OEB Insights – August Edition

With less than four months to go, the shape of OEB25 is coming into view. With pre-conference workshops now announced, the programme is on the horizon, and the journey to Berlin is gathering momentum.

We’re delighted to announce that Kerri O'Neill Chartered FCIPD, Chief People Officer at Ipsos in the UK & Ireland, will take to the keynote stage. A bold advocate for people-centred leadership, Kerri brings a compelling perspective on what it means to lead with empathy and clarity in an AI-driven world.

The Pre-Conference Workshops are now live. On Wednesday, 3 December, these focused, hands-on and expert-led events offer an early opportunity to learn and engage with some of the key challenges and innovations shaping the future of learning - from AI governance and digital assessment to inclusive design and agile leadership.

Professor Gilly Salmon and XR strategist Matt Day explore how immersive technologies are reshaping learning as performance. You can also meet them at OEB25 in their Learning Café: From Classroom to Cosmos, where they’ll be sharing practical insights and experiences with fellow XR practitioners.

Mentimeter examines why deep learning so often falls short in higher education – and offers practical strategies for fostering more reflective, thinking-centred classrooms.

With more speakers still to come and the full programme nearly complete, we’ll be back soon with further details on what to expect in Berlin this December.

Get your ticket today and meet us at OEB 2025.

Meet the OEB25 Keynote Speaker!

We’re delighted to welcome Kerri O’Neill, Chief People Officer at Ipsos UK & Ireland, to the OEB25 keynote stage.

An award-winning executive with two decades of experience in HR, cultural transformation, and organisational effectiveness, Kerri has shaped inclusive, high-performing workplaces at Ofcom, House of Fraser, and Aviva, bringing a strategic people focus to diverse sectors across the globe. At Ipsos, she champions a human-first approach to leadership - one that places empathy, responsibility and connection at the centre of how organisations adapt to emerging technologies. This year’s OEB theme, she says, is both urgent and personal: “It's essential for organisations to use AI and intelligent technologies to strengthen, not weaken, our core human values and connections.”

Kerri also serves as a Trustee of Oxfam GB and Vice-Chair of Farnham Maltings, and arts and community charity.  She credits some of her most powerful leadership lessons not to boardrooms, but to solo backpacking across Australia, and to pages of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.

Read more about Kerri

 Step Into OEB25: Pre-Conference Workshops Announced

We’re pleased to share this year’s Pre-Conference Workshops, taking place on Wednesday 03 December.

These in-depth, immersive and hands-on workshops offer a chance to engage early with the key themes shaping this year’s conference from digital transformation and inclusive learning design to leadership in an AI-driven world. Led by experienced facilitators, each workshop is designed to build your knowledge and equip you with practical skills you can apply directly to your work.

It’s your first step into the ideas, discussions and connections that define the OEB experience.

Curious about what you’ll learn, who’s leading the sessions, and how to secure your place?

Explore the workshops now and begin planning your OEB25 journey.

Explore the pre-conference workshops

Theatre Without Walls: Immersive Learning as Living Performance

What if the future of learning looked less like a lecture and more like a live performance?   In this new article, Professor Gilly Salmon and XR strategist Matthew Day draw inspiration from immersive theatre to reimagine the potential of virtual learning. Taking a bold staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as their starting point, they explore how extended reality (XR) can make education more embodied, emotional, and engaging.

From surgical simulations to virtual spacewalks, they show what becomes possible when learners are placed at the centre of the experience. But meaningful impact relies on thoughtful design – grounded in presence, purpose, and participation.

Read the article and explore a vision of learning that invites us to move, choose, and co-create.   Keen to go further? At OEB25, Gilly and Matthew will host a Learning Café titled From Classroom to Cosmos, joined by XR practitioners Bart Boelens, Frank Samson, Frederick Meulen and others for an open exchange of hands-on insights and experiences. More details coming soon.

Read the full article

The Deep Learning Dilemma: Why Higher Education Needs to Rethink Thinking

In a world wired for shortcuts, deep thinking is increasingly rare – yet in higher education, it remains more vital than ever.

In this new article, Mentimeter examines why surface-level learning still dominates many classrooms and what it takes to foster a culture of real engagement. From entrenched teaching habits to the easy appeal of AI tools, they explore the barriers to deep learning and how to overcome them.

With five practical strategies and an emphasis on purposeful use of technology, the article makes a strong case for helping students think more critically, not just work more quickly.

Read the article and download Mentimeter’s full guide to making deep learning work in your classroom.

Learn more

OEB Learning Technologies Europe GmbH

Tel.: +49 (0)30 726 21 33 09

Email: info@oeb.global

Website: oeb.global/