Choosing the Most Appropriate Adaptive Learning Technology

An Adaptive Learning Program (ALP) is a computer-based pedagogical system that enables instructors to change how they deliver information based on individual student performance.

The origins of ALPs may be traced back to 1950s cognitive psychology and the artificial intelligence movement of the 1970s. ALPs, a tried-and-true teaching approach, are increasingly being utilized in a variety of settings to better train and educate people. NASA, for example, employs ALPs in their safety models and simulation training. The US military has also employed them, such as the 2015 Army Learning Concept, which taught and prepared soldiers for an asymmetric engagement. However, ALP’s greatest potential to aid the greatest number of people is most likely in the educational area.

The Department of Education of the United States advocates the use of technology since it enables simultaneous instruction and evaluation. ALPs are strongly linked to the Race to the Top early learning reform project and align with Unified Basic State Standards. They teach current skills and improve the competitiveness of American students.

One of the most important advantages of ALPs is their ability to tailor learning. ALPs’ effective feedback loops have improved, allowing them to be used successfully in mixed learning situations. Students may track their progress, which aids in the development of self-monitoring skills and complete participation in their studies. Teachers, who may access current data to better understand students’ achievements, gain from the same feedback that promotes student success. This allows them to spot students who aren’t making enough progress or are in danger of bad outcomes. Educators can respond properly to each student if they have a thorough comprehension of the subject.

Some ALPs give information at different rates, but they don’t allow teachers to customize instruction or provide consistent evaluations. Keep the following suggestions in mind when evaluating various ALP options:

  1. An ALP should enable instructors to adjust curricular sequencing to improve each student’s experience of learning.
  2. Only once a student has demonstrated mastery of the present content should he or she be allowed to advance.
  3. ALPs should determine where students should begin based on their past knowledge and assist them in progressing. This stops disgruntled students from getting bored, and bright students from being bored.
  4. Students incorporate technology into every part of their lives. Games have become a popular tool to keep students interested in their studies. Students will find learning entertaining if the ALP is designed to look like a strategic game.
  5. Rather than instructing students what to do next, an ALP should act as a live instructor, prompting them to reconsider unsuccessful techniques.
  6. ALPs should personalize lesson presentations to meet the requirements of each student. Educators can offer new content in a way that matches the unique student’s requirements by constantly analyzing a student’s reactions to problems.

At precisely the correct time, intelligent ALPs give the appropriate next lesson at the appropriate difficulty level. When work is too simple, students work independently without assistance, no actual learning occurs, and students lose interest. Students grow irritated and quit up when the job is too difficult.

True learning occurs when students require assistance or must strive best to accomplish a task or comprehend an idea. Maintaining suitable difficulties encourages a student to become a mathematics “doer”—someone who improvises and analyzes in ways that can be applied both in school and in everyday life. This is ideal for teaching as well as learning.