The 5 big new directions for 2024 were outlined by the 50 best experts and 1,491 professionals leading the field at the LERN conference, now the most important week of the year. These were the hottest topics for discussion and exploration, and research by LERN for your program.

A dashboard with the 6 most vital statistics is now available. You can now find out where your program stands. Compare your program to the average. Even more importantly, compare your program to the Top 25% of programs. And compare your program’s stats to the LERN recommendation.

“AI is the wild west,” summarized Danessa Gray of Bremerton, Washington. Most professionals agreed with that statement. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has clearly arrived for the field of lifelong learning programming and continuing education.

Here’s the 3 hottest marketing tips of the year, as voted on by your colleagues at the big LERN Annual Conference.

With 1,491 people participating, the LERN Annual Conference was a huge success. The average participant attended 8.6 sessions, up from 7 sessions attended last year.

Organizations may have the answers to their own staff shortages, according to two surveys of current staff.

The registration wave continued. Registrations are back to the pre-pandemic normal. As usual LERN members had 10% higher registrations than non-members.

Leaders are needed more than ever. There’s a leader demand at work for the field of lifelong learning and continuing education. Your leadership is also welcome for the community and your off-work time with community organizations, efforts, tasks and groups.

March 2024 will see two in-person conferences. Both are focused on a more intimate setting ideal for networking and face-to-face interaction and discussion.

Will the human race end soon due to climate change? In the first ever poll of professionals in the field, here is what you say. And what LERN plans to do.