Qurioos Insights

Teaching law through experience | Charlyn Ho (Rikka, Harvard Business Review Advisory Council)

Hey 👋 https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/Akis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/ here from Qurioos [https://www.qurioos.com/]! Every month I share the latest insights from the world of learning & AI. Join 1,100+ subscribers [https://insights.qurioos.com/] to get access to every post. What if contract law could be taught more like practicing a sport than reading a rulebook? In this episode, I speak with Charlyn Ho, a former Navy Supply Officer, corporate law partner, and now the founder of Rikka (incl. Rikka Academy [https://rikkagroup.com/rikkaacademy-homepage/]). Charlyn shares how she’s turning years of experience into structured, practical training for early-career lawyers—blending mock negotiations, real-life analogies, and AI feedback loops to close the training gap in legal education. Whether you're in law, education, or any profession where practice matters more than theory, Charlyn’s approach offers an inspiring model. 🧠 Topics Covered * From military contracts to startup founder: Charlyn’s path * Why on-the-job training still dominates legal education * The "teaching gap" in law firms and how Rikka fills it * What good legal training looks like (hint: examples, not just theory) * How AI bots can democratize learning in law * Why Rikka Academy uses mock negotiations and clause analysis * The hidden skill of adapting to “weird” contract terms 🔧 Key Takeaways * Law is a practice, not just a theory — Most learning happens on the job, but many junior lawyers don't get enough real-world exposure early. * Mentorship ≠ Teaching — Many partners are great lawyers but lack the skills (or time) to teach effectively. * Simulations are essential — Rikka Academy uses real contract examples and mock negotiations to build muscle memory. * AI can scale what great educators do — Charlyn is building an AI-powered bot to replicate her teaching feedback, making quality training more accessible. * Mindset matters most — Instead of memorizing clauses, Rikka teaches how to think like a contract negotiator—especially when conditions are novel or unpredictable. 📚 Resources mentioned * Book: The Tech Contracts Handbook [https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Contracts-Handbook-Agreements-Businesspeople/dp/1634251784] by David Tollen * Blog: Contract Nerds [https://contractnerds.com/] * Ricca Academy: https://rikkagroup.com/rikkaacademy-homepage/ [https://rikkagroup.com/rikkaacademy-homepage/] * YouTube Channel: Ricca Group [https://www.youtube.com/@Rikka_Group] 💬 Favorite Quote “What I’m trying to teach is a methodology of thinking—so that the lawyer is able to adapt to any situation, even if the book or academy didn’t teach them that specific lesson.”— Charlyn Ho If you find this newsletter valuable, consider sharing it with friends, or subscribing if you aren’t already. See you at the next one, Akis 👋 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insights.qurioos.com [https://insights.qurioos.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Learning for enabling action | Steve Karam (Ellucian, Delphix, Wiley)

Hey 👋 https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/Akis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/ here from Qurioos [https://www.qurioos.com/]! Every month I share the latest insights from the world of learning & AI. Join 1,100+ subscribers [https://insights.qurioos.com/] to get access to every post. In this episode, I interviewed Steve Karam [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekaram/], ex-VP Global Customer Enablement at Ellucian [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellucian/]. Before that, Steve was VP Global Experience and Enablement at Delphix [https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphix/]. He currently runs a scholarship fund and he teaches financial literacy courses to at-risk and disadvantaged youth in his area. 📖 What you’ll learn * Steve’s learn, sharpen, scale framework * Best practices in learning and enablement * Hacks for improving learning engagement * How to structure learning teams 👨‍💻 Contacts Where to find Steve Karam * Email: stevekaram@gmail.com * Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekaram/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekaram/] * Twitter: https://twitter.com/YaySteveK [https://twitter.com/YaySteveK] Where to find Akis Laopodis * Website: https://www.qurioos.com/ [https://www.qurioos.com/] * Newsletter: https://insights.qurioos.com/ [https://insights.qurioos.com/] * Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/] 🔥 Key moments from the interview (04:22) Steve’s learning framework: Learn → Sharpen → Achieve (05:25) What learning could use from the gaming world: Achievements (07:05) ChatGPT’s new feature: Share bot conversations for co-learning (08:33) What milestones matter when we learn (10:30) Why the status quo is the greatest bottleneck (12:20) Why attaching outcomes to learning objectives is key (13:42) We don’t need more learning content, we need a librarian (15:10) How to challenge perception around “how learning should be done” (16:04) Why people take pride in what they do and forget the other side (19:55) How to build learning teams for ensuring we understand the learning impact (26:53) Use online communities as communities of practice (29:53) How a learning “Hunger Games” session worked for them (33:30) How learning experience designers and instructional designers need to work together If you find this newsletter valuable, consider sharing it with friends, or subscribing if you aren’t already. See you at the next one, Akis 👋 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insights.qurioos.com [https://insights.qurioos.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Sustainability-first higher ed | Christian Rebernik (Tomorrow University)

