Presentation Panel
Resilience and Meaningful Change: Rethinking How We Design Education
Date Thursday, Dec 4 Time – Room: Charlottenburg I
In a time when education is flooded with new tools, trends and quick fixes, how do we create change that truly lasts? This panel invites delegates to view transformation not only as technical process but as human one, rooted in empathy, resilience and trust. Together, the speakers explore how technology can act as an ally rather than a burden, how failure can become a safe and necessary step in learning, and how institutions can move beyond surface-level innovation to cultivate cultures of care and purpose.
Reagan Chesnut
Assistant Director: Service and Process, Hope College
Reagan Chesnut (she/her) is the Assistant Director of Service and Process at Hope College, where she leads a team focused on building user confidence, promoting digital accessibility, and advancing service strategy across campus. She has presented nationally on human-centered technology support and brings a creative, people-first approach, shaped by her background in theatre and arts administration. Reagan serves on Hope’s Digital Accessibility Audit team and as the mentor for Hope Advocates for Invisible Conditions. She is trained in audio description and has led two NEA-funded grants focused on access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. She holds a BA from Hope and an M.Phil from Trinity College Dublin.
Rick Jacobs
Learning Strategist, Jacobs, et al, LLC
Rick Jacobs is the principal of Jacobs, et al,, LLC, in College Station, Texas. He has been in the learning industry for over thirty years as an instructor, adjunct faculty, instructional designer, training manager, and learning strategist. He has worked in a wide breadth of industries to include higher education, the military, public safety, finance, technology, and sales. He currently consults internationally on learning projects and learning organizational development for organizations and law enforcement agencies, and provides training to transitioning teachers, corporate trainers, and law enforcement instructors. He has a BS in Philosophy and an MS in Criminal Justice.
Frank van den Ende
Owner , OWN Onderwijs
Frank van den Ende has broad experience in education as a teacher, innovation manager, designer, and educational scientist. Frank's mission is to find the right balance between the needs of learners, society, technology, and the professional field.
Frank is the author of the book "Redesign the school" and one of the founders of the Educational Design Expedition. Both focus on supporting teachers in taking ownership of their own educational design.
Stop Innovating, Start Working on Meaningful Change, Frank van den Ende
Many educational innovations fail because they are driven by novelty, not necessity. In this presentation, we explore how schools and educators can shift from chasing trends to building sustainable, meaningful change grounded in everyday practice.
Design for Healing: An Advocacy-Based Approach to Technology in Higher Ed, Reagan Chesnut
Recognizing that faculty, staff, and students are more likely than not to have experienced harm caused by technology, Hope College practices Design for Healing —a trauma-informed, advocacy-driven framework that reimagines technology service as a compassionate, inclusive, and confidence-building practice. Led by the Technology Success Advocate, this approach integrates pedagogical frameworks into technology service and education to rebuild trust, center user dignity, and empower communities to engage with technology as a supportive ally.
Creating a Safe Place to Fail, Rick Jacobs
With high attrition and low retention being seen in many areas of business, especially in customer facing positions, there is one thing that keeps showing up - a lack of resilience in employees. Creating a "safe place to fail" in training can resolve a lot of the resilience issues for new employees by providing a place where mistakes can be made before they interact with customers.