This webinar is part of the OLC Innovate 2026 Best-In-Track Webinar Series!
Webinar Overview
As higher education continues to respond to shifting workforce expectations, AI integration, and the growth of alternative credentials, faculty and academic leaders are being asked to align curriculum with emerging skills, often without clear guidance on how to do so while preserving disciplinary integrity. This webinar introduces a structured approach to workforce-aligned learning that begins with curriculum, not tools.
Participants will be guided through the 4T Framework (Topics, Tasks, Tools, Trends), a design model that supports intentional integration of industry-linked learning into academic courses. Through a facilitated design process, attendees will examine how to redesign assignments, select appropriate supports such as micro-credentials or AI tools, and connect their work to broader institutional and workforce trends. The session emphasizes faculty-led innovation and offers a practical pathway for translating institutional pressure into coherent, sustainable design.
Intended Audience & Benefits
- Faculty across disciplines (undergraduate and graduate)
- Instructional designers
- Academic leaders (chairs, deans, program directors)
- Digital learning and online program leaders
- Workforce development and credentialing professionals
This webinar is designed for those navigating the intersection of curriculum, digital learning, and workforce alignment. Participants will leave with a structured approach they can apply immediately within their own courses or programs.
Faculty will gain clarity on how to align assignments with applied competencies without diminishing disciplinary depth. Instructional designers will benefit from a framework that supports coherent integration across courses and programs. Academic leaders will gain language and structure to support scalable, faculty-centered initiatives aligned with institutional strategy and workforce trends.
Key Messages & Takeaways
- Workforce alignment is most effective when it begins with curriculum design, not tool adoption
- Assignments are a primary site where skills and knowledge intersect
- Micro-credentials, AI tools, and digital platforms are most impactful when they reinforce clearly defined learning tasks
- A structured framework (4T) supports coherent, scalable integration across disciplines
- Faculty-led design supports sustained innovation and preserves academic integrity
- Small, intentional changes, rather than large-scale overhauls, often provide the most effective path to implementation
Presenter
Elizabeth Robertson Hornsby
Adjunct Professor, Southern University at New Orleans
Dr. Elizabeth Robertson Hornsby is an educator, communication scholar and faculty consultant specializing in digital learning, curriculum design, and workforce-aligned education. With 20 years of experience as a faculty member, she has taught public speaking, strategic communication, and online courses.
Her work focuses on supporting faculty and institutions in aligning disciplinary learning with applied competencies through structured design frameworks, including the integration of micro-credentials and AI-supported learning. She currently serves as an adjunct professor of Communication at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO).