422: Beyond Competitive Advantage

Heutagogy might be the most important and powerful idea in learning that you never heard mentioned on the Leading Learning Podcast. Until today. If a learning business embraces heutagogy, it will be well positioned to lead learning in the field, industry, or profession it serves because it will have enlisted the help of all learners. In this episode, number 427, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele talk about the emergence of heutagogy, its relationship to andragogy, and the potential it might represent for learning businesses. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode427.

In the U.S., higher education institutions are increasingly interested in serving nontraditional students, in providing credentials beyond degrees, and in using online learning to extend their reach beyond physical campuses. As those changes happen in higher ed, ripples are created that impact the learning business landscape. Luke Dowden is the chief online learning officer at the Alamo Colleges District, located in San Antonio, Texas. In this episode, number 426, Luke talks with Leading Learning Podcast co-host Jeff Cobb about the good and the bad of online learning becoming an established part of higher education, digital credentialing, non-credit offerings, credit for prior learning, and partnerships between higher education and other organizations serving the third sector. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode426.

Learning is both a natural, intuitive activity all humans engage in and a complicated process we haven’t yet fully appreciated or understood. While there are plenty of nuances and neuroscientific details that factor in, fundamentally learning requires three elements: motivation, time, and effort. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, number 425, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele focus on some of the most important takeaways from andragogy and learning science, things that can help you be a better learner yourself and things that can position your learning business to address common barriers to learning. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode425.

Fundamentally there are only two factors to consider when looking to grow the reach, revenue, and impact of your learning business: audiences (those you sell to) and products (what you sell). In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, number 424, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele break down four high-level approaches to growing your learning business, weigh the generic risks of each, and then focus in on ways to maximize adoption of existing products among your existing audiences. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode424.

In a crowded and competitive market, high quality signaled by accreditation can help a learning business stand out. That’s why we wanted to talk with Randy Bowman, president and CEO of the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training, a nonprofit standards development and accrediting body. In episode 423, Randy talks with Leading Learning Podcast co-host Celisa Steele about what IACET does to support providers of learning, the development and maintenance of important standards like the continuing education unit (or CEU), the benefits of accreditation, and the surprising fact that two-thirds of organizations undergoing IACET’s accreditation process don’t offer CEUs—they embark on the process for the other value it can bring it. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://leadinglearning.com/episode423.

Competitive advantage, whether sustained or transient, is becoming harder and harder to maintain. Collaborative advantage may be the answer. In this episode, number 422, we recap competitive advantage, sustained advantage, and transient advantage and then posit a fourth type of advantage for learning businesses to consider: collaborative advantage. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode422.

Self-reflection is an important tool for learners and an important activity for learning business leaders. Dr. Will Thalheimer includes a succinct list of what a great learning leader should be in his book The CEO’s Guide to Training, eLearning & Work. In episode 421 of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele use his list as the basis for a look at what goes into leading a learning business well. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode421.

Learning businesses are part of the third sector of education—the sector that serves the adult learner after they work through the K-12 sector and, then for some, the degree-granting higher education sector. Higher education institutions are increasingly playing a role in serving lifelong and continuing learners. Kemi Jona is the vice provost for online education and digital innovation at the University of Virginia, and he’s our guest for this episode, number 420, of the Leading Learning Podcast. Co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Kemi about the increasing role technology is playing in lifelong learning and the challenges colleges and universities face as they look beyond their traditional audiences to serve lifelong learners. Some of those challenges will sound familiar to learning business professionals. Kemi and Jeff also talk about the growth of microcredentials and stackable credentials, the role of credit and non-credit offerings, and collaborations between higher education and associations to support lifelong learners effectively. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode420.

In our Learning Business Maturity Model, marketing is one of the five fundamental domains learning businesses need to work on and in to mature and be successful. The Inquiring Mind by Cyril Houle was written in 1961, but it’s a foundational text that can still provide learning businesses with a better understanding of the motivations of the learners they aim to serve. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode419.

For learning businesses, it’s important to truly understand the learners they aim to serve. To help with that understanding, in this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, number 418, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele turn to a text that’s over 60 years old but still incredibly relevant. In The Inquiring Mind, Cyril Houle divides lifelong learners into three categories: goal-oriented, activity-oriented, and learning-oriented. Learning businesses that understand the motivations and activities of each category will be better positioned to serve those learners and provide them with value. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode418.