Fusion 2025: Igniting the Joy of Learning in Savannah

Over the past three days, more than 1,000 attendees from over 16 countries gathered in Savannah, Georgia for D2L Fusion—our annual conference that brings together learning leaders from across K-12, higher education, professional associations, corporate learning and more. This year’s event featured 180 presentations, panels, breakout sessions and discussions.

Couldn’t make it to Savannah? Don’t worry. We share the highlights here.

• Day 1: Executive Summit and Opening Keynote
• Day 2: Solutions Spotlight and a Night in Old Savannah
• Day 3: Wake Up, Fusion and Closing Keynote
• Turning up the Heat for Fusion 2026

Day 1: Executive Summit and Opening Keynote

Fusion kicked off with the Executive Summit, an invite-only event that brings together education and corporate leaders to connect with peers and explore emerging trends shaping the world of work and education.

This year’s theme—future-proofing talent—reflects the urgent need to align learning with changing market demands. Whether you’re a higher education institution creating pathways for career readiness, an organization upskilling employees, or a professional association enabling members to stay competitive in a skills-driven economy, we all have a role to play in empowering individuals and strengthening economies.

The summit started with a discussion between John Baker, founder, president and chief executive officer at D2L, and Jeremy Auger, chief strategy officer at D2L, delving into key shifts in education and corporate learning. That was followed by a keynote presentation by Dr. Ayanna Howard—a renowned roboticist, entrepreneur and dean of the College of Engineering at the Ohio State University—who spoke about how AI is redefining “expertise” in education and what leaders need to do to prepare for a world where AI is not only a tool but a collaborative learning partner.

We ended the day with a keynote from John Baker, centered on the joy of learning and the role of AI in enabling it at scale. “In a complex and changing world, learning can bring joy. And if you ask me, that’s something we could use a little more of right now,” he said.

While it may seem counterintuitive, when thoughtfully designed, technology like AI can truly make our human experiences better. That means prioritizing ethics, transparency and human-first design principles. It also means listening to and involving educators, incorporating their insights, needs and concerns in meaningful, authentic ways.

We’re already seeing the benefits. AI is helping educators spend less time on repetitive, manual tasks and more time engaging with learners.

Ultimately, it’s about remembering that AI shouldn’t replace educators; it should empower them. It can scale the joy of learning and bring us back to what matters most: people learning together.

Day 2: Solutions Spotlight and a Night in Old Savannah

The second day of Fusion started with an activity that’s become a looked-forward-to staple for attendees: Jogging With John. Runners got out early to beat the heat and enjoy a beautiful route through scenic Savannah.

After breakfast, attendees gathered at the mainstage to kick off the morning’s program with the Excellence Awards. This year, there were 49 nominations from 7 countries, which made it a tall ask for our judges to narrow it down to only 6 finalists.

This year’s Excellence Awards recipients were:

• Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC): Leveraging Brightspace tools, NICC created a centralized accessibility hub that simplifies accommodation management, reduces staff workload and improves student engagement. The hub has automated the delivery of 12,000 personalized messages and enabled students to access accommodation letters more than 3,000 times.
• Modern States Education Alliance: By streamlining registration, enhancing analytics and automating 95% of fulfillment requests, Modern States Education Alliance can free up time to focus on what matters most: helping more learners succeed. The organization is seeing 35% year-over-year growth as it continues to expand access to education at scale.
• Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB): UGDSB transformed its professional development (PD) offerings by providing self-serve, grab-and-go resources that are easier for teachers to access on their terms. This is having real impacts on student outcomes and teacher satisfaction—with access rates surpassing 500%, 67% of students moving out of math risk categories and a 26% improvement in early reading interventions.
• University of Central Oklahoma (UCO): UCO is elevating faculty development through its eLearning Certification Workshop (eLFC), equipping new and experienced instructors alike with the skills and confidence they need to create exceptional, student-centered online learning experiences. Since eLFC’s launch, drop, fail and withdrawal rates have decreased 3% for fully online and 6% for hybrid courses.
• MGH Institute of Health Profession (MGHIHP): To address issues in healthcare equity, MGHIHP created a scalable course that fosters connection among students, faculty and staff and uses smart automations to ease administrative tasks, helping the institution evolve the course to meet contemporary needs. It’s reached over 3,500 learners over the past five years, with 87% reporting a shift in perspective on health equity-related concepts.
• Singapore Polytechnic: To upskill staff at scale, Singapore Polytechnic developed a self-paced AI learning package in only three months that featured adaptive learning pathways for foundational and advanced training. This has helped the institution reach 1,400 staff and eliminate 40 in-person workshops. Plus, four staff groups have already secured national grants to develop further AI-based solutions.

