EDUCAUSE 2024: 5 ways AWS Partners are building the future of higher education

AWS branded background design with text overlay that says "EDUCAUSE 2024: 5 ways AWS Partners are building the future of higher education"

Leaders in higher education recognize that generative artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), cloud computing, and other advanced technologies are rapidly changing how education and research happen on campus. Whether through data-driven administrative decision-making, generative AI infrastructure for research, or enhanced learning tools for the classroom, higher education institutions are developing and applying technology in innovative and helpful ways.

This year, at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference (October 21-24 in San Antonio), Amazon Web Services (AWS) and our partners, will be sharing how these tools and infrastructure, support the future of higher education. Featured partners will appear in our “AWS Partner Theater” at the AWS booth, presenting on a variety of themes, including, generative AI’s widening impact on education, developing the infrastructure for successful education processes, improving administrative processes with generative AI, tools for enhancing learning and research experiences, and migrating workloads to the cloud.

Read on for detailed descriptions of each partner presentation.

The AWS Partner Theater at EDUCAUSE 2024

If you’re attending EDUCAUSE 2024, make sure to stop by the AWS Partner Theater to learn more about the following five themes:

1. Generative AI’s widening impact on education

The Generative AI Revolution

Speaker: Ryan Lufkin, VP of global academic strategy, Instructure

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 1:00-1:15 PM

Ryan Lufkin will discuss how generative AI technologies are impacting education and their potential to redefine traditional learning paradigms. He will also highlight AWS’s role as an Education Partner and spotlight Canvas AI features that are currently in beta.

Pearson’s AI Journey: Empowering Teachers and Students

Speaker: Chris Hess, PhD, director of product AI strategy, higher education, Pearson

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 4:00-4:15 PM

Pearson is the first major publisher incorporating generative AI. Chris Hess will share how Pearson’s AI innovations have led to over a quarter million interactions that are reshaping teaching and learning, empowering educators and delivering personalized, impactful support to students.

Delivering Ethical AI in EdTech

Speaker: Robert Levy, VP of software engineering, Ellucian

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 11:00-11:15 AM

AI is a transformative tool for education, but it must be applied carefully. Robert Levy will present on how Ellucian is driving ethical development, design, and security in its higher education products.

2. Developing the infrastructure for successful education processes

Enabling a Modern, Data Driven Institution with AWS Gen AI

Speaker: Shawn Fournier, AWS alliance director, ERPA

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 11:30-11:45 AM

Shawn Fournier will provide insight into how ERPA’s partnership with AWS is using generative AI to provide increased reliability, security, and accessibility to higher education information and management systems.

Advancing AI Education with Vocareum AI Gateway and AI Notebook

Speaker: Sanjay Srivastava, CEO, Vocareum

Slot: Wednesday, October 23, 1:15-1:30 PM

Vocareum’s AI Gateway and AI Notebook products are revolutionizing AI in education by providing scalable, secure, and user-friendly platforms for institutions. Vocareum CEO, Sanjay Srivastava will explain how these tools empower educators and students with hands-on AI experiences and streamlined curriculum delivery, preparing them for success in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.

Transforming RFX Workflows: Harnessing Generative AI and RAG for Smarter Proposals

Speaker: Jason Wicker, chief architect and director of pre-sales, Rackspace

Slot: Wednesday, October 23, 12:45-1:00 PM

Rackspace’s Jason Wicker will discuss the RFX Engine Solution. Using Amazon Bedrock and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technologies, the platform streamlines the process of creating and responding to requests for proposals (RFPs), requests for information (RFIs), and conducting evaluations of RFPs.

Beyond Accessibility: Building Inclusive Learning Environments for All

Speaker: Emanuel Brunson, adoption and education specialist, Open LMS

Slot: Wednesday, October 23, 10:00-10:15 AM

Building accessible environments goes far beyond color contrast and alt-text. Emanuel Brunson of Open LMS will explain the impact that accessibility can have on learner populations as a whole and review overlooked parts of the accessibility conversation, including limitations due to technology type, technology literacy, and more.

