Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D.

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

In an era where generative AI and shifting student demographics are radically transforming higher education, how can institutions move beyond temporary fixes and build truly future-ready online programs? This compelling question explores the key insights from my newly released book, Building A Global Campus, revealing why the core question of online learning remains unchanged even as technology continuously rewrites the answers.

From navigating the structural shift of AI and ambient intelligence to mastering quality differentiation, learner-centric micro-credentials, and equity-by-design, this synthesis offers higher education leaders, faculty, and administrators a clear, strategic roadmap for leveraging cutting-edge innovation without losing sight of the timeless, human-centered science of learning. Dive in to discover how your institution can turn technological disruption into a lasting competitive advantage.

Get Your Copy Today! https://t.co/y95tciepQX

#DistanceLearning #OnlineLearning #EducationalLeadership #DigitalTransformation
#USDLA

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

From Technical Expertise to Strategic AI Leadership: A Resource for Graduate Students

Technical mastery is essential for building a career in AI, data science, and analytics. But as organizations move from AI experimentation toward enterprise implementation, another capability is becoming increasingly important: the ability to understand how technology creates business value.

The Intelligence Advantage provides a strategic perspective on artificial intelligence and its role within the modern enterprise. Rather than viewing AI solely through a technical lens, the book examines how organizations can connect AI initiatives to three fundamental business outcomes: reducing costs, increasing revenue, and managing risk.

For graduate students preparing to become data scientists, AI professionals, technology leaders, consultants, or strategists, this perspective can complement your technical education and help you understand the larger organizational context in which your skills will be applied.

The next generation of AI professionals will need more than the ability to build intelligent systems. They will need to understand how those systems create measurable value.

📖 Learn more about The Intelligence Advantage at https://t.co/x2VtzXmuOl

#ArtificialIntelligence #AILeadership #DataScience #BigData #EnterpriseAI #AIStrategy #GraduateEducation #FutureOfWork

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

My newest book examines why so many enterprise AI initiatives fail to translate significant technology investment into measurable business value… and what the small percentage of successful organizations do differently.

In The Intelligence Advantage, I argue that the problem is rarely the AI model itself; instead, success depends on organizational transformation, data architecture, workflow integration, governance, economics, and the ability to continuously learn and adapt. Using the Valley of Despair, productivity J-curve, AI moats, Gartner Hype Cycle, and emerging AI governance frameworks, my article provides business and technology leaders with a practical way to distinguish AI hype from sustainable economic value.

Executives should read it because it reframes AI from a technology experiment into a strategic capital-allocation and organizational-transformation challenge, offering a roadmap for understanding where AI initiatives typically stall, how to recognize whether a struggling project is experiencing a normal transformation trough or genuine failure, and what separates the organizations that ultimately realize competitive advantage from the 95% that don't.

Get Your Copy Today!
https://t.co/x2VtzXmuOl

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

My newest book examines why so many enterprise AI initiatives fail to translate significant technology investment into measurable business value… and what the small percentage of successful organizations do differently. In The Intelligence Advantage, I argue that the problem is rarely the AI model itself; instead, success depends on organizational transformation, data architecture, workflow integration, governance, economics, and the ability to continuously learn and adapt. Using the Valley of Despair, productivity J-curve, AI moats, Gartner Hype Cycle, and emerging AI governance frameworks, my article provides business and technology leaders with a practical way to distinguish AI hype from sustainable economic value.

Executives should read it because it reframes AI from a technology experiment into a strategic capital-allocation and organizational-transformation challenge, offering a roadmap for understanding where AI initiatives typically stall, how to recognize whether a struggling project is experiencing a normal transformation trough or genuine failure, and what separates the organizations that ultimately realize competitive advantage from the 95% that don't.

Get Your Copy Today!
https://t.co/x2VtzXmuOl

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Hope to see you there!

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: Diagnosing Institutional AI Readiness: A Dual-Instrument Framework for Campus-Wide Transformation https://t.co/yxrK1XUawa via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: Diagnosing Institutional AI Readiness: A Dual-Instrument Framework for Campus-Wide Transformation https://t.co/yxrK1XUawa via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: The Evolving Nature of AI Tools: My Look Back at the Prior Year and What That Meant for Me… https://t.co/eQJlqhvC4C via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: We Keep Panicking About the Wrong Thing… Now AI https://t.co/RrnFNvb9lm via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

My book makes the case that most companies are asking the wrong question about AI. Instead of "are we adopting enough?", leaders should be asking whether their AI investments are producing measurable business results… because right now, most aren't.