We also recognized Dr. Kayli Johnson and Dr. Simon Lolliot, associate professors in chemistry and psychology, respectively, at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the winners for impressive use of multi-media in this year’s H5P Awards. “They have been working together for years, making videos in their respective disciplines, and they host a biannual H5P symposium at UBC aimed at helping educators develop their own interactive teaching tools,” said Whitney Williams, manager, customer success at D2L. “Their contributions to open education have earned them international recognition.”

The awards presentations were followed by Solutions Spotlight. Led by D2L experts, this session saw big announcements about both new launches and enhancements and updates to the products and services you already know and love, including:

• leveling up D2L Lumi with Lumi Study Support, Lumi Insights, Lumi Tutor and Lumi Feedback—helping boost learner engagement and enhance teaching and learning
• introducing Createspace to equip educators with intuitive tools to create, edit and collaborate on content in one place before publishing it, even across multiple courses
• debuting D2L Academy to give educators access to more than 40 courses, expert-led live sessions, and industry-recognized certifications and support
• enhancing Brightspace Core by improving assessments and quizzes, expanding enrollment capacity, strengthening progress and skill tracking, simplifying integrations, and improving visibility for parents and guardians
• releasing Accessibility+ to enable instructors to make all content—including legacy materials created outside of Brightspace—more accessible to a wider range of learners/

Check out the highlights here or dive into the product roadmap for a complete breakdown. 

After a jam-packed day of sessions, attendees gathered for our evening event: A Night in Old Savannah.

Despite a weather-required change of location, the energy was electric. The night began with a ride on the Georgia Queen—an iconic paddlewheel riverboat and the largest of its kind in the U.S.—before people headed in to stay dry from the rain. Inside, the festivities featured live music, a dance floor, spine-tingling ghost stories told by local storytellers paired with southern-style food and beverages, including Leopold’s Ice Cream and a bourbon tasting station.

Day 3: Wake Up, Fusion and Closing Keynote

After an exciting evening, the wellness activity of morning yoga gave attendees a chance to rest, relax and recharge before diving into all that day three had to offer.

First up was Wake Up, Fusion, which featured captivating performances, live demonstrations and thought-provoking discussions from a variety of guests:

• Front Porch Improv—a Savannah-based group that’s performed at festivals across the country, including the Chicago Improv Festival, New York SketchFest and the DC Comedy Festival—got us going with some audience-inspired musical numbers.
• Georgia Southern University (GSU) shone a spotlight on its Lego Robotics Program, which focuses on engaging students, building critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and fostering collaboration and teamwork. “It’s a fantastic tool that sparks creativity while also teaching vital STEM principles,” said Shelli Casler-Failing, faculty member in the College of Education at GSU.
• Nora McCaffrey, chief executive officer at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), joined Sandy Rezendez, head of corporate learning at D2L, to talk about creating meaningful, joyful learning that sparks curiosity, makes people feel connected and challenges learners in the right ways. We also got a sneak peek into Let Them Cook, a video series where D2L hosts stir up timely, relevant topics in learning and development alongside delicious, easy-to-make recipes that are perfect for busy professionals.
• Performers from the Savannah State Children’s Theater who performed Pirates of Grammar Island (and even got some audience members involved).
• Lindsay Goldberg, senior director of product strategy and programs at IIN, who led a mindful movement break to leave attendees feeling grounded, embodied, energized and ready for a fantastic day ahead.

The day wrapped up with a closing keynote from Ryan Leak, a New York Times bestselling author, sought-after speaker and executive coach. He’s also the host of the Ryan Leak Podcast, where he delivers short and sweet nuggets of wisdom to thousands of weekly listeners. Known for blending humor, honesty and practical insights, he’s on a mission to build better teams, braver leaders and brighter futures—one message at a time.

Turning up the Heat for Fusion 2026

We’re grateful to the learning leaders from around the world who joined us in Savannah to explore the future of education. From AI and analytics to accessibility, engagement and shifting learner needs, the conversations sparked fresh thinking and meaningful connections—reminding us of the importance of community, collaboration, curiosity and joy in learning.

As we wrap up an unforgettable Fusion 2025, the countdown to Fusion 2026 in Arizona has already begun. We can’t wait to reunite with educators and experts to exchange ideas, share insights and leave inspired to make a lasting impact.

Pre-register now, commitment free, to lock in the lowest rate.

Want to relive your favorite moments from Fusion 2025 or revisit sessions? Check out Fusion On-Demand.

Written by: