Now that a couple of weeks have passed and the Drieam team is finally back to a normal sleep schedule (blame the jet lag!), it’s about time to recap InstructureCon 2023. And oh, did we have a great time.

First, some credit where it’s due: the Instructure Events and Partner teams did a wonderful job of not only putting together an amazing event, but making things as streamlined as possible for partners. Walking through the Exhibitor Hall in between sessions, you could definitely see the “Power of the Platform”.

Partner Summit

Much like other vendors, our conference started a day before the official event with Instructure’s Partner Summit. This allowed us to get more insights into Instructure’s strategic plans and roadmap going forward, and enter into dialogue with the Instructure leadership. For us, these conversations confirmed once again that we’re on the right track with our focus on continuing education & enabling lifelong learning.

Main event

During the official event between Wednesday and Friday, we were able to attend many inspirational sessions. From Instructure’s CEO Steve Daly to external speakers such as Jordan Nguyen, a few topics stood out:

Blurring the lines between traditional and non-traditional students

The Canvas learning platform is increasingly geared towards lifelong learning or, in the words of Instructure, a “learner-to-earner” approach. This encompasses a lifelong learning experience in which students start using Canvas in K12, enroll in college or university, and return as working professionals for stackable courses and their accompanying credentials.

Of course, we couldn’t agree more with this approach. Between preparing students for a future of lifelong learning to allowing you to manage your CE offering more efficiently, we’re excited to continue contributing to the value of Canvas for all students.

A balanced approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI)

With AI being all everyone’s talking about in the past months, it’s no surprise that it was also a very prominent topic at InstructureCon.

Instructure’s Steve Daly and Shiren Vijasingam (CEO and CPO, respectively) laid out Instructure’s approach to an Ethical AI Strategy. There are many things worth mentioning here, so feel free to read up on it yourself.

However, what stood out above all else is that Instructure employs a balanced approach to AI. Yes, there were new product announcements in the forms of easier page building and an integration with writing coach Khanmigo. But, it was emphasized that AI is a means to an end – a way to help improve the core teaching & learning experience.

Connecting with our US partner institutions

Insightful sessions aside, our favorite part of InstructureCon was finally being able to connect with our US partner institutions. As an EdTech company that started expanding to the US in the previous years, it was the first time we were able to see many of the people we’ve been working with in person.

But, InstructureCon wouldn’t be InstructureCon without the opportunity to meet new faces as well. From EdTech innovators in K12 to Canvas admins in higher ed, we had so many insightful discussions that we wouldn’t have wanted to miss.

To everyone that stopped by our booth – thank you! We hoped you learned as much from us as we did from our conversations with you.

Post-conference wind down

After tearing down our booth and wrapping it up for this year’s InstructureCon, we spent a final afternoon in Denver before heading back to the Netherlands.

In between navigating the Gaylord Rockies Resort and downtown Denver, we definitely got our steps in ;)

Missed us?

We’re already looking forward to next year’s InstructureCon in Las Vegas. Can’t wait to see us until then? We’re always available for a coffee chat to talk about future-proofing education.