3. Improving administrative processes with generative AI

AWS + Anthology: Proactive Enrollment, Retention and Student Success powered by AI

Speakers: Greg Smith, specialist solution architect, AWS; Ryan Sweany, senior director, Anthology; Richa Batra, senior VP, Anthology

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 10:30-10:45 AM

Anthology’s Ryan Sweany and Richa Batra are joined by AWS’s Greg Smith to discuss how Anthology and AWS collaborate to deliver results-focused, wraparound services powered by both AI and human expertise that can help institutions attract, enroll, and retain students.

Accelerating admissions decisions from weeks to one day with a school-managed transcript evaluation system

Speaker: Steve Bond, partner alliance lead for public sector, Quantiphi

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 4:30-4:45 PM

How did Illinois Tech shrink the admissions decision process from weeks to a single day? Listen in as Steve Bond shares how Quantiphi streamlined data governance for admissions staff by deploying QDox, powered by AWS, to create a school-managed system that matched international student grades with U.S. grade point equivalents.

Easing the Grading Burden: How Learnosity’s Feedback Aide Uses AI for Smarter, Faster Scoring

Speaker: Jason Lacy, senior VP of global partnerships, Learnosity

Slot: Wednesday, October 23, 3:30-3:45 PM

Learnosity’s Feedback Aide eases the grading burden by harnessing the power of AI. In this talk, Jason Lacy will explain how Feedback Aide frees up valuable time for educators by automating essay and short-answer grading, providing faster, smarter feedback for diverse learning environments.

4. Tools for enhancing learning and research experiences

Unlock the Future of Research Administration with GenAI

Speakers: Tamara Askew, principal, Deloitte; Mary Strain, AI and ML for education lead, AWS

Slot: Wednesday, October 23, 9:30-9:45 AM

Deloitte’s Tamara Askew and AWS’s Mary Strain will share the generative AI journey toward practical applications from a research administration perspective. Discover how including generative AI in your everyday processes can lead to broader benefits and how you can harness this technology for your own unique needs.

Transforming Higher Education with AI Teaching Assistants: Personalized Learning At Scale

Speaker: Jonathan Fichman, learning consultant, Noodle Factory

Slot: Wednesday, October 23, 12:15-12:30 PM

AI has the power to help individual students, freeing up valuable time for instructors. In this talk, Noodle Factory’s Jonathan Fichman will share how the company’s AI teaching assistants are transforming higher education, making personalized learning scalable, effortless, and safe.

Transforming Learning with Echo360: Create, Engage, Access

Speaker: Kathryn Stewart, CPO, Echo360

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 12:30-12:45 PM

Join us as CPO Kathryn Stewart explains how Echo360 enhances teaching and learning through video, interactive tools, and powerful analytics. Learn how Echo360 empowers instructors to elevate their teaching strategies and improve learning outcomes by boosting student engagement, accessing real-time insights, and creating flexible, accessible learning environments.

5. Migrating workloads to the cloud

Migrating from VMware to AWS with SHI

Speaker: Nathan Manning, manager of digital professional services, SHI

Slot: Tuesday, October 22, 1:30-1:45 PM

Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware is having a big impact on institutions’ virtualization strategies. In this timely presentation, SHI’s Nathan Manning will explain how colleges and universities can smoothly transition from VMware to AWS.

VMware to AWS Migration Overview: Unlocking Cloud Efficiency and Scalability

Speakers: Garth Carter, VP of higher education, Sierra-Cedar; Tim Gehrig, executive VP, Sierra-Cedar

Slot: Wednesday, October 23, 3:00-3:15 PM

Sierra-Cedar’s Garth Carter and Tim Gehrig will outline the strategic benefits of migrating VMware environments to AWS, focusing on cost efficiency, scalability, and innovation opportunities. Gain insights into proven migration strategies, key AWS tools for seamless transitions, and case studies showcasing successful VMware-to-AWS migrations.

Sit front row at the AWS Partner Theater

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn firsthand from AWS and partner experts. Stop by the AWS booth to hear about the innovative tools and services being developed for higher education institutions.

AWS Public Sector Blog