It opens by reframing AI for executives: not a sci-fi vision of sentient machines, but a set of algorithms that only count as a good investment if they move one of three levers… cutting costs, growing revenue, or reducing risk. Anything else is just expensive technology.

From there, it lays out the data behind a widening gap: adoption is now mainstream (78% of organizations use AI somewhere in the business), but returns haven't followed — most CEOs report no measurable ROI, only a quarter of initiatives hit expectations, and a large share of AI projects are on track to be abandoned entirely.

The title closes with a practical fix: stop chasing General AI headlines and focus capital on Narrow AI (i.e., purpose-built tools solving specific, bounded problems) since that's where the actual ROI is being generated today.

For more information, check out my new release today!
https://t.co/x2VtzXmuOl

#AI #AIinBusiness #AIandEducation #EnterpriseAI #AILeadership #AIstrategy #AIGovernance

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Online education has moved from the periphery to the center of higher education, and the data backs it up. More than a third of U.S. post-secondary students now take at least some coursework online, and adult and non-traditional learners represent a growth market that institutions cannot afford to ignore.

The pandemic did not simply accelerate this shift; it demonstrated what is possible when online learning is built on sound learning science rather than improvisation. The best programs are not self-study experiences with a digital coat of paint. They are grounded in constructivist design, genuine presence, and active learning, the kind of thinking the OLC Insights community has championed for years.

Now, Generative AI is raising the stakes once again. Institutions that treat AI as a design opportunity, rethinking assessment to capture authentic evidence of learning, are pulling ahead of those that treat it primarily as an enforcement problem. That is what forward-looking educational leadership looks like today, and it is encouraging to see this conversation taking place within the USDLA community.

One thing is universal: programs built with intention and supported by meaningful investment in learning and development outperform those left to grow by accident. Done right, online education is not a cost center; it is a strategic asset. This is the digital transformation story higher education needs to be telling.

Get your copy today! https://t.co/efeZtOK33h

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: Why 95% of Enterprise AI Projects Fail, and What the Other 5% Know https://t.co/5iUidDPo57 via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Join the Conversation! https://t.co/nqWp8eIzxy

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Join the Conversation! https://t.co/nqWp8eIzxy

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: AI Is No Longer a Tool—It Is Infrastructure:
What Higher Education Leaders Must Learn from the 2026 Shift in Digital Learning Architecture https://t.co/DQ2UFLwQQ7 via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Online education has moved from the periphery to the center of higher education, and the data backs it up. More than a third of U.S. post-secondary students now take at least some coursework online, and adult and non-traditional learners represent a growth market that institutions cannot afford to ignore.

The pandemic did not simply accelerate this shift; it demonstrated what is possible when online learning is built on sound learning science rather than improvisation. The best programs are not self-study experiences with a digital coat of paint. They are grounded in constructivist design, genuine presence, and active learning, the kind of thinking the OLC Insights community has championed for years.

Now, Generative AI is raising the stakes once again. Institutions that treat AI as a design opportunity, rethinking assessment to capture authentic evidence of learning, are pulling ahead of those that treat it primarily as an enforcement problem. That is what forward-looking educational leadership looks like today, and it is encouraging to see this conversation taking place within the USDLA community.

One thing is universal: programs built with intention and supported by meaningful investment in learning and development outperform those left to grow by accident. Done right, online education is not a cost center; it is a strategic asset. This is the digital transformation story higher education needs to be telling.

Get your copy today! https://t.co/efeZtOK33h

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: The Unchanging Question in a Changing Horizon: The Future of Online Education https://t.co/UH2VSN79mu via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: The AI Industry Just Solved a Hard Problem. Now, It Created a Harder One. https://t.co/xo9DHWzwZs via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: From Consumption to Competency: Addressing the Emerging Artificial Intelligence Divide in Higher Education https://t.co/HCpjwG8LOG via @LinkedIn

[Samuel S. Conn, Ph.D. @SamuelC50894]

Check out my latest article: Multi-Model AI Orchestration – What are we talking about? https://t.co/MML1tynh1c via @LinkedIn