An adaptive learning system is a technological boon that personalizes the student's academic journey as per his/her most suitable style. Today, these new Ed-tech trends are assisting in improving the educational processes across all stages of formal education. And within this new face of education, students are now the central point of educational planning.
Owing to this paradigm shift, each stakeholder needs to know how to implement these digital solutions in a classroom.
Let us take a quick overview of this new trend in the world of education before taking up its implementation part:
Literally speaking, in an adaptive learning environment, the program adapts as per the learner's needs using digital solutions. It is an aid to improve the educational processes and caters to each student through personalized instructions. Primarily, this technology is used to modify/alter/create individualized instructions for each student using the data gathered through specific responses/activities. In digital schooling platforms and blended models, these solutions of the Ed-tech industry help align the educational goals with the specific needs of the targeted groups. All in all, it is a perfect way to provide 'personalized instruction' in the real sense.
Read further to understand more about the process of creating a customized e-learning environment for your learners-
Line up the course components using your expertise-
Technology is a supportive pillar for the teachers and students and assists in improving the processes.
The initial steps of designing adaptively in a classroom are crucial for an educator. An educator should select the content carefully, align it as per the correct sequence and also add assessments as per the targeted group.
Further, you should also remember that this supportive aid appeals to learners only if it is comprehensive and free from ambiguity.
Even while teaching in a virtual learning environment, the teacher should be available as a guide and mentor throughout the duration. Even the instructions given by the teacher should be evident within the course/program. And learners should be able to comprehend each part of these guidelines without any difficulty.
Setting up the Rules
Another aspect that helps implement adaptive learning theory well in a classroom is the automated rule assigning by the teacher. As we already know that digital tools are helpful to gauge the trends, productivity, and strengths of students. Hence, a teacher should implement this approach after carefully designing the internal set of rules that determine these outcomes. Once these tools are designed accurately, they can help create a perfect customized e-learning environment for each student.
In a way, these programs should be designed to track the activity/repetition of the activity/time taken in completing the assessments/lessons, etc. As this technology uses artificial intelligence, the system's recommendations can be accurate only if the teacher has accurately fed the key information. This means that the bifurcation of online learning content, the demarcation of moving further, and the criterion of assessments, etc., should be within the framework before implementation.
Once you meet these pre-requisites, you will be able to optimize the learning environment easily. And you will be able to support your targeted group with their academic journey.
Make use of assistive scaffolding intelligently.
The educational paradigm shift through assistive technology is also an excellent opportunity for teachers to use their creativity and expertise in designing these tools. In a customized e-learning environment, these intelligent software assists students through individualized support like supplementary material/practice content, etc. The educator can make ample use of this technology to cement the knowledge of the subject matter better. The auto-graded quiz incorporated within these tools is both fun and essential in learning.
Make use of varied formats.
Students have different learning styles and pace. All of them learn differently because of these differences. While integrating these assistive tools, you must mix and match various formats (like videos and audios) to appeal to heterogeneous groups.
Know where to add your human touch
Ed-tech is a game-changer when it comes to personalized learning opportunities. However, it has its own limitations over and above the numerous advantages. While planning and implementing an adaptive learning system within a classroom, a teacher must validate the information/examples/content/resources/material within the systems. Because we cannot always rely on the intelligence of machines alone to plan and execute the best quality educational experiences.
As a guide or mentor focused on the goals, you must judge the material as per your learners' styles/types/intelligence and level. This practice is similar to proofreading because a poorly planned course/program design can be taken for granted by the learners. If they simply select responses and there is no thoughtful idea behind the content, it might end up just as a wasteful activity for all of you. Hence, in a virtual learning environment, the judgment of the mentor is quite essential. Do not forget to add this human touch as it is irreplaceable.
Use a mixed bag of strategies.
Artificial/machine intelligence promises excellent results if you include a mix of strategies. Try to include more elements that support critical thinking and help construct new knowledge (based on the prior knowledge) through these Ed-tech tools. In the end, it is all about engaging students purposefully for the best results.
Integrate assessments mindfully
Other than strategizing, you should also plan your assessments well. Because adaptive e-learning learning theory is futile if you do not add a 360-degree monitoring mechanism to it. For learners, prompt feedback is not just to highlight areas of improvement but also to encourage them to perform better within their customized e-learning program.
Let us wrap up-
Planning and designing an adaptive learning system is an endeavor that promises long-term benefits. From personalizing experiences to high-end engagement, the blessing of digital tools has made way for the much-awaited changes in the landscape. Hopefully, in the years to come, more and more online schools and traditional schools will incorporate these aids.
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Fulfill all the promise of NEW-AGE LEARNING for our global citizens in the making!
Thanks for Reading!
Edwin Lim
May 04, 2021
