HRTech Interview with Dave Tucker, Founder and Co-CEO, Genio
Dave Tucker, Founder and Co-CEO at Genio chats about the benefits of accessible design and how it benefits the overall learning process in this HRTech interview:
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Hi Dave, tell us a little about Genio and what makes its tool(s) unique?
For over 15 years we have been making study tools for learners who struggle with attention, information overload and organization skills. Our flagship product over this time has been our audio-based note taking tool which supports learners with studying from lectures in their own time. Recently we have launched a new product, Genio Present, which supports learners with rehearsing their presentations. This not only helps alleviate presentation anxiety but builds confidence and presentation skills.
We work with more than 900 higher education institutions globally to help them support their students to learn more effectively.
Our uniqueness comes from our origins at the intersection of learning technology and assistive technology. Although our products are now used by a broad range of learners, we originally designed our solution for neurodiverse individuals. Rather than building our product for the instructor, we built it for the learners themselves, equipping them with tools to overcome their learning challenges and enable independent learning. So while it’s institutions that purchase our products, they are put directly in the hands of learners.
We care both about accessible design and learning design, building beautifully simple products that are meaningfully structured to scaffold the learning process.
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How is higher education changing today in your view as the system becomes more tech enabled and tech oriented?
The biggest changes are being driven by the needs of employers and students. Aside from conducting cutting-edge research and increasing our collective knowledge, higher education’s role is to meet the upskilling and reskilling gap between someone’s existing knowledge and abilities and what they want to be able to do.
As the economy has moved towards more service jobs, the demand for higher education has increased along with the need to support a broader range of demographics. What was once labelled as a “non-traditional” student is now the majority.
For example, around 70% of students today work while studying. This means they are time-poor and will need more flexibility in their education experience, such as taking online or hybrid classes or studying at their own pace.
Long gone are the days when we could refer to digital learning as something separate; for most of us, all learning is digital to some extent now. But this isn’t unique to education, it reflects our day-to-day lives. Students in higher education pay considerable sums for their education, and I think it’s reasonable for them to expect a similar level of tech-enabled experiences as they would find elsewhere in their lives.
While digital technology becomes ever more integrated into education and teaching practices, I believe that we are still seeing only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is possible.
Most investment in digital technology in higher education has been in the service of the instructor and the administration. In the last few years we’ve seen a proliferation of more products and services aimed directly at the learners themselves. I believe over time education will orient more towards the needs of the learner as their options for developing valuable knowledge and skills increase. The vast majority of students today are already using mainstream AI tools such as ChatGPT to help them complete their assignments. Although it is possible to use these tools for great learning benefit, the most probable usage is to bypass the learning process and get the tool to complete your assignment for you. Institutions need to offer viable alternatives to students else they will simply take the path of least resistance.
What should modern learners do to empower themselves in a dynamic study environment?
In many ways, there is no better time than now to be a student. We have the world’s information at our fingertips and an assortment of products, tools and plug-ins to assist in every aspect of the learning process. However, this is a double-edged sword. The modern learner’s fundamental challenge is information overload and they must learn to overcome it if they are to become effective learners. We simply have too many distractions and face too much overwhelm in our daily lives.
Since the world’s education was put at our fingertips online, we have not done a good job of giving students the skills and tools they need to effectively comprehend, retain and apply that information. You can spend an hour at the gym, but unless you are taught what exercises will help you move towards your goals, it’s unlikely that your time will be spent effectively. The same goes for studying. Effective study is a skill like any other. It takes awareness, understanding and then intentional practice to improve at. The hardest thing is often knowing what to do and getting started.
Moreover, our educational system does not do a great job of helping students feel confident in their learning journey. We are shaped by our learning experiences through life and if we have poor teachers or lack support we can end up believing that we are not capable. We will carry these narratives into any new learning experience.
The first thing every learner needs is confidence and self-belief that it’s possible for them to be successful. This may take time to build up. I believe it comes from two core areas: understanding what is required to pass the course and understanding yourself. Starting with the conditions for success and working backwards enables you to better understand the road ahead. The more you are aware of what you find easy, what you find hard and what your preferences are, the better you are able to find solutions to support you on that journey.
The ultimate goal should be to not entirely rely on your instructor for your own learning. You don’t always get to choose who your teacher is, but you can choose how you study. However, you should also lean on all the support available to you. Students should make full use of academic resources like writing centers and study advisors, and connect with specialized networks of peers for parents, veterans, or neurodivergent learners. Building a strong network with both peers and professors can help build confidence and open doors to new opportunities.
How can educators be more supportive when it comes to boosting learning cycles and reducing stress that comes from it?
