Podcast
ASU+GSV Summit Sessions
Hosted by ASU+GSV · EN
Audio recordings of sessions captured live at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego. Now in its 17th year, the ASU+GSV Summit is the world’s leading event for leaders in “PreK to Gray” education and workforce learning, bringing together over 7,000 attendees from more than 66 countries.
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Mission Driven at Startup Speed: A New Playbook for Philanthropic Capital
May 600:41:53Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Vivian Wu, Managing Partner, Ventures at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; Atin Batra, Director, Impact Investing at ECMC Group’s Education Impact Fund; Matt Zieger, Chief Programs and Partnerships Officer at GitLab Foundation; and Esther Benjamin, CEO & ED at World Education Services.Philanthropy had increasingly begun borrowing from venture and open-source models, prioritizing speed, transparency, and proximity to the people it serves. This session brought together foundation leaders rethinking the fundamentals of philanthropic capital, including shorter funding cycles that enable rapid learning, ROI frameworks that guide decisions rather than constrain them, and collaborative models that invite educators and learners to help co-create public goods.Drawing on lessons from open-source communities and organizations, speakers explored how philanthropy can act with agility even without perfect data, break out of silos, and translate good intentions into meaningful progress at scale. The conversation examined how mission-driven organizations can adopt startup-speed principles while maintaining a focus on long-term public value and equitable impact.By redefining how philanthropic capital is deployed, this session highlighted a new playbook for foundations seeking to move faster, learn continuously, and build more responsive systems for social and educational innovation.
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From Local Giants to Global Leaders: Scaling EdTech to the World
May 600:40:48Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Deepanshu Arora, Founder & CEO at Toddle; Arif Karakus, CFO at Doping Technology; Joleen Liang, Co-founder at Squirrel AI Learning; Zara Zaman, Investor & Head of Platform at Emerge Capital; and Joy Chen, Senior Advisor at GSV Ventures and Stanford Accelerator for Learning.Some of the world’s most ambitious EdTech companies had been built not in Silicon Valley, but in intensely competitive markets around the globe defined by massive demand, rapid iteration, and high stakes for learners and families. As more of these companies looked beyond their home markets, this session explored why the path from local success to global relevance is anything but straightforward.This conversation brought together founders and operators at different stages of international expansion to examine what it truly takes to scale globally. Speakers discussed key challenges and strategic decisions spanning early market selection, product localization, partnerships, regulation, and organizational readiness. Panelists also shared lessons learned, ongoing missteps, and practical insights from navigating the complexities of expanding across borders.By exploring how leading EdTech companies move from dominant local players to globally relevant organizations, this session highlighted the operational, strategic, and cultural considerations shaping the next generation of international education innovation.
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AI + XR: Are We Finally Ready for Immersive Learning at Scale?
May 600:40:59Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Kaylee Seely, Head of Immersive at Pearson Labs, Pearson; Elina Ollila, Deputy Center Director and Professor of Practice at Endless Games and Learning Lab at ASU; Nicole Staubli, Head of Education at Meta; and Jim Chilton, Board Director at SNHU Board.Immersive technology had long promised to transform learning, but this session explored how the real shift today is not hype—it is infrastructure. With game engines, spatial computing, and high-fidelity world-building tools now making it possible to construct persistent learning environments, speakers examined how students can increasingly explore, manipulate, and inhabit educational spaces in new ways.This conversation focused on how immersive learning is moving beyond one-off VR experiences into fully realized educational worlds. From digital twins of laboratories and historical sites to interactive simulations that mirror real systems, panelists discussed how the next generation of platforms is building environments where learning happens through participation rather than observation.Speakers also examined what it takes to bring immersive learning into real classrooms, including the technical stack behind these environments, the design principles that make virtual worlds educationally meaningful, and the practical realities of district adoption as immersive tools move from experimentation to infrastructure.By exploring both the promise and implementation challenges of AI + XR, this session highlighted how immersive technologies may finally be positioned to scale as meaningful educational infrastructure in the future of learning.
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What is Creativity and Learning in the Age of AI?
