Philippine and international leaders to address higher education lifelong learning and AI readiness at Instructure's CanvasCon 2026

New Philippines-specific Instructure research finds AI is already being used across teaching and learning, while institutional strategy, training and access are still developing

MANILA, Philippines, September 28 2026 - Instructure, the maker of Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), will host CanvasCon Philippines 2026 on October 7, 2026, at Conrad Manila in Pasay City. Anchored on the theme "Shaping Readiness, Together," the flagship, full-day education conference will bring together over 500 higher education leaders, educators, and institutional decision-makers across Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The conference lands at a pivotal juncture for Philippine higher education. Recent policy shifts, curriculum reforms, and growing demand for seamless multi-modal learning have made institutional readiness - the skills, tools and support needed to adapt as learning and technology evolve - an urgent operational priority. New Philippines-specific research commissioned by Instructure also points to a gap between growing AI activity in education and the institutional strategy, training and access needed to support its use.

CanvasCon Philippines 2026 offers a peer-led working space designed to help academic leaders transition from reactive strategies to sustainable, future-ready educational frameworks across three core pillars: AI with Intention, Ready to Learn and Ready to Engage, and Skills That Last.

"The Philippines is moving quickly to expand flexible learning, lifelong learning pathways and digital delivery across higher education. That makes the conversations happening here especially relevant to where education in Asia Pacific is heading. CanvasCon Philippines is a chance to hear directly from local institutions about how they are responding to these shifts, and what it will take to ensure more learners have the skills, tools and support to be ready for what comes next," said Darren Read, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Instructure.

New Philippines research highlights the next stage of AI readiness

At CanvasCon Philippines, Instructure will unveil findings from its new survey of 207 education practitioners from higher education and technical-vocational institutions across Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao. Conducted in partnership with The Fourth Wall in August 2026, the study explores how participating institutions are approaching lifelong learning, AI readiness, and equitable access to AI-enabled learning.

The findings suggest AI activity is already moving beyond exploration. Half (50%) of respondents report their institutions offer AI literacy or digital-skills programs for students. Respondents also say their institutions provide staff-facing AI tools supporting teaching and course design (41%), AI tools integrated into course content or delivery (40%), and AI-powered tutoring or learning assistants (38%). Only 18% say their institution is still exploring without any current approach.

At the same time, confidence in institutional readiness is more moderate. Respondents rate confidence that their institution has a clear strategy for AI within lifelong-learning pathways at 3.08 out of 5, while confidence that faculty and staff have the training needed to use AI effectively and support diverse learners falls to 2.87 out of 5.

Darren Read and John Brylle Bae, Partner and Research Director at The Fourth Wall, will unpack the findings at CanvasCon, providing local context and exploring what they reveal about the shift from AI use to more intentional, supported and equitable AI-enabled learning.

The survey findings reflect the perceptions of education practitioners and provide an indicative view of institutional priorities, practices and readiness; they should not be interpreted as nationally representative of all Philippine education institutions.

The event will put Philippine institutions at the center of the conversation, with educators and leaders from Our Lady of Fatima University, Holy Angel University, University of San Jose Recoletos, De La Salle University, PAREF Woodrose School, University of St. La Salle, Far Eastern University, University of Santo Tomas and the University of Sydney.

The program will also feature global education leaders, including Zach Pendleton, Chief Architect at Instructure, who brings over a decade of experience guiding the development of Canvas LMS and will share the roadmap for the Instructure Learning Platform and his perspective on how institutions can build resilient digital ecosystems for the future; Professor Martin Bean CBE AM, CEO of The Bean Centre, co-author of Toolkit for Turbulence, and former Vice-Chancellor of RMIT University and The Open University, who will offer strategic frameworks to help institutional leaders navigate disruption and lead proactive change; and Danny Liu, Professor of Educational Technologies at the University of Sydney, co-chair of the university's AI in Education working group and leader of the Cogniti.ai initiative, who will present a research-backed approach to human-centered, responsible AI adoption in academic environments.

"A decision we make in the platform this quarter shows up in a lecturer's Monday morning three years from now. That's the part of this job I take most seriously. Philippine institutions are moving on curriculum reform, flexible pathways, and AI policy at the same time, and they need technology that can absorb all three without breaking what already works. I'll share where the platform is headed and how we're building it so no institution has to choose between keeping up and staying steady," said Zach Pendleton.

CanvasCon PH 2026 is open to the education community across the country. Participants may now register at instructure.com/en-au/events/canvascon/philippines.