Chapter 5

Knewton adaptive learning in the classroom

Adaptive learning supports mastery-based learning, a school of teaching founded on the idea that student progression through a course should be dependent on proficiency as opposed to the amount of time spent on academic work. Though it may not always be referred to by name, mastery-based learning describes any situation in which one is given a set of problems, labs, or activities, and in which progression through that material is dependent on successful completion of various tasks rather than seat time. Download PDF

Online adaptive learning makes it possible to implement mastery-based learning in a scalable way. Knewton Math Readiness, for example, creates a guided, self-paced environment in which live instruction is optimized around targeted group sessions. The course is designed to present students with personal learning paths as it continually assesses their mathematical proficiency and adapts accordingly. Lessons consist of videos, online textbook selections, and lesson quizzes. Early efficacy reports reflect the success of the program: after two semesters of use with over 2,000 developmental math students at Arizona State University, withdrawal rates dropped by 56%, pass rates went from 64% to 75%, and 45% of the class finished four weeks early.

This implementation model is often referred to as blended learning, a term which describes any arrangement in which a student learns in part at a brick-and-mortar facility and in part through online delivery with student control over time, place, path, or pace.

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knewton math readiness results at asu

Irene Bloom, a Senior Lecturer at ASU, was originally a skeptic of online learning. But she says that the classroom dynamic has changed for the better since introducing Knewton into her developmental math classes: “I love looking around the classroom and seeing them working in groups, talking to each other and explaining things to each other… Most of the time, different groups are working on different things, depending on where they are in the course. This is very new for me. Before this, I worked on the assumption that all students were at the same place. Now, because they progress at different rates, I meet them where they are.”