Final Paper Section
Welcome to the final paper section. Here you'll be able to view my argumentative essay pertaining to why I believe adaptive learning should be available as an alternative learning method in Post-secondary institutions.
David Brown
Ms. Judy Hampel English 1001 – Argumentative Essay March 15, 2017 Adaptive Learning: The Revolution “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This is a famous quote from the late President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. As we know education has changed our entire planet. We now have a better understanding of life and how it works. It’s important that education continues so life can continue fluidly. Unfortunately, while great strides have been made there are still a few hurdles we face. One hurdle is the access of education. Due to the rise of tuition many were faced with the choice, ‘pay for college or eat’. Thankfully, we’re making great strides using governmental grants, loans and scholarships from various sources. Now that we have the financial issue addressed, there’s still a lingering topic up for discussion – learning course material. Course material isn’t an issue, but how the mind processes and learns the material is. Let’s take a step back to find what traditional theory is used in education. Philosophers Plato and Locke’s theories are the initial basis for the “traditional learning system.” Plato posed the question, how do we learn additional information if we have had no exposure previously? Locke posed the answer to this question saying that at birth, we have “mental powers” that allow us to pick up our surroundings. This leads to formulating abstract ideas and is the pathway to how we know “learning” today. A popular finding came from Howard Gardner, who made a revolutionary discovery about humans. It wasn’t until the 60’s when Psychologist Howard Gardner discovered there’s more than one intelligence(s) a human can possess. His research changed how we see the human mind today, especially in the realm of education. According to the scholarly article “The Relationship between Multiple Intelligences and Performance of EFL Students in Different Forms of Reading Comprehension Tests” by Karim Hajhashemi et al. listed the 8 intelligences: Spatial, Bodily-Kinetic, Musical, Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Naturalistic. This is important considering that many minds do not use ‘read-write’ as a method of learning. These factors along with a person’s learning style (auditory, visual and tactical) affect a person’s learning experience. Adaptive learning is a fantastic method to aide students in learning difficult course material. College institutions should incorporate this method as an alternative for difficult subjects. Adaptive leaning has shown to be beneficial to students and facilitates learning difficult subjects. A good question is how does adaptive learning use both learning styles and intelligences together? The software is interchangeable between the instructor and the student. The instructor will have content that has a learning objective to satisfy the curriculum for the subject being taught. The student will use the program for coursework assigned by the instructor. The student will then be tested in the program and data will be collected. The program has several functions working at the same time. One function is assessing the student’s area of strength and weakness regarding the subject. Another function is what style (auditory, visual, etc.) best achieves these results. It’ll constantly adjust to keep progression, but can revert when digression is noted. The professor then monitors students to help in troubled areas that are not being mastered. While it’s common for students to have difficulty in college level courses, a method was created to assist students on a personal level –it’s called adaptive learning. What exactly is adaptive learning? According to the scholarly article “Evaluation of an Adaptive Online Learning System,” written by Dr. Edwin R. Griff, adaptive learning is a method that uses technology to adjust to a student’s individual learning needs in a subject. I believe this method should be available to all institutions of higher learning, because it’ll give students a chance to learn valuable information in their choice of concentration with the aid needed for success. No one should be left behind in the world of education; this method is revolutionary and can do just that. As discussed, adaptive learning is a method that can tailor to students needs in a subject such as math. According to the article “The Influence of Experiencing Success in Math on Math Anxiety Perceived Competence and Math Performance,” written by Brenda R.J. Jansen, a study was conducted with students in relation to test anxiety. It was discovered that repetition helps to ease anxiety by solidifying material until mastery. The article also mentions how anxiety plays a part in the success of learning. In addition, the article “A Learning Style Perspective to Investigate the Necessity of Developing Adaptive Learning Systems,” written by Gwojen Hwang et al, a study was reported involving students to determine the effectiveness of a program compared to the traditional ‘student-teacher’ method. The study showed that students who used the adaptive program learned the material better than those who didn’t (students were tested on material covered to make this determination). It’s safe to say that If you combine tailored ‘effective’ learning with practice (repetition) essentially, it can cut learning curves, reduce anxiety and produce positive outcomes for students. While many contests that this is just in math and doesn’t apply to every subject, there is only one instance this statement is true. According the book “On-Line vs. Face-to-Face Development of Interactive English Oral Competence: An Empirical Contrastive Study,” written by Timothy Reed, English was shown to not be as effective learning through a program. While, this can appear to be a valid point, we must consider what intelligence is required for that subject. English is more of an art as opposed to a logic style modality. Math is definite –take in account “1+1=2.” You cannot have one object, add 1 more and physically make 3. Math uses numbers to prove a result physically. English is opposite of the logic math intel’s, you can “legally” write a sentence in many ways, but you rarely can do this in math. Since English requires ‘person-to-person’ instruction due to complexity, how would a program be a good teacher? This argument isn’t based well on facts of what adaptive learning is. Adaptive learning isn’t the primary teacher, it’s just an aid. So how exactly does it work? Adaptive Learning is a ‘tool’ used to aid the professor. Content can be complex, but