Informing and Performing: A Study Comparing Adaptive Learning to Traditional Learning

Introduction What is learning? Scholars and philosophers have investigated and debated myriad nuances of this pithy question and will continue to explore it as technology becomes more enmeshed in the human experience. On one hand, we have learned a great deal about learning; on the other hand, learning theories and teaching methods must evolve in concert with our brains as technology mediates our interaction with an increasingly complex, information-rich world. Technology has transformed education, perhaps most evidently in course delivery options. However, compelling questions remain about how technology impacts learning. We know that people differ in learning styles and that many other factors affect knowledge acquisition, retention and transfer. Adaptive learning tools are technology-based artifacts that interact with learners and vary presentation based upon that interaction. This paper compares adaptive learning with a conventional teaching/leaming approach implemented in a digital literacy course. Myriad theories have evolved to explain the complex interaction between conveyors and recipients of knowledge via various channels: one-to-one versus group instruction, online versus traditional versus hybrid courses, technology-enhanced versus human-guided, and so on. One such body of work, informing science theory, posits that an individual's multifaceted information needs interact with task requirements in the milieu of informer, channel, and receiver--dynamics that mirror any learning situation. For example, within the informing science paradigm, knowledge transfer occurs as informer, channel, and receiver interact in a complex environment (Cohen, 2009). In this context, adaptive learning is clearly an informing science that will garner significant attention among practitioners, researchers, and educators of all disciplines as foundational technologies evolve. A primary objective of formal education is to create effective and efficient learning environments. In higher education, the classic learning environment centers on a one-size-fits-all model. Wauters, Desmet and Van den Noortgate (2010) refer to this as a "static" environment, one in which each learner is provided with "the same information in the same structure using the same interface" (p. 549). The application of technology has facilitated more dynamic learning environments. In fact, the promise of technology has generated a new vision - that of intelligent personalized learning environments that facilitate real-time dynamic mapping and sequencing of instruction to individual learner characteristics. The platforms underlying these systems rely heavily on artificial intelligence and complex learning algorithms. Still simplistic in nature, these nascent systems suggest that we are years away from intelligent technology-based learning environments. That said, advances have been made, and personal learning environments are evolving rapidly via implementation of adaptive learning. Tyton Partners, formerly known as Education Growth Advisors, is a leading investor in the education marketplace. They define adaptive learning as "an approach to creating a personalized learning experience that employs a sophisticated data-driven, often non-linear approach to instruction and remediation. " Adaptive learning systems, the authors note, "adjust to a learner's interactions and demonstrated performance level, and subsequently anticipate types of content and resources learners need at a specific point in time to make progress" (Tyton Partners, 2013a, p. 4). Adaptive Learning Theory Educators have long known that learning is improved when instruction is personalized--adapted to individual learning styles. In fact, some argue that advocacy for adaptive instruction dates back to antiquity (Lee & Park, 2008). Modern views of adaptive learning theory, however, are rooted in the work of contemporary educational psychologists. …