InstructureCon 2026 Brings Educators and Innovators Together to Advance Future-Ready Teaching and Learning

Michael Horn, Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Ph.D., Heather E. McGowan headline annual conference featuring visionary keynotes and 200+ sessions designed to facilitate collaboration, inspire co-creation of innovative approaches to teaching and learning

LOUISVILLE, KY - July 2, 2026 - Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas by Instructure, today announced keynote speakers for InstructureCon 2026, taking place July 21-23 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Themed "Education in the Making," this year's conference invites educators, administrators and innovators to treat change as an opportunity to experiment, collaborate and build. With more than 200 sessions, workshops, meetups and main stage moments designed for every role and experience level, attendees will explore solutions to current educational challenges, gain new skills, try new tools and features and leave with real-world strategies they can implement.

"At InstructureCon 2026, educators, administrators and innovators will come together to explore how technology can help institutions meet today's challenges while building more resilient learning experiences for the future," said Melissa Loble, chief learning officer at Instructure. "This year's conference is about more than keeping pace with change. It's about helping our global community turn shared expertise, purposeful innovation and practical strategies into meaningful progress for every learner."

A Maker's Mindset Across 200+ Sessions

InstructureCon 2026 features 200+ sessions focused on practical outcomes for learners, covering topics from AI and workforce readiness to accessible design and evolving learner needs. This year's conference will help educators move from reacting to change to shaping what comes next through purpose-built innovation and shared expertise. Built with input from educators and leaders across the community, the agenda is designed to help attendees discover new voices, plan the experience that works best for them and translate ideas into action. Attendees will collaborate with peers, explore new capabilities within the Instructure ecosystem and gain insights they can take directly back to their institutions.

2026 Keynote Speakers

Michael Horn is an award-winning author, educator and leading voice on the future of education and work. He teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is the co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a nonprofit think tank dedicated to improving the world through innovation. Horn is the author of several influential books, including the national bestseller "Job Moves: 9 Steps for Making Progress in Your Career." During a fireside chat with Instructure Chief Learning Officer Melissa Loble, Horn will explore how AI can move beyond efficiency to become a catalyst for connection, curiosity and purpose-driven learning and how educators can reclaim their time to truly engage with students.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Ph.D., is an award-winning neuroscientist, author and entrepreneur whose work explores how curiosity shapes the way we learn, adapt and grow. A researcher at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, she studies the brain's role in curiosity across areas including ADHD, AI, mental health and lifelong learning. She is the founder of Ness Labs, a science-based learning platform, and the author of the bestselling book "Tiny Experiments." Le Cunff's keynote will examine how cultivating an experimental mindset can help educators and students thrive in an AI-driven world, encouraging learners to treat challenges as opportunities for discovery rather than failure.

Heather E. McGowan is a globally recognized future-of-work strategist, keynote speaker and two-time bestselling author. Named one of Forbes' Top Futurists, she works with leaders across industries to rethink how people learn, adapt and lead in an evolving world. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Google, JPMorgan Chase, Mastercard and Kaiser Permanente, and she is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. McGowan is the co-author of "The Adaptation Advantage" and "The Empathy Advantage," a Top 10 Business Book of 2023. Her keynote will challenge how attendees think about education and leadership, exploring what to automate, what to amplify and how to build a mindset rooted in curiosity and continuous learning.

Amanda Winters serves as executive director on the Workforce team at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She previously served as program director for postsecondary education at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Her portfolio focuses on workforce technology, economic mobility, skills-based talent pathways and quality credentials and centers on the power of collaboration and partnerships to create measurable outcomes.

Sean Murphy is a workforce and economic mobility leader with extensive experience advancing talent development, employer engagement and cross-sector partnerships. His work strengthens the connections between education, workforce systems and labor market needs to expand opportunity for individuals and communities. Murphy is particularly focused on skills-based talent strategies, data-informed career navigation and learning models that recognize competencies from both formal education and work experience.

Angel M. Royal, Ph.D., is the senior vice president of strategic initiatives at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), where she oversees the AACC annual convention, competencies for community college leaders, transfer and guided pathways reform, strategic partnerships and innovation. She chairs the Partnership to Advance Transformation in Higher Education, a collective impact organization of 25 national associations focused on improving student outcomes, and serves on the Anthology Education and Research Center Advisory Board and the Aspen Institute's Transfer Playbook Advisory Board.

Instructure on the Main Stage

Instructure CEO Steve Daly will share a bold vision for how education and technology can move forward together in a time of rapid change. Chief Product Officer Shiren Vijiasingam will unveil the Instructure product roadmap, highlighting new AI-driven capabilities and platform innovations designed to help institutions build continuity, strengthen the educator experience and help institutions adapt and evolve with confidence. Academic in Residence Professor Martin Bean CBE, a global education leader, futurist and co-author of "Toolkit for Turbulence," will also take the main stage to share insights on building resilience and readiness for a world defined by continuous change.

Instructure Partner Program and Sponsors

Instructure will again convene its Instructure Partner Program, a community of more than 1,100 partners dedicated to delivering connected experiences through the Instructure ecosystem. This year, 71 edtech partners will engage with educators and showcase solutions as InstructureCon 2026 sponsors, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) as the exclusive Diamond Sponsor and Cidi Labs, Respondus, and Proctorio as Platinum Sponsors.

For more information about InstructureCon, check out the frequently asked questions page and the event agenda.