Ultimately, the only person who can do the learning is the learner. Therefore, the primary objective should be to ensure a learner takes this responsibility seriously whilst enabling them to feel confident that it is within their ability to succeed. Within this, there’s a really hard balance to strike between overly nurturing and overly challenging. The best learning happens when you’re being stretched outside of your comfort zone. But too much stretch can be overwhelming, disheartening and exhausting.
When learners don’t have self-belief, belief from educators can make all the difference. We all need someone who is rooting for us to win. But we can’t win by changing the rules of the game. We can’t remove the challenge, but we can provide the support and encouragement to learners to enable them to tackle it head on.
Understanding the context and external environment of learners today can help create empathy which builds trust. Two-thirds of students work while studying and are therefore time poor. All of us face constant distractions from our phone, just one consequence of the hyper-connected world we live in. Challenges such as attention and concentration, information overload and effective time management are ubiquitous.
Spending time on setting students up for success by giving learners the toolkit of tools and resources they need to overcome these challenges can make all the difference.
There needs to be a mindset shift away from seeing the primary role of educators as conduits of knowledge transfer and towards acknowledging that there are ever-increasing options for self-learning. Educators can play a role in nurturing independent and motivated learners by increasing agency whilst giving necessary support and guidance.
What other tools and modern tech enhancement in this ecosystem are impacting the way learning is done today?
Tools like ChatGPT have changed everything. In the past, educators could set an assignment knowing that to complete it they would have to engage with educational materials, comprehend it, synthesise and form original thought and apply that newly formed knowledge. A fraction of their students would use services that completed these assignments for them, but the cost and friction associated made it prohibitive for the vast majority of students.
Today, even the most well-meaning student faces significant pressure to use AI tools to help them complete their assignments. Instructors have few ways of knowing what was wholly original, AI-supported or AI-generated. Banning the use of AI tools for learning will only be tenable for so long. As workplaces rapidly adopt AI-tools to enhance productivity across every department, employers will expect their graduates to come with an understanding of how to use these AI tools for knowledge work.
The nature of assessment must change and technology will play a role in that. Institutions cannot ban AI completely, but they should be opinionated on how it is used. The key lies in distinguishing between “unnecessary friction” and “productive friction.” Technology should be used to automate and remove unnecessary hurdles, such as citing sources, finding foundational materials, or scheduling, that drain students’ time and energy. This frees them to focus their cognitive resources on the essential, difficult work of learning.
This “productive friction” is the cognitive struggle, like repetition, retrieval practice, or synthesising complex ideas, that is neurologically essential for deep comprehension and long-term knowledge retention. The ultimate goal of modern educational technology is not to make learning effortless, but to make it effortful in the right places. By automating the tedious, we protect and promote the essential cognitive challenges that are the bedrock of true, lasting learning, while working to ensure every student has the skills and access needed to participate fully.
This should be accompanied with assignments and exercises that expect students to fully utilize mainstream LLM technology so that individuals are prepared for the workplace effectively. The purpose of this is to specifically learn how to use the tools productively, not how to learn the content.
Five thoughts you’d leave modern educators with before we wrap up.
The importance of focusing on early student success: Poor learning experiences can create a vicious cycle for learners that leave them with a lasting sense of failure. Learners start with enthusiasm but face barriers that prevent real understanding. When they blame themselves, they disengage, believing they are simply “not good” at it. This mindset becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, eroding confidence and making it harder to re-engage or seek help. We need to do more to set students up for success from the beginning so that students are prepared for their course and have confidence that they will succeed.
Invest more in technologies that support learning rather than teaching delivery: For decades, higher education institutions have sought to improve learning largely by adopting technologies that improve teaching or the operations of the school. Online learning has brought about lower-cost, more flexible learning for the highly motivated – but the problem of how to support learners with completing their courses remains a largely unaddressed challenge. Studying is active, and it requires effort and engagement. Our technology investments would be better spent on solutions that support individual learners with the ability to study independently and effectively.
Equip learners with the right tools and technology: We need to ensure that all learners have everything they need to participate fully, no matter their background, strengths, or environment. Accessibility is non-negotiable. We must get serious about removing barriers to entry and provide solutions that allow every last learner to hit the ground running. This doesn’t necessarily mean huge changes to infrastructure and learning environments; it means understanding learner challenges and giving them access to the tools they need with minimal friction.
Empower learners with real learning skills: These skills enable students to actively engage with information, understand how to study, and develop the learning confidence needed to thrive in any context.
Celebrate small wins: Focus on celebrating the initial signs of progress learners make. These small victories are crucial for breaking the disengagement cycle, building momentum and maintaining motivation, and they help reinforce that change is possible. Educators play a crucial role in encouraging learners and fostering their own self-belief in their potential.
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Dave Tucker, is Founder and Co-CEO, Genio
Genio creates beautifully simple learning tools that boost knowledge, skills and confidence, Genio’s app solves a core classroom problem and is trusted by more than 750 colleges and 100,000s of students worldwide.
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