the program identifies a student’s weakness using statics. The professor can then aid the student in problematic areas more effectively. Often a student can’t articulate problem areas and tests are the best way that a determination can be made. Regarding money, many are concerned about institutions rising tuition as compensation. For this situation, institutions have access to foundations whose sole purpose is to aid financially. One thing to consider is how a university makes money. A crucial factor is enrollment rate and the amount of retained students. According the scholarly article “Adaptive Learning: Clearing the Hurdles: Overcoming Six Challenges Encountered in Implementing Adaptive Learning” by Barb Freda, Arizona State funds their own ADL program. However, Phil Regier the Universities Dean states how having students return and continue their education provides more revenue over increasing tuition. In short, retention is the college’s focus and not their profit. A recent report was released about Browne’s K-12 education campus in Washington D.C. Browne’s been listed as one of the top 40 lowest performing schools in 2012. Browne’s administrators decided to adopt adaptive learning in hopes of reviving their short comings. According to the scholarly article “How adaptive learning really works,” Tara Smith, projected Browne’s to surpass their current ranking by 2016. Smith reports that 81% of their students met the educational standards required by the end of the 2016 school year; this is a 151% academic growth compared to surrounding schools. This means they have a 50% growth over the average of that year in comparison to the D.C. area. These impressive results show how adaptive learning can make a difference in a student’s scholastic life. Some may make a counter-claim that not every school is guaranteed to have success. While nothing is perfect, they must consider the outstanding results that this method has shown. This method is becoming increasing popular and the academic evidence speaks for itself. According to the scholarly article “A Strategy to Join Adaptive and Reputation-Based Social Collaborative E-Learning, Through the Zone of Proximal Development” Maria De Marsico et al, mention how this method is widely accepted from having such impressive results in the education system. Marsico et al. also include how planning is needed to ensure instructors and students can use the technology effectively. Since instructors undergo training at their institutions, adding adaptive will be no different. To those who argue this can be a waste of time, the bigger picture is important. Innovation in education is taking place all the time and if a method shows proof of perpetuity it will not be a vain cause. Adaptive leaning can be beneficial to students who are going to college via distance learning. Adaptive learning can provide work-life balance outside of the class room and aide with learning curves. Since students are likely to be busy with work and family, it’s gives the chance to effectively learn while maintaining our lives. While some argue that online colleges aren’t as effective, there are plenty of reputable online institutions. According to Colorado Tech University’s website, in 2016, US News and World Report claimed the school as the best online institution. They offer a great education with widely accepted recognition. A survey “Mc Graw-Hill” took a poll in 2016 of effectiveness from student reviews (see figure 1). Figure 1 *Graphic from Mc Graw-Hill student feedback survey in 2016 Mc Graw-Hill specializes in providing effective study material via technology or through books. Their most noted for their adaptive learning technology that aids students with test material. This poll consisted of feedback from student’s who were surveyed on their experience using. The satisfactory results demonstrate the positive effect the adaptive method it can have on a student’s learning experience. Adaptive learning is a revolutionary method to aid students in learning college level material. Adaptive learning’s design is to tailor to the students specific learning needs. Data is collected to not only help students in problematic areas, but to allow instructors to personally monitor progress with precision. Reports have shown the effectiveness of the adaptive learning method to be a rising star in education. Schools have gone from the poor academic standing this low-risk method would be a terrific addition to institutions around the United States. It will give those students who thought they weren’t “smart enough” a chance to have their needs met. They will have the support they need to master difficult subjects, and the instructors to be able to pinpoint troubled areas if they arise. Adaptive learning is a revolutionary method that can give each person the divine right to a great education. Words Cited Hill, McGraw - Digital Study Trends in Higher Education. Digital image. McGraw-Hill. McGraw-Hill, 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. Hwang, Gwo-Jen Hwang, Han-Yu Sung, Chun-Ming Hung and Iwen Huang. “A Learning Style Perspective to Investigate the Necessity of Developing Adaptive Learning Systems.” Educational Technology & Society, Volume 16, 2012, 188-197. Jansen, Brenda R.J. Jolien Louwerse, Marthe Straatemeier, Sanne H.G, Van der Ven, Sharon Klinkenberg, Han L.J. Van der Maas. “The Influence of Experiencing Success in Math on Math Anxiety, Perceived Math Competence, and Math Performance.” Learning and Individual Differences, 22 December 2012, 190-197. “Awards and Recognitions at University of Colorado” Colorado Tech University, 2016, http://www.coloradotech.edu/about/awards. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. Freda, Barb. Adaptive Learning: Clearing the Hurdles: Overcoming Six Challenges Encountered in Implementing Adaptive Learning.” University Business, Sept 2016, 39+ De Marsico, Maria et al. “A Strategy to Join Adaptive and Reputation-Based Social Collaborative E-Learning, Through the Zone of Proximal Development.” International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, 11/3/2013: 12-31, 27 Mar. 2017. Smith, Tara, “How adaptive learning really works,” Technology & Learning, p. 20+, Oct. 2016. Reed, Timothy. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Adaptive Learning: A Look at the Neighbors. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Kortrijk, Belgium, May 26, 2010. Griff, Edwin R. “Evaluation of an Adaptive Online Learning System,” British Journal of Education Technology, Volume 44 Issue 1, 19 March 2012, 170-176. Karim Hajhashemi et al, “The Relationship between Multiple Intelligences and Reading Proficiency of Iranian EFL Students,” World Applied Sciences Journal 19 (10), 2012 1475-1483.
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