.jpg)
An Interview with K. Rocco Shields, CEO and Founder of Genius Academy
At WGU Labs, we’re passionate about spotlighting our investees, innovators who we believe are shaping the future of education. In this interview, we’re thrilled to feature K. Rocco Shields, the CEO and founder of Genius Academy. With a groundbreaking approach to mental health education, Rocco and her team at Genius Academy are making waves in immersive, experiential, competency-based learning. Let’s dive into her vision, journey, and the impact that Genius Academy is making in the educational space.
What inspired Genius Academy’s creation?
Genius Academy was born from a deeply personal experience. My father’s battle with addiction and mental illness — and his passing in 2023 — revealed the shortcomings of our mental health system. He cycled through interventions that fell short, and it became painfully clear how much we need better-prepared mental health professionals.
I realized that we don’t ask pilots to fly without simulators, so why do we send therapists into the field without first practicing their skills in real-world scenarios? Often, students enter their internships and practice on clients for the very first time. Combining my filmmaking background with my expertise in online learning, I created Genius Academy to bridge this gap between theory and practice. Our platform empowers students to build the skills and confidence they need before stepping into the field through immersive, AI-driven simulations that mimic real-world scenarios. These simulations provide a safe space to practice, learn, and grow with immediate feedback and human-centric experiences.
What is the big problem Genius Academy is solving?
Mental health education has a critical flaw: It’s often too theoretical and lacks practical, hands-on training. Students graduate with conceptual knowledge but are unprepared to face real-world scenarios. That leaves them unprepared for the emotional and behavioral challenges they’ll encounter. A significant number of recent graduates — nearly four in ten — feel their colleges and universities fell short in equipping them to handle the emotional and behavioral challenges of transitioning into the workforce. This finding, highlighted in a 2023 survey by the Mary Christie Institute, underscores the pressing need for education that prepares students not just academically but also emotionally for real-world demands.
There’s also a financial barrier. Traditional solutions like standardized patient programs are prohibitively expensive, costing up to $32,500 annually for just ten sessions. That’s far beyond what most institutions can afford.
Genius Academy addresses both issues with its high-fidelity, AI-powered virtual simulations at a fraction of the cost, around $4,500 annually. This makes hands-on training accessible to institutions of all sizes, ensuring every aspiring mental health professional gets the preparation they deserve.
How does Genius Academy redefine education for mental health professionals?
Imagine expecting a surgeon to perform their first operation after only reading textbooks and watching videos without ever practicing on a cadaver or in a simulation. That’s essentially what we ask of mental health students. They graduate and step into complex, high-stakes situations without the chance to rehearse their skills. Our platform places learners in realistic scenarios where they can practice, make mistakes, and grow in a safe, controlled environment.
The simulations go beyond the basics. We teach students to recognize cultural nuances, navigate crises, and build emotional intelligence. Machine learning measures subtle indicators like tone and body language, providing immediate feedback that helps learners improve in real time. AI analyzes everything from tone to body language, offering real-time feedback to help learners improve on the spot. This kind of preparation is game-changing.
What is Genius Academy’s “secret sauce”?
Guided by Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, our method incorporates Simulation Specialists — real actors trained by mental health experts — and AI-driven assessments to create unparalleled realism and authenticity. Unlike avatars or augmented reality, these specialists convey nuanced emotions and body language that only real people can provide. This human connection builds cognitive empathy, sharpens communication, and prepares students to handle complex clinical situations with confidence.
Our AI-driven evaluation process assesses everything from tone and sincerity to verbal and non-verbal communication in real time. It also provides a scalable method for faculty to evaluate durable skills without having to spend extensive time meeting with students one-on-one or reviewing prerecorded responses to clinical simulations. Our approach streamlines the evaluation process, enabling faculty to focus on mentorship, deeper engagement, and higher-order teaching.
This combination of human connection and advanced technology transforms learning. Eighty-three percent of Genius Academy learners improved their empathy scores within a two-week period, and 98% rated their simulation feedback and results as "accurate and helpful” or “exceptionally insightful."
What do you hope to achieve through your partnership with WGU Labs?
Our partnership with WGU Labs is a game-changer. At Genius Academy, we’ve built something revolutionary. But scaling that impact takes the right partners, and WGU Labs brings the strategic expertise and reach to accelerate our mission.
This collaboration is about breaking down barriers to high-quality, hands-on training. Together, we’re expanding access to competency-based, AI-powered simulations that measure and refine critical skills like empathy and cultural competency — skills that have never been quantifiable until now. WGU Labs’ investment allows us to expand our curriculum, scale our reach by 400%, and move toward cash flow positivity, all while equipping more students with the tools they need to change lives.
Mental health education can’t stay stuck in the past. Textbooks and lectures don’t prepare students for the complexities of real-world care. With WGU Labs, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, making sure the next generation of professionals isn’t just ready but prepared to meet the challenges of today’s mental health crisis.
What excites you most about the future of education?
What excites me most about the future of education? We’re finally moving beyond passive learning and into real-world readiness. Education isn’t just about absorbing information anymore; it’s about doing, about experiencing, about becoming truly prepared for the complexities of real-world work.
Technology is transforming how we measure and refine human skills, and we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible. In fields like mental health, where professionals need more than just knowledge — they need empathy, adaptability, and emotional intelligence — traditional training has always fallen short. Genius Academy’s platform allows us to accurately capture and quantify the complexities of human interaction like never before. We’re training students not just to know what to do, but to feel what it means to connect, to listen, and to truly support someone in crisis.
And this is just the beginning. As AI evolves, so does our ability to refine these training experiences, making them more personalized, more dynamic, more human. With continued growth, Genius Academy is uniquely positioned to lead this revolution, staying on the cutting edge of AI-driven education. Our mission is to ensure that when students enter the workforce, they don’t just step in — they step in ready to change lives.
The world really could use it right now.
.png)
.png)