May 600:40:40Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Brian Johnsrud, Director of Education at Adobe; Will Ji, Head of Customer Success at HeyGen; Gabrielle Rosemond, Head of Industry, Education & Services at TikTok; and Dan Quine, Senior Director of AI and Engineering at Learning Commons.As AI gained the ability to draft marketing copy, design graphics, generate video avatars, remix audio, and simulate entire creative workflows, this session examined a defining question: when creation becomes frictionless, what changes?Speakers explored how AI is reshaping authorship and ownership, whether prompting is emerging as a new creative skill, and how direction, taste, and curation are becoming increasingly important core competencies. The conversation also examined what happens to mastery when output becomes abundant and how professional creators must evolve in a world of infinite generation.By addressing the intersection of creativity, learning, and AI, this session highlighted how education and creative industries are redefining the skills that matter most when human imagination is augmented by increasingly powerful generative tools.
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Recruit, Retain, and Engage with Agentic AI
May 600:40:56Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Carolina Recchi, CEO at EdSights; Lev Gonick, Enterprise Chief Information Officer at Arizona State University; Christina Yancey, Vice President at AIR (American Institutes for Research); Emily Smith, VP, Strategic Partnerships at CollegeVine; JC Bonilla, COO and Head of AI at Element451; and Tim Renick, Executive Director of the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University.As institutions pursued stronger engagement and retention, a new wave of Agentic AI tools promised personalized outreach, predictive support, and 24/7 responsiveness. This session explored the transformative potential of scalable connection, early risk detection, and enhanced student experience—while acknowledging that the reality is still unfolding.Speakers examined critical questions around whether student voices should serve as the key KPI, whether these systems can truly lower costs, empower staff, and increase persistence, and how institutions should evaluate the trade-offs between automation and meaningful human support. The conversation also addressed essential human considerations including privacy, authenticity, and agency as higher education navigates the line between automation and co-intelligence.By exploring both the promise and the complexity of Agentic AI, this session highlighted how colleges and universities are rethinking recruitment, retention, and student engagement strategies to build more responsive, ethical, and effective systems for learner success.
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Credentialing for 2030: Skills, Credit, and Mobility
May 600:43:48Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Kevin Guthrie, President at ITHAKA; Chris Ferguson, Executive Vice Chancellor of Finance and Strategic Initiatives at California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office; Abby Snay, Deputy Secretary, Workforce Strategy at California Labor and Workforce Development Agency; Brenda Thames, President/CEO at El Camino College; and Anna Silk, Partner at BCG.Across the country, colleges and workforce systems have been rethinking how learning is recognized so students can receive credit for the skills they gain through work, military service, apprenticeships, and industry certifications. This session explored how expanding Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), aligning credentials with industry demand, and improving credit mobility and the portability of learning records across institutions and employers can create faster, more affordable pathways into high-demand careers—particularly for working adults.Drawing on lessons from California’s large-scale credentialing reforms and Ithaka’s strategic research on student mobility, credit transfer, and outcomes, speakers highlighted practical strategies, emerging models, and policy enablers that other states and systems can adapt to improve equity, reduce time to completion, and strengthen economic mobility.By examining how credentialing systems can evolve to better reflect real-world skills and learner mobility, this conversation showcased how colleges, workforce leaders, and policymakers are building more flexible, inclusive pathways to opportunity for the future of work.
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The Design Gap: Why “Good Enough” Consumer Tech Isn’t Good Enough for Schools
May 600:40:56Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Jamie Reffell, Chief Product Officer at Clever, Inc.; Dan Meyer, VP User Growth at Amplify; Christian Pantel, Chief Product Officer at D2L; Dr. Kimberly Smith, Executive Director at Jackson Public Schools; and Erin Mote, CEO at InnovateEdu.As AI and consumer platforms entered classrooms, the line between technology designed for engagement and technology designed for learning had become increasingly blurred. This session explored the design gap between consumer-grade tools and education-focused technology, examining how learning science, procurement, and policy shape what actually reaches students.Speakers discussed how rapid evidence and outcomes-based contracting can help schools distinguish between tools that simply make answers easier and those that make thinking deeper. Rather than debating whether technology belongs in schools, the conversation focused on defining what quality looks like when learning—not engagement—is the primary goal.By confronting the challenges of design, implementation, and accountability, this session highlighted what it takes to ensure educational technology supports meaningful cognitive development and stronger student outcomes in an AI-enabled era.
