Pearson Aims to Become the 'Netflix of Education'

Company wants a single platform offering all forms of education content

Education provider Pearson is aiming to become the 'Netflix of education', according to Albert Hitchcock (pictured), the firm's chief technology and chief operating officer.

Hitchcock told V3 recently that his vision is to stitch together the group's existing education services under one platform using APIs.

The company currently operates a diverse set of education services via a large number of different platforms, most of which require separate access credentials.

This is a result of the firm's long-term growth via acquisition, and is something Hitchcock is working hard to change.

"In the past we created separate digital products that have been very successful in their own right, but they're unique instances of products. Now the approach is to create effectively a single platform," he said.

As part of this single-platform approach, Pearson has standardised its ERP estate on Oracle, having previously operated 63 separate systems.

"The analogy I use is to be the Netflix for education. We want to create a single platform to deliver all educational content and services, irrespective of the age and stage of the pupil," said Hitchcock.

"The other aspect is to make that platform very future-proof, to create a micro-services, API-based architecture that enables us to deliver all of our customer experiences through that single mechanism.

"Much as you would consume movies through Netflix, or buy services through Amazon, we want education to be delivered through this single, quality user experience, but available to all ages and stages of learners."

Hitchcock explained that this vision requires a new way of thinking at the company.

"That's quite an all-encompassing vision and it gets us to think through the whole way we run and structure the business," he said.

"The strategy is to put the platform at the centre of our business, and have all the operational processes run around the platform. So it's a radically different approach from the way the company worked in the past."

The new platform will also use machine learning to recommend relevant services.

http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2471013/pearson-aims-to-become-the-netflix-of-education

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How's that working out for you Mr. Hitchcock?

Sounds great to create a 'Netflix' of education but…

In order to produce ground-breaking learning experiences (which will compliment, enhance and surpass existing forms), Pearson's investments need to focus on amalgamating innovative digital-thinkers and educators, allowing them fertile grounds to cultivate NEW concepts from the bottom up.

Creating interactive buttons on 'print' exercises and images is a complete waste of time!!!

If Pearson continues to repackage old content instead of investing in and thus harvesting the REAL potentials of new media, they too will be on that downhill track of newspapers and television–sooner than they think!

Pearson is in the business of constantly repackaging old content and fitting it with different names. This was their practice with their textbooks and is now the practice with their technology products. This is not innovation, nor is it market leadership. Platform consolidation is a reasonable goal. For some companies, it just might be the move that rights the ship. But Pearson develops its technology in a way that fundamentally irritates its user base. A new platform will do nothing to address the business that Pearson hemorrhages every semester by virtue of heavy handed, ineffective, product development. Pearson will "develop" the good out of anything it touches.

The company arguably has a recent history of launching technology prematurely. When will senior management learn that strategy backfires? It did with ReadyPoint and appears to with Revel, as well.

The issue isn't a Netflix-like platform. The issue is that the technology has not been properly developed and tested. Many of the products are outdated and do not perform well. The company does not have the expertise on hand at developing and updating the software to meet current demand. Look at companies like Amazon that are constantly innovating -- this takes creative, well-paid staff who are treated with respect and dignity. Key people are not laid off or outsourced every quarter. Pearson's customers know the products don't work properly, and do complain, but most of them -- the students and the teachers -- are not the primary purchasers of the product. That is a third administrative party or committee who have now spent millions of dollars of public money on a defective product and attempt to hide that fact. So the teachers and students know they simply have to buckle down and make do, but often the products are so defective and the support so minimal there is no "making do." Pearson has tons of potential for improvement, so I applaud this writer for thinking of new ways to meet customer need, but it takes more than saying it -- they need to look at the structure of the company and get people at the top who understand how to implement technology.

Wow, Pearson corporate shills have finally found this site

No one is better at turning their technology vision into a reality than Pearson.

Good thread. Thanks, OP.

Thread regarding Pearson PLC layoffs

Pearson Aims to Become the 'Netflix of Education'

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