upskilled

GUEST: LYNELLE MORGENTHALER, VP, LEARNING DESIGN, EDMENTUM. Students are returning to school this fall having achieved less than the typical learning gains for the past academic year. Amy and her guest, Lynelle Morgenthaler, VP of Learning Design at online learning provider Edmentum, discuss the use of adaptive diagnostic assessments to address the “Covid Slide,” and technologies that can engage and motivate students during what is likely to be a difficult school year.

GUEST: JEANINE DELAY, AVP, GLOBAL TALENT, SUN LIFE. With COVID-19, all eyes are on safety and security—at the individual level, in our work lives, and in our public institutions. How does a financial services company like Sun Life Financial respond to the demand for products and services that protect personal health and wellbeing? How do they prepare employees to meet customer needs quickly and efficiently?

Amy interviews Jeanine Delay, Assistant VP of Global Talent at Sun Life Financial about innovations in learning and development that have helped Sun Life Financial respond to the crisis. This episode is a recording of a Cantina Coffee Chat covering:

• The impact of COVID-19 on leadership and employee development
• Learning on-demand and the transition to Agile teams
• Innovative approaches to employee engagement

GUEST: JIM WOODELL, PHD, CONSULTANT. Higher education institutions contribute to community and economic development through a wide array of activities—talent and workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurship, and through social and cultural assets. So how do institutions evaluate, support and catalyze these contributions? How do they become economic and community development engines? Join Amy as she talks to consultant Jim Woodell about higher education and societal impact.

GUEST: MICHELLE SCHLESINGER ZAFF, ASSOCIATE COOP FACULTY, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY. According to a study by Lumina Foundation and Gallup, “96% of Chief Academic Officers believe that their students are ready for the workforce, but only 11% of business leaders feel the same.” In this episode, Amy talks with Michelle Schlesinger Zaff about career planning and skill development, and how the two are connected through the undergraduate experience. Together, Amy and Michelle discuss the skills that are in high demand among employers, the role of the university in preparing college students for the workplace, and some of the results Michelle has seen through Northeastern's Co-op program.

GUEST: DAN SCHWARTZ, DIRECTOR, EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY, BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. Dan talks with Amy about the challenges of designing learning experiences that map to the diverse needs of medical professionals at BCH, a teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School. Dan describes some of the innovative technologies he and his group are implementing at the hospital, and how to bring learning to the "point of need." Together they discuss how to embed learning in the environment to develop a mindset of learning and growth as part of the everyday hospital culture.  

Education technology leader and podcast host Amy Baron talks about her background in education and industry, and the reasons that led her to create upskilled: solutions in the learning universe.