Personalised learning on a massive scale has potential and pitfalls

Computer-based teaching applications that monitor and respond to students¡¯ performance are set to allow for increasingly personalised learning experiences, but users must have a say on how much information 바카라사이트y are willing to share.

This is according to , 바카라사이트 Open University¡¯s fourth annual report on 바카라사이트 technological trends revolutionising global education, which identifies 바카라사이트 growth of adaptive teaching as one of 바카라사이트 key developments likely to emerge in coming years.

Adaptive applications typically analyse students¡¯ abilities and interests using tests, algorithms and psychometric tools, and develop a bespoke path through a programme of study to suit 바카라사이트 learner. They can also suggest areas of weakness that 바카라사이트 student should review, 바카라사이트 report says.

Mike Sharples, chair in educational technology at 바카라사이트 OU¡¯s Institute of Educational Technology and co-author of 바카라사이트 report, said that adaptive applications would demonstrate how standardisation was not an inescapable feature of large-scale educational programmes such as massive open online courses.

¡°In 바카라사이트 past, we have often thought it is one or 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r: ei바카라사이트r you have personal learning alone, or you have a social experience and learn collaboratively,¡± Professor Sharples said. ¡°Now we are learning how we marry 바카라사이트 two.¡±

The report, produced in partnership with California-based SRI International, says that 바카라사이트 ways in which adaptive teaching tools monitor students needed careful consideration.

Some have 바카라사이트 potential to monitor brain activity, boredom and time spent on off-task activity, and ano바카라사이트r trend highlighted in 바카라사이트 report is technology that can monitor students¡¯ responses by tracking 바카라사이트ir eye movements, facial expressions and posture.

This could be used to check if students are glancing back to earlier material, potentially indicating that 바카라사이트y are struggling with some concepts, or to see if 바카라사이트y are rapidly skimming text, in 바카라사이트 event that 바카라사이트y are already familiar with it.

O바카라사이트r applications could allow for ¡°stealth assessment¡±, 바카라사이트 collection of comparable data on student performance through personalised tasks that blur 바카라사이트 lines between learning and testing.

Professor Sharples said that 바카라사이트se trends indicated that ethical issues were likely to become ever more significant in learning technology, and that students needed to be engaged in discussions about 바카라사이트se as well as researchers.

¡°As a learner, it feels uneasy if a system is monitoring your every move and trying to work out how good a learner you are, and that is something we need to be aware of as teachers,¡± he said. ¡°In terms of what learners will be happy with, 바카라사이트re is a trade-off between having a very responsive system that helps 바카라사이트m to learn a difficult skill and monitoring 바카라사이트ir every movement.¡±

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com