What are the Disadvantages of Adaptive Learning?
The idea behind adaptive learning is to tailor to the needs of the learner, and help them accomplish more challenging work. The goal is not to lower the bar, but to have students aspire to greater challenges. However, adaptive learning can only be successful when applied appropriately. A meta-analysis study conducted by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation compared studies from 14 different universities that experimented with adaptive learning using ALEKS software in math courses. The study showed that the grades in the adaptive learning group and the control group were usually equivalent, and the overall odds of completing the course did not change between the two groups (Yarnall, Means, & Wetzel, 2016). This is not to say that the adaptive learning method is not significant. The authors of the meta-analysis noted that the universities involved in the study were possibly not monitoring if the technology was working well with students. They noted that the universities did not seem prepared to measure student learning in a way that would stand up to academic scrutiny, students in the traditional course could have been stronger learners. The studies compared different semesters as well and a lot of the data collected in the study did not make for apples-to-apples comparisons (Yarnall, Means, & Wetzel, 2016). This study did successfully show that the application of adaptive learning must be carefully monitored in order to produce positive results. If educators and universities do not monitor how the technology is being used among students they will not be able to fully record how it affects learners. Also, poor implementation could deter faculty from integrating the systems into their course design.
Six Challenges When Implementing Adaptive Learning
Freda (2016) outlines six challenges that are encountered when instructors implement adaptive learning. The challenges along with a short description are explained below.
Challenge 1: Moving ahead without evidence
Adaptive learning programs are a fairly new branch of education throughout the grand scheme of education. Due to this combative factor, there is not a huge pool of research studies that prove strongly in its effectiveness. A lot of higher level educators at Universities around the world have moved ahead and spent a lot of money developing the algorithms for online adaptive learning programs or the purchase of them even without a huge pool of background evidence that proves the effectiveness without question.
Challenge 2: Finding resources for development
Adaptive learning programs for educational institutions to use and create are very expensive. A lot of Universities are partnering with the Gates Foundation in the creation of these adaptive learning programs that utilize algorithms to tailor virtual based instruction to adapt to the specific needs of the learner. However, there are other educational institutions that are taking a risk and using adaptive learning programs that still don’t have extensive backgrounds of evidence that prove their effectiveness, or are creating their own in the hopes that it will be effective for their students in the long run. Overall, it is a high stakes endeavor to research and pour over resources to develop adaptive learning programs.
Challenge 3: Winning over instructors and students
“The future of learning will move teaching from delivering information to managing learning,” (Freda, 2016). Adaptive learning requires a committed instructor that is willing to move away from traditional teaching, and focus their instruction on intervention and management of student completion of adaptive learning tasks through adaptive learning programs. A lot of educators are unwilling or timid when it comes to changing their instruction. Adaptive learning is also a commitment that students make. Most adaptive learning programs embody a mastery format. Students must master topics in order to move onto the next topics within the program. This requires a lot of dedication from students to master topics, which has the possibility of deterring students from putting in a lot of effort. Traditional teaching methods allow students to sometimes slip below the radar due to the teacher deciding whether to move on or not, however since adaptive learning programs are virtual, the learner is at the mercy of the algorithm to decide when they move on or if they must stay at a standstill until mastery. If students struggle reaching the mastery level, they could become unmotivated.
Challenge 4: Selecting the right team or provider
There are many adaptive learning providers and programs. Since most programs cost a large sum of money to purchase for large educational institutions, selective the right provider can become stressful and time consuming. One must analyze a large pool of programs and sort through their own population data to determine the right team for creating adaptive learning programs or providers of adaptive learning programs.
Challenge 5: Dealing with extensive data
As stated earlier, adaptive learning strays away from having the instructor be the deliverer/grader of material. The instructor now becomes the manager of the learning and the analyst of adaptive learning program generated data. Most educators did not go to school to become data analysts. This now poses the issue of educating instructors on how to analyze data and adaptive learning program generated data and patterns of student learning. This is another expensive that educational institutes face in addition to the cost of the adaptive learning program itself.
Challenge 6: Understanding that adaptive learning isn’t a magic bullet
It is easy for educators to confuse adaptive learning as a replacement for them personally catering to student needs, however the role of the educator is still very important. “Another reality to note: Some aspects of learning will never be measured with any algorithm,” (Freda, 2016). The educator still plays an effective role of developing and analyzing the data that they adaptive learning program generates. There is also the idea that some subjects, such as humanities, can’t effectively be taught through adaptive learning programs with algorithms to determine mastery. Therefore, adaptive learning isn’t a magic technique that instantly has students master every topic.
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