For centuries, education has been tied to a specific time, a teacher, and a classroom. As technology and new communication tools have developed, innovations such as interaction, social media, and asynchronous transmission (TV, video) have broken down the centralized nature of education, providing learners with tremendous flexibility. Although this flexibility is an important step, learners were still limited by specific methods and topics. Then a new technology emerged to solve this problem and fundamentally change learning: "Adaptive Learning."
So, what necessity led to the creation of adaptive learning? Each of us cannot learn a subject at the same pace and in the same way, right? Does it make sense to force people who learn in different ways to learn the same way at the same time? If we insist on this, it makes the provided education inefficient and shows how wrong the learning process is.
Adaptive learning designs education according to the learner's own learning method after assessing their knowledge. This system also adjusts and changes the learning method as the learner progresses in the subject.
For example, let's say we are teaching two people how to use a financial calculator. Suppose Person A has basic finance knowledge, while Person B does not. In adaptive learning, we can already know that Person A has basic finance knowledge. Explaining the basics of finance to Person A for hours would be a waste of time for both parties. Person B, on the other hand, needs to be taught the basics of finance first. At this point, the education provided should be tailored to the learner's knowledge. In summary, adaptive learning can be described as an education prepared in a personalized way.
Another advantage of adaptive learning is that both learners and educators can evaluate the results more accurately. This way, the best method of learning can be found, identifying which methods work, which do not, where learners struggle, and which methods lead to the best improvement and results.
Adaptive learning has actually been in use for a while. The origins of computer-based adaptive learning date back to the 1970s. Despite being around for some time and receiving good reviews, adaptive learning has not achieved widespread popularity. The main reason for this was its cost. In the past, establishing such systems was much more expensive than it is today. Additionally, the computers used for adaptive learning needed artificial intelligence capable of understanding individual learning methods. Artificial intelligence requires computers with solid processing power and the ability to develop software with advanced algorithms. The system also needed expert educators, technicians, and software developers to create the necessary content. Without a small army of professionals, there were no "DIY" solutions to design a single course.
Another issue with the widespread adoption of adaptive learning was the opaque nature of artificial intelligence. This was something only technology experts could understand. Consequently, the effort required for adaptive learning led education designers to other learning techniques and methods. The mystery surrounding artificial intelligence was exacerbated by the fact that developers kept their codes as trade secrets.
High-processing power computers, servers, web-based application development, and artificial intelligence that can be used as a service have become widespread. This is known as "machine learning." Adaptive learning platforms have emerged, even integrating solutions that allow educators and professionals to create their own adaptive courses. Systems have become more economical, and the most influential individuals in this field—education designers—can now have a say in this work.
In summary, it has become easier for educators and learning professionals to design adaptive learning systems. So, as the education manager of a large corporate organization, where do you start? By getting to know us, of course. We all know that traditional e-learning applications are now boring employees. That’s why we invite you to let us free you from outdated methods and technologies and introduce you to our personalized adaptive learning solutions supported by artificial intelligence and social applications.
With love and respect.