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Addressing Cheating in the AI Era: Moving Academic Integrity Upstream
May 600:40:33Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Dave Duke, SVP & Chief Product Officer at McGraw Hill; Annie Chechitelli, Chief Product Officer at Turnitin; Anne Jones, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Arizona State University; Jenny Maxwell, Head of Education at Superhuman; and Camilla Roberts, Director, Honor and Integrity System; President Emerita, Kansas State University; and ICAI.In the age of AI, academic integrity had shifted from offensive cheating to defensive coping, as students navigated pervasive tools and unclear expectations. This session examined why detection alone would not solve the challenge and introduced an emerging paradigm: moving integrity upstream.The conversation explored how institutions can foster productive struggle and authentic learning by setting clear norms, using collaborative AI intentionally, and emphasizing the learning process over the final product. Integrity experts and technologists shared practical, real-world strategies for redefining academic integrity beyond surveillance and enforcement.By focusing on proactive system design rather than reactive detection, this session highlighted how schools and institutions can build a sustainable culture of integrity—one that supports authentic learning, clarifies expectations, and prepares students to engage responsibly with AI in education.
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Global Universities Are Redefining the Model — Lessons from Beyond the U.S.
May 600:43:31Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Sven Schütt, CEO at IU Group; Eilif Serck-Hanssen, CEO at Laureate; Laura Kakon, Former Chief Growth & Strategy Officer at Honoris United Universities; Abdujabbor Abduvohidov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Central Asian University; and Lucy Stonehill, CEO at Alwin Education Limited.Around the world, higher education institutions have been growing and evolving under constraints that differ markedly from those in the United States. Drawing on experience across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and beyond, this session explored how many global university groups have built scalable models without relying on high tuition or rigid academic pathways. Instead, these institutions have developed flexible credit structures, employer-aligned programs, innovative financing approaches, and AI-enabled teaching and student support.This conversation brought together leaders of major non-U.S. higher education organizations to discuss what they have built, why it works, and which lessons matter most for institutions navigating change in any system. Speakers examined how global models are redefining access, scalability, and workforce alignment while offering practical insights for colleges and universities seeking to evolve in a rapidly changing educational landscape.By looking beyond the U.S., this session highlighted how alternative higher education frameworks can inform the future of institutional design, student success, and sustainable growth worldwide.
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Why is Accountability Controversial? The Future of Assessment in a Choice World
May 600:42:47Summary readyRecorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured John Danner, CEO at Flourish Schools; Renato Feder, Secretary of Education São Paulo at Secretaria da Educação do Estado de SP; Susana Martinez, Governor at Governor Susana Martinez; Victoria Pylvainen, Senior Vice President at LearningMate; Don Soifer, CEO at National Microschooling Center; and Michael Horn, Author of Job Moves.In a Multiple Choice world, accountability had to become smarter—and more urgent. As learning expanded across public, private, charter, microschool, homeschool, hybrid, and AI-enabled models, this session examined a critical question: not whether accountability matters, but how to design it to actually improve outcomes for kids. Speakers addressed the reality that too many students are still leaving school without mastery in reading, math, and core subjects.This conversation confronted the tension head-on by exploring which measures drive real learning, how to balance flexibility with shared expectations for mastery, and how accountability can evolve to support personalization without lowering the bar. Panelists examined the future of assessment in an increasingly diverse educational ecosystem and considered how smarter accountability systems can support innovation while keeping student outcomes at the center.As educational choice expands, this session highlighted the importance of building accountability frameworks that preserve rigor, strengthen transparency, and ensure that diverse schooling models remain focused on meaningful student achievement.
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