D2L: Education at Its Core Is Innately Human
Grush: How has that nature of education — as innately human — affected some of the turning points in your career and your own professional strategies?
Laster: For me, it's very personal. I made a decision, prior to taking my CIO position at Harvard Business School — that was right around 2010 — that I had to be, as part of my own private battle, very public about my dyslexia and become a role model for my children. In doing that, I've recognized the power of technology in my own journey, in some very fundamental ways.
Initially there was the basic personal computing technology. Back in the '70s, when the Apple II came out, that technology helped me transition from being a student failing high school history, to engaging in my school work as an honors student. And eventually there was my professional work with new technologies, from simulations and immersive experiences, to digital text books and learning resources…
Grush: And now?
Laster: And now, for me, D2L is the culmination of all that passion.
Grush: Can you talk a little more about that?
Laster: D2L has always, from Day One, been committed to transforming the way the world learns. So at a high level, what does that mean? And what are we excited about?
D2L has always, from Day One, been committed to transforming the way the world learns.
First, it may sound basic on the surface, but it's an idea that's not so easy to execute: It's taking the complexity out of how we learn. I've seen literally thousands of students drop out, or not complete, because it was too difficult for them to figure out where to go for that next learning experience.
I think a well-developed learning environment, like ours, makes the approach to understanding the curriculum and the course just very simple, and as such, even elegant. The student's work should not be in figuring out where to go next; it should be with mastering new ideas.
The student's work should not be in figuring out where to go next; it should be with mastering new ideas.
Second, we're creating an engaging learning environment. And when it's you, the learners, and the technology, it's community building. This is how learning pathways are constructed. And it's also the brilliant use of technology to give authentic feedback. We're using the community features we've proven we can do well with.
Finally, at D2L we are focused — obsessed, if you will — on the entire lifecycle: How do you construct the whole learning experience?
At D2L we are focused — obsessed, if you will — on the entire lifecycle: How do you construct the whole learning experience?
And then how do you put pedagogy and outcomes first? How do you lead academic designers and instructors? How do we leverage learner and instructor insights? These are the types of questions we are working on every day.
Grush: Can you tell me a little bit about how specific D2L products factor in to your "entire lifecycle" — and what projects and announcements you have been most excited about?
Laster: Sure. I think the most recent proof point of what I just shared here was the development and delivery to the market of Creator+. We launched this new offering in November 2022, developed in partnership with academic designers and faculty. The purpose and role of Creator+ is to make the native digital authoring environment accessible to practitioners, to make it easy to create an engaging and efficient — and absolutely beautiful — digital learning experience, with really powerful courseware, delivered on Brightspace.
Then, we have Performance+, which is our dashboarding solution, that allows for deep analytical observation and insight, added to Brightspace.