Innovation Summit – XR, Generative AI, and the Future of Experiential Technologies

I attended the 4th annual Innovation Summit hosted by the Center for Academic Innovation, focused on extended reality (XR), generative AI, and the future of experiential technologies in education. The two-day event featured keynotes, panels, demos, and a student showcase. Topics ranged from educational applications in XR and generative AI in healthcare, to copyright and ethics, GenAI in teaching and assessment, and Coursera’s AI strategy. Across sessions, I reflected on how these emerging technologies are reshaping learning environments, educator roles, and institutional values around innovation.

Core Competencies

  • Fostering Workplace Skills and Professional Relationships

    This event functioned as a professional development space where I engaged in dialogue with colleagues across disciplines—designers, faculty, technologists, and researchers. It was a chance to represent my perspective as a learning designer while listening deeply to others’ lenses.

  • Using Knowledge of Technology Affordances and Constraints

    The summit provided a multi-perspective look at how XR and generative AI are being integrated into learning environments. I engaged critically with both the affordances and limitations of these technologies—from XR’s ability to create embodied, experiential learning, to the risks of bias, opacity, and automation in GenAI. The showcase format allowed me to compare real-world applications and think through the implications of tech choices in instructional design.

This summit expanded how I think about educational innovation. It reminded me that tools like GenAI and XR are not neutral—they carry assumptions, values, and consequences that must be considered. The summit also helped me grow in how I participate in professional spaces. I practiced translating learning design ideas across disciplines—in conversations with technologists, researchers, and faculty—and noticed where shared language opened new insight.