Her latest initiatives focus on helping organizations navigate AI adoption through AI literacy, proficiency, and fluency. Under her leadership, TorranceLearning developed W.I.S.E. A.T. A.I., a framework for using AI wisely, inclusively, securely, and effectively, and created the AI Driver’s Permit, a hands-on course empowering professionals to integrate AI responsibly into their work.
In addition to leading TorranceLearning, Megan has served as a facilitator for eCornell, teaching in certificate programs such as Executive Women in Leadership and Workplace Training, and as an instructor at Penn State University and Cornell’s ILR School, guiding students in learning design, leadership, and organizational communication.
Named a Learning Guild Master for her contributions to professional development in workplace learning, Megan is a frequent keynote speaker and trusted advisor to leaders navigating transformation. Her work bridges strategy with execution—combining empathy, systems thinking, and innovation to help organizations learn at the speed of change.
A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Communication and an MBA, Megan lives and works near Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she continues to lead TorranceLearning’s strategy and innovation efforts.
