346: Learning and teaching transformed by AI: the Future of Higher Education with Dave Treat, Pearson CTO

Dave Treat is the Chief Technology Officer of Pearson, the world’s largest education company headquartered in London, with a market cap of $11 billion and over 17,000 employees. Before joining Pearson, he spent several years at Accenture as a Senior Managing Director leading the Innovation Incubation Group. Dave has also served on multiple technology and industry boards, including the Linux Hyperledger Foundation, Linux Open Wallet Foundation, Digital Dollar Project, and the Global Business Blockchain Council. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Deloitte and UBS. He holds a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan and a degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How Pearson is evolving from a textbook publisher into a software company driving the future of learning • Why AI study tools are reshaping when and how students learn, meeting them at the exact moment they need help • The mental health and motivation challenges students face today, and how AI can support them with simpler, more personalized learning • How AI can simplify the administrative burden for educators and free them to focus on deeper student engagement • Why the traditional “slingshot model” of education is broken and how skill mapping and lifelong learning are the future

• How immersive, 3D digital learning experiences will replace today’s flat, two-dimensional interactions

Resources:

Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Dave on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn leveraging AI to create more time in your day • Other resources mentioned in this conversation: • [With Dave Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business] - On How AI is Changing AcademiaLost in Transition: Fixing the “Learn to Earn” Skills Gap