👋 Hi I’m Akis from EduRM where I share growth insights for education and learning providers. Subscribe at https://edurm.substack.com/. In this episode, I interviewed Christian Rebernik, CEO & Co-founder of Tomorrow University [https://www.tomorrow.university/] (TU). Before founding Tomorrow University, Christian was CTO/Managing Director of N26, and he currently advises and seats on the board of various organizations. 📖 What you’ll learn* The origin of Tomorrow University* What is a sustainability-first approach* Modern pedagogy used in Tomorrow University* How AI will play a role in this field of studies 👨‍💻 Contacts Where to find Christian Rebernik* Company: https://www.tomorrow.university/ [https://www.tomorrow.university/]* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crebernik/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/crebernik/]  Where to find Akis Laopodis* Newsletter: https://edurm.substack.com [https://edurm.substack.com]* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/akislaopodis/] SPONSORED WeSchool: A platform built to learn better, together. Teach, train and manage learners in dedicated online spaces designed to make learning more engaging while giving you full control over their learning experiences. 💎 Why Tomorrow University “Sustainability is not a master in itself, but it’s a part of every program that we do.” Christian Rebernik * It isn’t your typical degree program. Every program is integrated with a sustainability-first approach. For instance, you will not just learn about technology. Instead, you will learn about using technology in a sustainable way. * Sustainability-first approach: “It’s a way of thinking and decision-making that prioritizes environmental, social, and economic sustainability as the primary goal. It seeks to create a world that is healthy, equitable, and resilient for both present and future generations.” (Source: What is Sustainability by Colorado State U) * Students are problem solvers. Together with a group, students solve a particular challenge guided by instructors with a definite learning path. Theories are learned and directly applied to solve real-world challenges that turn into a capstone presentation. * Flexible & diverse. Accredited degree programs are fully remote and students can interact with a global community of like-minded individuals with diverse backgrounds. * Advocates lifelong learning. It’s breaking the mindset of having a degree just for the sake of it. Instead, it advocates lifelong learning and curiosity to build a more sustainable future. 🏁 Players In the past, sustainability degrees are focused mainly on environmental and climate issues. Today, sustainability is integrated into degree programs that help existing companies transition into a more sustainable business model. Here are programs where you can learn how to change existing companies into sustainable businesses or build new ones from scratch. * University of London: Imperial Sustainability Leadership Programme [https://execed-online.imperial.ac.uk/sustainability-leadership]* ΜΙΤ: Professional Certificate Program in Sustainability [https://professional.mit.edu/course-catalog/professional-certificate-program-sustainability]* Harvard Extension School: Sustainability Master’s Degree Program [https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/programs/sustainability-graduate-program/] * INSEAD: Business Sustainability Programme [https://www.insead.edu/executive-education/strategy/business-sustainability-programme]* Stanford: Change Leadership for Sustainability Program [https://sustainabilityleadership.stanford.edu/]* Oxford: Oxford Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme [https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/executive-education/online-programmes/oxford-leading-sustainable-corporations-programme]* London Business School: Sustainability Leadership and Corporate Responsibility [https://www.london.edu/executive-education/leadership/sustainability-leadership-and-corporate-responsibility]* Bocconi: Transformative Sustainability [https://www.unibocconi.eu/wps/wcm/connect/bocconi/sitopubblico_en/navigation+tree/home/programs/master+of+science/transformative+sustainability]* HEC: Executive Education Sustainable Transition Management  [https://www.hec.edu/en/executive-education/executive-short-programs/sustainable-transition-management]* ESPC: Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Innovation [https://escp.eu/programmes/specialised-masters-MScs/MSc-in-sustainability-entrepreneurship-and-innovation]* University of Vermont: Sustainable Entrepreneurship [https://catalogue.uvm.edu/archives/2017-18/graduate/businessadmin/businessadministrationmba/] 🔥 Key moments from the video (00:46) Mission of Tomorrow University: Building a sustainable society [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=46](02:06) Type of learners at Tomorrow University [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=126](03:33) What makes Tomorrow University stand out from the rest? [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=213](08:18) The importance of a sustainability-first approach in degrees [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=498](10:40) Different degree programs to take at Tomorrow University [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=640](12:10) Modern pedagogy used to teach students at Tomorrow University [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=730](13:54) How challenge-based learning is implemented in the course [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=834](14:20) Social learning as part of the curriculum [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=860](14:44) Online learning at Tomorrow University [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=884](15:50) How the classes are structured [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=950](18:07) How AI will play a role in sustainable society [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=1087](20:22) The value of intelligence is going down, other competencies are getting relevant [https://youtu.be/AURJX9kgPh0?t=1215] If you’re finding this newsletter valuable, consider sharing it with friends, or subscribing if you aren’t already. See you at the next one, Akis 👋 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insights.qurioos.com [https://insights.qurioos.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]