Double Digit Increases Validate Effectiveness of Company’s Adaptive Learning Approach
Rochester, NY – March 4, 2013 – Adapt Courseware, the provider of comprehensive adaptive online curriculum resources that individualize each student’s learning experience, has released the results of the first in a series of outcomes studies that are underway measuring student performance using the company’s adaptive learning methodologies. In this initial study, Adapt Courseware compared learning outcomes in two separate online sections of Introduction to Psychology at Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC). In the first section, students used Adapt Courseware’s online adaptive learning content, while students in the second section used a high quality online comparison course that did not include adaptive features. The Adapt Courseware section reported higher student completion, retention, and success rates.
“The measurable improvements we experienced in our adaptive learning section when evaluated against our comparison section speak well of Adapt Courseware’s ability to engage and motivate students,” said Dr. Mark Estepp, president of SWCC and member of the Virginia Community College Reengineering Task Force. “We are always looking for new and better ways to help students learn more effectively, while at the same time drive the outcomes that are so important to our continued sustainability. Adapt Courseware’s results are quite compelling in this regard.”
For the Fall 2012 term, Adapt Courseware reported that students enrolled in the section using its content had a 19% higher completion rate than the comparison section, as measured by the number of students earning a letter grade of A through F at the end of the course divided by the number enrolled at the add-drop deadline. Course success, defined as those students earning a letter grade of A through C, was 30% higher. Re-registration rates, defined as students enrolling in at least one course in the subsequent term, were 27% higher than the comparison group.
“We expected to see improvements in course completion rates based on our mastery learning and motivational support principles, and it was extremely encouraging to see these results translating into increased student retention rates as well,” said Dr. John Boersma, founder and CEO of Adapt Courseware. “This indicates that by using a varied set of learning methodologies, a student’s overall perception of the college experience can change in a positive way and the student can be inspired to keep on going. We look forward to releasing more results as our other research studies with two- and four-year public and private institutions become available.”
The comparison section included traditional online curriculum, including instructional videos. While the comparison section had a high rate of student satisfaction and above-average learning outcomes as compared to a national benchmark, the section using Adapt Courseware content delivered an 11% higher student satisfaction rate, and student learning performance scores that were 6% higher using a summative assessment based on the College Board’s CLEP exam.
“I am so excited about Adapt Courseware’s approach to learning. It is an amazing example of eLearning best practices brought together in a realistic and achievable way,” said Dyan Lester, Director of Distance Learning and Instructional Designer at SWCC. “Because it touches on a variety of learning modalities, including video, text, and multimedia interactives, students can create their own learning strategies. The ability for students to choose not only when, but more importantly how they learn really makes a difference in relevancy, student satisfaction, and competency.”
As Adapt Courseware continues to pursue outcomes research studies, it has issued a Request for Proposals for its Scalable Adaptive Online Learning Grant program to demonstrate measurable learning outcomes on a large-scale. Institutions, departments, faculty members, or teams of faculty members can obtain additional information by visiting www.adaptcourseware.com/researchgrants/.
About Adapt Courseware
Adapt Courseware individualizes the learning experience for each student based on academic abilities and needs. The company offers complete, customizable, adaptive online curriculum resources that combine proven learning science with advanced multimedia techniques to help students achieve mastery learning. With Adapt Courseware, colleges and universities can realize measurable learning outcomes, increased student retention, and higher student satisfaction.
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