newsadvancements and initiatives - Faculty Matters

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Faculty Matters Summer 2012
forwardthinking
ideas, research and innovation at UOpX
“ Thanks to ALE,
we can target
individuals with
gaps in learning and
skills with additional
materials. But
ALE will also offer
enrichment to
students who come
to the University
well prepared,
ensuring we keep
them engaged and
motivated.”
— Gailene Nelson, ALE
team lead
The Adaptive Learning
Environment in action
Imagine receiving a snapshot of how well your students understand specific
concepts in the courses you teach. Now imagine having access to a simple tool for
providing appropriate, timely intervention to those who are struggling. In this
issue of Forward Thinking, University of phoenix Vice provost Dawn Iwamoto, Ed.D.,
and Associate provost Marla Kelsey, Ed.D., sit down with Gailene Nelson to discuss
the exciting advances the University’s Adaptive Learning Environment (ALE)
workgroup has made. ALE is aiming to make scenarios like those mentioned above
a reality. Nelson has led the initiative for the Adaptive Learning Environment team
since October 2011.
Marla Let’s begin with a little background, Gailene.
What is adaptive learning, and what does it mean to
University of Phoenix faculty and students?
Gailene Adaptive learning uses science to derive
insights from students’ activity. These insights enable
faculty to not only see where their students need
guidance or enrichment, but also where they can
provide individualized recommendations to guide those
students.
When I ask faculty where their students need the most
guidance, they often reply that they don’t have a clear
understanding, but would really like to. We are creating
tools that can assist faculty with providing formative
assessments and developing interventions to maximize
student learning.
Dawn I assume the goal is to provide a more
individualized learning experience for students and
advance toward improved retention, performance and
motivation, correct?
Gailene That’s right. Thanks to the tools we are
creating in the classroom, we can track how students
are performing and combine that information with
our knowledge about their educational experience,
personal preferences and styles, and activities to
determine the optimal learning path for them.
Marla I believe there’s a misconception that adaptive
learning will only assist those students seen to be
struggling. Can you touch on how the University’s ALE
will benefit all learners?
Gailene Adaptive learning enables us to target
individuals with gaps in learning and skills with
additional materials. But ALE will also offer enrichment
to students who come to the University well prepared,
ensuring we keep them engaged and motivated. Our
ALE is about using science to augment the learning
experience for all students—and it’s not completely
a machine-driven experience. It’s designed to work
hand-in-hand with our faculty, our staff, our academic
counselors, the deans and all the teams who create
the curriculum for students. ALE offers a continuous
feedback loop throughout that entire education
ecosystem.