By Constance Johnson, March 7, 2016, Website Educause review (Why IT matters in higher education).
Mrs. Johnson gives a description of the main benefits of the Adaptive Learning Platforms used by the Colorado Technical University.
Main benefits
The main benefits of the adaptive learning platform are decribed by her as:
- Increased control: In course-end evaluations, students report that they can move quickly through what they know and focus on what they do not, so they are not left behind or repeating work.
- More engagement: Our students report that adaptive learning makes classes "more fun," and that fun usually translates into greater interest in topics and increased enjoyment when completing course tasks.
- Long-term learning: As evidenced by student engagement data and assessment performance in CTU's adaptive learning platform, adaptive learning offers students more than rote memorization of facts; students learn new information, retain that information, and then can readily apply it both in and out of the classroom.
- Higher confidence: Our students report in course-end evaluations that they feel good when they master subject areas that they have struggled with in the past, and that adaptive learning helps them gain confidence in showing what they know and proactively addressing what they do not.
- Improved results: All students get extra support in areas they might be struggling with, which can help improve performance and degree completion rates.
- More credit: Adult learners can receive credit for workforce, training, community, and prior education experiences, enabling them to move more quickly to new learning areas.
Some evaluation results given in the website-article are
'‘In a recent review of pass rate, final grade, and retention data, we identified Accounting I as the course with the highest pass rate increase since its launch on Intellipath in October 2013. We compared pre-Intellipath data from October 2012 through September 2013 to post-Intellipath launch data from October 2013 through December 2015. The pass rate went up to an 81 percent average — a 27 percent increase. The course retention rate rose about 9 percent to 95 percent, while the final grade average increased by 10 percent, to 79 percent. CTU's Accounting II and III courses also experienced higher pass and retention rates: between 5 and 7 percent for pass rates and an average of 2.5 percent for retention rates.’
To read the complete article, click here.
Platform Intellipath
More information about the platform Intellipath can be found on the website of the Colorado Technical University .
A short explanation for the students is given: ‘Personalizing Your Education: Through a series of questions, adaptive learning technology recognizes what you already know, anticipates what you’re ready to learn and tailors your course materials accordingly. That way, you can move quickly over what you already know and have more opportunities to learn something new.’