I just finished reading Leveraging Personalized Learning to Increase Member Engagement on the ATD website. Andra Popescu presents a concise summary of the same three adaptive design steps that I have been explaining. To understand the learner, Andra suggests using the Socratic questioning techniques that I suggest using for building content with SMEs.
This approach is excellent, but I feel it is also important to consider that learners are not static. During the learning process a learner’s needs can fluctuate from moment to moment. Why is this important from a designer’s point of view? If you think you know your learner, you might be tempted to deliver static content designed for a specific set of learner criteria. Examples of this would be using pre-tests and branching to personalize learning, but only to a limited point.
However, if you understand that a learner’s educational needs may change at any moment, that challenges the designer to create a course that can adapt to changing needs on user demand. Fortunately, the Learner Intelligence adaptive design model addresses this need perfectly. Content is developed to address different learner needs just as Andra points out. Then, a flexible personalization menu allows the learner to personalize the content at any point in the course. Take a test drive of an adaptive course and then check the leaderboard to see how your learning path compares to others
The Learner Intelligence model is based on observations of how learning takes place in the classroom. At any point a learner can ask a question, which personalizes the learning as the instructor provides an answer. In some cases, an instructor does not need to wait for a question but can tell from a student’s behavior that content should be modified. The core principle behind the Learner Intelligence model is that given a choice the learner will always choose the way her or she learns best.
If this sounds powerful, it is. If it sounds difficult, it does not have to be. This website explains how to design adaptive courses using common tools such as Lectora and Storyline. Templates are available for immediate download from the resources page. Have fun as you personalize your courses and share your experiences in the comment section.