Insights
At 2U, Innovation Isn’t a Buzzword. It’s a Build Strategy.
When you’ve been in the edtech industry for as long as I have, you learn the difference between noise and progress. The most enduring innovations—the ones that actually improve outcomes—are grounded in something deeper: a respect for what makes great education great. Integrity. Rigor. Human connection.
Last year, as I considered where to take my career next, I knew I needed to find an organization where I could build on that belief. I had been watching 2U for years. I knew its history, its scale, its reputation. What stood out most was 2U’s unwavering focus on partnership. This wasn’t a company trying to sidestep universities or replace faculty. It wasn’t trying to disrupt higher education for the sake of it. 2U was a company that wanted to strengthen the industry and those who had built it. That mattered to me.
And it still does. That conviction in partnership, in substance over flash, is exactly what now drives our approach to innovation. We’re not here to chase trends, although those can be good indicators of market shifts. We’re here to create capabilities that enhance learning, empower faculty, and connect the right learners with the right offerings at the right time. We’re here to build with clarity, discipline, and a deep understanding of the institutions and learners we serve.
Innovation with Intention
At 2U, we define innovation as extending the reach and impact of the faculty-centered, high-quality education our partners are known for through thoughtful use of technology and data. We call it “AI + HI”: artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline and scale the educational experience, paired with the human interactions (HI) that make learning personal, meaningful, and responsive.
We’re not automating people out of the equation—we’re identifying the most critical human interactions and giving our partners the tools to focus on them. Whether that means helping a student struggling with coursework or making it easier for a prospective learner to get the information they need to make an informed decision, our innovation efforts are centered on removing friction and adding value.
Disciplined by Design
Every innovation we consider moves through a rigorous, four-phase product lifecycle: ideate, validate, deliver, run. This isn’t internal jargon. It’s a framework that keeps us honest about what we’re building and why. A filter with multiple checkpoints that allows us to focus our energy on innovations that solve challenges worth solving.
We start by listening to our partners, to learners, and to our internal experts. We define a clear strategy based on who we are and how we can continuously expand access to our partners’ particular brand of education in an increasingly competitive market.
We have a narrow set of high-impact priorities, which allow our team to move quickly to test what’s viable and stay grounded. This experimentation starts with the edX platform where there’s the highest scale, frequent launches, and minimal change-related risk. If successful, pilots are rolled out to executive education. The final step is degrees. Not everything makes it through, and that’s intentional. If it doesn’t measurably serve our partners or learners, we don’t scale it.
Take Xpert Learning Assistant (LA), our AI-powered tutor embedded in the course environment. We started with a challenge identified in student surveys: One of the most cited reasons why learners drop out of our programs is that the program is more difficult than they expected. Learners require more support in understanding course materials, but they don’t always feel comfortable raising a hand when they’re stuck. We needed to create a way for them to ask questions without fear and then get immediate personalized support. Xpert LA does just that while also freeing up faculty to engage more deeply with their students. We tested Xpert LA in the lower-risk boot camp environment first and it proved effective: learners selected our AI assistant over human support at a rate of 274:1. Now, it’s being piloted in degree programs.
We are also exploring enrollment innovations like AI voicebots, to make it easier for prospective students to connect with us when it fits their lives—not just our hours.
This intentional approach to innovation may mean we will build fewer things now, but we will build them better and implement them more thoughtfully. And we will bring our most important stakeholders into the process early to ensure we’re solving the right problems in the right way. That’s what discipline looks like.
Focused Forward
2U has a long history of innovation, but today that innovation is sharper, more focused, and more aligned with the needs of our partners and learners.
We’ve done the hard work of rebuilding our foundation. Now, we ’re moving forward with tools that are tested, grounded, and built to responsibly preserve some of the world’s most trusted brands in the online arena.
In the months ahead, we’ll share more about how these innovations are taking shape, starting with a deeper look at Xpert and how it’s transforming student support while easing faculty workload.
We’re creating innovation in the service of real progress. And this is just the beginning.
Latest.
Learn more about us.
At 2U, we’re on a mission—to increase access to higher education and help partners thrive in the digital age. To learn more about who we are and what we do, follow the links below.