The 2025 Digital Education Summit (#DES25), hosted by SHSU Online, was a landmark event that brought together educators, technologists, and innovators from around the world. With 1,206 unique registrations and 869 attendees, this year’s summit saw a 103% increase in participation compared to 2024, which had 560 unique registrations and 425 attendees. This increase reflects a growing interest in digital teaching and learning.
Expanding Reach and Impact
Participants represented 28 countries and 41 U.S. states, with 285 institutions and companies in attendance. Sam Houston State University led the Texas State University System (TSUS) with 193 registrations, followed by Collin College (95), Houston Community College (52), and several other regional and national institutions.
International participation also grew, with 91 registrations from outside the U.S., up significantly from the previous year. This global presence underscores the summit’s expanding influence and SHSU’s leadership in digital education.
Engagement at the Core
One of the most impressive aspects of #DES25 was the high level of engagement during the keynote sessions.
Day 1 drew 316 live viewers and 88 recorded views, with a live engagement rate of 83.5%.
Day 2 followed closely with 237 live viewers, 60 recorded views, and 80% engagement.
Attendees actively participated through chat, contributing nearly 250 messages per day, and post-session surveys showed 100% agreement on both the relevance of the content and its impact on understanding. These metrics reflect not only strong attendance, but also meaningful interaction—hallmarks of a successful virtual event.
Breakout Sessions and Learning Highlights
The summit featured 50 breakout sessions across two days, covering topics such as AI in education, learner-centric design, gamification, and course development. Sessions like “AI as Teaching Assistant” and “Gamification That Works” were among the most attended, with up to 101 participants in a single session.
Session recordings are available on demand in the following ways:
- Instructor Support Organization - Teaching With Blackboard in the Web Recordings folder > DES25 Digital Education Summit 2025
- DES 25 Event Platform - registrants can sign in with the email used to register, click "Agenda" and select sessions to view
- SHSU Scholarly Works, and the OERTX Digital Instruction Hub will soon offer on demand recordings as well
Survey data showed:
- 94–100% of attendees found sessions relevant
- 75–100% reported improved understanding
Community and Conversation
The Networking Hour was a new addition this year and received 100% positive feedback, highlighting the value of informal, peer-to-peer engagement in a virtual setting.
Social Media and Visibility
The summit’s digital presence included 68 social media posts, generating 2,785 impressions and 213 engagements, with an average engagement rate of 9.8% across platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
What Attendees Said
“This was a fantastic summit. No improvements needed.”
“I appreciate the dedication and expertise of the presenters.”
“I’m going to have an intentional conversation with my students about how to use AI ethically and responsibly.”
Please make plans to join us for DES26 and stay tuned for details. Until then, email infodes@shsu.edu with any questions.