{"id":4224,"date":"2022-01-24T10:53:27","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T16:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ele.local\/?p=4224"},"modified":"2023-06-08T13:47:33","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:47:33","slug":"survey-on-adaptive-learning-teaching-practices-shows-progress-and-opportunities-to-improve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everylearnereverywhere.org\/es\/blog\/survey-on-adaptive-learning-teaching-practices-shows-progress-and-opportunities-to-improve\/","title":{"rendered":"Survey On Adaptive Learning Teaching Practices Shows Progress and Opportunities to Improve"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new survey of faculty utilizing adaptive learning teaching practices has shown that, while many are implementing evidence-based practices in the context of digital learning, there remains significant opportunity for faculty to do more to promote equity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teaching Practices of Faculty Adopting Adaptive Courseware<\/a> summarizes the results of a survey taken in fall 2020 of two-year and four-year \u201cLighthouse\u201d institutions in which faculty piloted digital courseware tools in 2019 with the support of Every Learner Everywhere\u00ae and its network partners<\/span>. A previous report documented<\/a> how faculty in over 40<\/span> gateway courses<\/a> across 10 colleges and universities implemented adaptive technology with the goal of improving learning outcomes for Black, Latino, Indigenous, poverty-affected, and first-generation college students.<\/span><\/p>\n

This follow-up survey on teaching practices explores how instructors make use of the full scope of adaptive learning courseware and use it to help close equity gaps in the classroom. The report showcases how common adaptive learning is becoming but also highlights where work still needs to be done to use digital learning tools effectively. These areas include active learning techniques, data analytics, and centering equity.<\/span><\/p>\n

EBT practices and active learning<\/b><\/h2>\n

Teaching Practices of Faculty Adopting Adaptive Courseware<\/span><\/i> organizes its findings around<\/span> six categories of evidence-based teaching (EBT) practices<\/a>: active learning, transparency, formative practice, metacognition, data analytics, and inclusive learning environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is many specific evidence-based teaching practices were very common among the survey respondents: practice with immediate feedback (96 percent), clear statement of learning objectives (96 percent), information on how to improve (96 percent), and use of low-stakes formative assessments (94 percent). These are all practices directly supported by adaptive courseware.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, active learning practices that encourage deep engagement with course content and learning by doing didn\u2019t show up as prominently in the survey. Only 52 percent of the faculty said they allowed students to work on new material as homework prior to discussing it or prior to working on problems in class, and only 25 percent reported offering peer learning or think-pair-share activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Patricia O\u2019Sullivan, Content Manager at Every Learner Everywhere\u00ae, active learning suffered during the pandemic as instructors and students had to learn how to engage remotely through video conferencing tools. However, when done properly, active learning can help digital learning become more personal for students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to call it ‘high-tech, high-touch,\u201d O’Sullivan explains. \u201cIdeally, if you’re high-tech, you’re incorporating digital learning that allows your class to have more high-touch engagement between students and faculty and between students. Faculty can potentially offload work to the technology that might have taken up time in the classroom and free up time for more active learning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The network partners, says O\u2019Sullivan, recognize how challenging it is to achieve that potential, and many of the<\/span> workshops, webinars,<\/a> publications, and other resources<\/a> they have developed since 2019 have focused on supporting faculty using digital resources for active learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Improving data usage from adaptive courseware<\/b><\/h2>\n

Another EBT practice scoring low in the survey of Lighthouse institutions was data analytics. This involves using the real-time data that adaptive courseware provides throughout the semester to inform teaching practices, revise lessons, and personalize support for individual students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although survey responses indicated that instructors consulted data dashboards, they didn\u2019t often use that data to improve student outcomes. For example, only 25 percent of instructors used student performance data to modify class content at least weekly. And only 46 percent sent personal messages to students about their progress.<\/span><\/p>\n