Adaptive learning — the application of computer science and cognitive research to deliver a personalized, online, tutor-like teaching experience at scale—is growing in popularity for corporate education.
If you don’t know where to start, here are six common scenarios where adaptive learning out-performs other approaches:
- When time off the job matters
- When outcomes have consequences
- When the audience is heterogeneous
- When courses are repeated over time
- When you want evidence
- When information is changing frequently
When time off the job matters
For environments like call centers, retail or nursing where time off the floor is critical, or for expensive resources like sales people, time savings generate instant ROI. By skipping over what people already know, and focusing on things they don’t, adaptive learning typically cuts training time in half — giving productive hours back to the business.
When outcomes have consequences
At least in theory, corporate education is designed to achieve business outcomes. Unlike traditional learning approaches that focus solely on the learner completing the course (without any idea whether they actually learned anything!) adaptive learning focuses on proficiency — helping the learner achieve mastery of a subject in the most efficient and effective way.
Adaptive learning can also uncover and remediate for “unconscious incompetence”, that insidious problem of employees thinking they know how to do something when in fact they don’t. Our research suggests that for any given subject, pretty much any employee is 15–40% unconsciously incompetent — a direct cause of workplace errors.
When the audience is heterogeneous
How much do you know about your audience? Are you developing “one-size-fits-none” training without realizing it? Adaptive learning enables you to create one course that can adapt to novices and experts alike — giving each learner just what they need, and simplifying and shortening your development process.
When courses are repeated over time
Compliance courses are some of the most hated parts of corporate education, and do more to damage morale than the worst manager (though they can spark creativity). They are doubly bad, as employees typically have to take the same course(s) every year or two. Adaptive is ideal for this situation, since any material the learner is familiar with can be quickly skipped by the adaptive engine (saving thousands of man hours in the typical company), while providing the Chief Compliance Officer with the security that the adaptive algorithm will focus in on any content that each learner is unfamiliar with, is not confident about, or has forgotten.
When you want evidence of learning
Adaptive learning is based on formative assessment — teaching by asking questions. The adaptive learning engine captures every answer to every question, and therefore is the equivalent of every learner taking a very granular assessment of every subject they study, and repeating that assessment over time. Therefore, with adaptive learning you get, for free (i.e., no extra effort on the part of the learner) detailed information about their state of knowledge at the start of the course, and how it develops as they progress towards mastery.
When information is changing frequently
Any time there is a need for training on products or solutions — e.g., for sales people or engineers — and especially for new product introductions, designers struggle between competing needs: create a “differences” course for those who may be already familiar with earlier products, or create a full course for newbies; get training out quickly vs wait for source material to stabilize.
Adaptive solves both of these problems. Firstly, since the adaptive algorithm will quickly skip through material the learner is already familiar with and focus on material that is new to the learner, a single course can be offered to novices and experts alike. Secondly, because the algorithm tracks learner progress with high precision, content can be added to a course incrementally (enabling an agile approach to learning development) and the algorithm will ensure the learner doesn’t have to redo material they have already seem.
In closing
There are many more scenarios in which adaptive learning provides benefits beyond traditional online learning, and quite often beyond classroom learning.
If you are involved in corporate education, don’t waste your time trying to add gamification or other bandaids to try and make your training more engaging. Take a look at adaptive learning — and make a real difference to your business.
