Adaptive learning technology in all its many permutations is very top of mind these days. A study just released on April 9 by the Gates Foundation tracks and compares adaptive learning products and vendors for colleges and universities, and shows just how great the need and interest is right now. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a proponent of adaptive learning solutions in post- secondary (and all) education, and believes it holds the key to enhancing instructional effectiveness , delivering more personalized learning pathways to students, and providing the education needed to succeed in the 21^st century.

Simply put, adaptive learning is an educational method which uses computers and software as interactive teaching devices. The software adapts presentation of material to student needs, driven by responses to questions and tasks – essentially, a digital tutor that can serve learners of every subject, at every age and grade level.

The history of adaptive learning is a long one.  Since the 1960s, educator’s search for low-cost, individualized tutoring has led to the development of many adaptive learning technologies: computer-assisted instruction, adaptive hypermedia, intelligent tutors, computer-supported collaborative learning and individualized learning systems. But nothing was comprehensive enough to be able to truly tutor until now. What’s the next generation version of the technology? Intelligent adaptive learning.

Intelligent adaptive learning is the great leap forward.  The artificial intelligence movement of the 1970s envisaged a system that could adjust to the learner to deliver a better experience, and provided much of the behavioral and scientific research needed. At the time, the sheer cost and size of computers was an insurmountable barrier. Now, tech-enabled learning that combines cognitive modeling, big data augmented by learning analytics with sophisticated devices – intelligent adaptive learning – is here for just about anyone with a computer or other web-enabled device.

How data works to drive instruction, learning and remediation.  Intelligent adaptive learning’s hallmark is that data is continuously collected and the system is ‘learning as the learner learns.’ Continuous, real-time, actionable data that furnishes feedback for the student and the learning guardian, it’s  a  system that isn’t just gathering intelligence, it becomes more intelligent about the individual learner’s abilities and strategies,  and delivers a complex of interwoven benefits:

•             Intelligent analysis of a student’s solutions. The system interacts with the student by analyzing the data from the student’s actions in real-time as he solves problems, explores concepts, and makes decisions.

•             Interactive problem solving support. Extensive, detailed feedback provides prompts to the student that cause him to rethink his strategies and solutions, and ultimately correct misunderstandings or mistakes. Instead of simply “telling” a novice student what the “next step” of an expert’s strategy would be, the system emulates the actions of an effective tutor.

•             Curriculum sequencing. The system sequences the student’s progression through the modularized curriculum by providing the optimal planned sequence of curriculum units as the student demonstrates readiness.

•             Multiple learning experiences. The intelligent adaptive learning system provides multiple pedagogical approaches to teach each concept. Tasks are meaningful, at an optimal level of difficulty for the student, and contextualized in ways that enable students to build schemas so they can make sense of the concept within the world around them.

•             Customized presentation and pace. Diagnostic, adaptive assessments are embedded within each lesson to assess mastery in a fluid, transparent way that doesn’t create anxiety for students. As a student progresses through the system, his pace is determined by how quickly he demonstrates mastery of a concept, thus pace varies across learners.

Research shows accelerated learning velocity. There is ongoing research in intelligent adaptive learning, and so far, studies show that results from computer-based learning systems approximate those from human tutoring and increased learning in shorter periods of time compared to traditional teaching. For research, further information, and sources, take a look at this recent white paper: Intelligent Adaptive Learning.

Leveling the playing field. One of the exciting things about intelligent adaptive learning is that it provides a new paradigm for learning. It has a democratizing effect – it doesn’t matter what your zip code is, your background, whether English is your second language, or whether you’re an advanced or challenged student in the subject being learned. The system adapts to the individual learner and advances them in a way that is appropriate and non-threatening, and if the system is well designed, it should make learning fresh, fun and stimulating.

Intelligent adaptive learning now and in the future. For those who have already adopted intelligent adaptive learning systems, they have a diagnostic tool, a learning resource, and a source of valuable data that can be used on a variety of devices to optimize learning. Schools whose budgets are stretched, who struggle with class size, and are looking for ways to do more with less in these challenging times have reason to be optimistic. Every day, more research is being done and even greater advances made – there have been recent technologies released that use eye-tracking to inform intelligent adaptive learning systems – the future looks bright.

About the author:

Jessie Woolley-Wilson
President, CEO, & Chairman of the Board

Jessie Woolley-Wilson is Chair, President and CEO of DreamBox Learning®, the company heralded as a “game changer” in the eLearning sector by nationally renowned academic and technology pundits.  Before joining DreamBox Learning, Jessie was President of the K–12 Group at Blackboard where she led the company’s growth and development for the virtual and blended online learning market.  Prior to Blackboard, she was President of LeapFrog SchoolHouse. Jessie has also served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Technology and Education.  In 2012, she was named to the Forbes “Impact 15” list for being a disruptor of education and honored as a “Woman of Influence” by The Puget Sound Business Journal for making an impact in the education technology industry as well as the community.  In 2011, she was spotlighted as a “Best Leaders to Watch” in EdNET’s “Best for 2011,” a peer recognition program. Jessie received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA in English from the University of Virginia.  She is a 2007 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

About DreamBox Learning

DreamBox Learning was founded in 2006 in Bellevue, Washington and launched its first online learning product in January 2009. The platform has won more than 20 top education and technology industry awards and is in use in all 50 states. DreamBox Learning Math offers a groundbreaking combination of intelligent adaptive learning, rigorous elementary mathematics curriculum, and motivating learning environment. The innovative DreamBox platform captures every decision a student makes while working in the program and adjusts the student’s learning path appropriately, providing millions of individualized learning paths, each one tailored to a student’s unique needs.