The last technological revolution can teach higher ed leaders about the current one, including how to lead and thrive in this moment.
As seen in
Keynote
"We've Been Here Before: What the Last Technological Revolution Can Teach Us About the Next One"
Campus leaders are being asked to make consequential decisions about generative AI right now — before the applications are clear, before best practices exist, and before anyone can say with confidence where this is all going. The pressure to act is real. So is the risk of acting on bad assumptions.
This talk gives leaders a way to think clearly in that uncertainty. David draws on a historical parallel that turns out to be exact: the moment in the early 1990s when the internet arrived on campus before anyone could see what it would become. The institutions that understood that moment — and did the foundational work early — shaped online education for a generation. The ones that waited spent years catching up.
The argument isn't that AI is just like the internet. It's that the pattern is the same, the stakes are the same, and the playbook from that moment still works.
What audiences take away
Keynote
"Open Education in the Age of Generative AI"
The goal of the open education movement is to increase access to educational opportunity. Since its founding over a quarter century ago, the primary tactic for accomplishing this goal has been creating and sharing open educational resources (OER) - teaching, learning, and research materials that are shared under copyright licenses that grant users free permission to engage in the 5R activities.
However, teaching, learning, and research materials powered by generative AI are a demonstrably more effective way to increase access to educational opportunity than traditional materials like textbooks. Consequently, perhaps the most critical question for the open education movement to answer in this moment is:
What audiences take away
From North America to Southeast Asia, David has spoken to campuses, associations, and organizations around the world.
From flagship research universities to regional institutions, leaders book David when the stakes are high.
"I had the opportunity to hear Professor David Wiley speak at a statewide conference in Virginia about Open Educational Resources. In his closing remarks, he observed that an entire degree could be built using open educational resources, eliminating the cost of textbooks. That idea ignited a sense of possibility and a bold vision at Tidewater Community College. With David’s guidance, we brought that vision to life. It was one of those rare moments in a career when you realize you were exactly where you needed to be—listening to exactly the right person. I remain profoundly grateful for David’s vision and its lasting impact on students."Dr. Daniel DeMarte Former Executive Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs
David is an Associate Professor at Marshall University and Co-Chair of the university's AI Steering Committee. He teaches courses in Entrepreneurship and Management Information Systems. David has received several recognitions for his work, including a National Science Foundation CAREER grant and appointments as a Nonresident Fellow in the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School and a Peery Social Entrepreneurship Research Fellow in the BYU Marriott School of Business. He's founded or co-founded numerous entities including Lumen Learning, Degreed, and Mountain Heights Academy. In 2009, Fast Company named him one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business.
David was born and grew up in West Virginia, where he currently lives with his wife Elaine and four of their five children. You can learn more about David at davidwiley.org.
David speaks primarily at higher education conferences, association convenings, and campus leadership events.
