Delivering Responsive, Personalized Learning on a Shoestring Budget

The challenge for instructional designers has always beenhow to come close to the quality of instructor-led training, which isresponsive, personalized learning crafted on the fly by the instructor. Thetraditional Next button and sophisticated branching structures do not comeclose to the flexibility and personalization that classroom trainers canprovide. Today, there is a rapidly growing interest in adaptive learning that dynamically customizes content based on the learner’sactions.

Using an adaptive approach, the designer can closelysimulate the instructor-led experience while maintaining all of the advantagesof web-based asynchronous training. Adaptive courses respond to the user and deliver a personalized learning experiencesimilar to that found in the classroom. In an adaptive course, the learnersquickly realize they have some control of the learning experience and selectthe way they learn best. The very act of making choices is cognitively engaging,improves comprehension, and maximizes attention span.

Choosing adaptive learning for complex topics

Some learning situations may not benefit from an adaptiveapproach. This occurs when there is a fixed, linear process that must befollowed, such as learning how to log in to the company intranet or mix achemical formula. On the other hand, when learning objectives involve variousinterrelated systems or when there are many ways to approach the goal, a linearapproach may not be effective and may even be misleading.

Cognitive flexibility theory suggests that oversimplifyingcomplexity can lead to a false understanding. For instance, if one attempts tolearn automobile engine repair by studying individual systems sequentially(combustion, cooling, electrical, etc.), one might miss the big picture of howthese systems interact synergistically. Encouraging the learner to exploremultiple systems in a non-linear manner introduces subtle relationships earlyin the learning process.

A clear indication that an adaptive design would be helpfulis finding mixed results during the training analysis phase. Very often,learning audiences encompass mixed skill levels and varied cultural backgrounds.In these situations, building a course that is responsive to these differences woulddeliver learning that is appropriate to each user.

In more complex situations, the learning goal might be toprepare users for unexpected or new situations, as is the case with ethics ordiversity training. Applying an adaptive design, learners could interact with avariety of scenarios and ultimately construct their own understanding ofimportant issues.

Put learners in control for a truly adaptive learning experience

The popular approach to adaptive learning uses artificialintelligence (AI) to analyze user actions, build robust data sets, and thenapply complex algorithms to deliver personalized content. This requires aproprietary platform, putting adaptive learning beyond the scope of independentdesigners and small development teams. However, is this what is happening inour classrooms? Do teachers analyze and track how each student is responding? Agreat deal of personalized instruction in the classroom is initiated bystudents asking questions or signaling in nonverbal ways that a change ininstruction is needed. The hallmark of a good instructor is the ability torecognize subtle cues and respond with alternative content or differentdelivery methods.

Fortunately, designers can use what I call learner intelligence (LI) instead of AIto create adaptive learning experiences. The foundational principle behind LIis that learners will always choose the appropriate content or delivery methodthat meets their just-in-time need. Fast-forwarding through a training video toget to the meaningful parts is an example of LI at work. Allowing users tochoose the way they learn best is both intuitive and productive. Givinglearners the flexibility to direct their learning path creates a rewardinglearning environment that is both motivating and perfectly suited to modernlearners who want to be in control of how they learn.

A course becomes increasingly responsive by adding morechoices on more pages. A highly adaptive course has navigation options thatremain constant on many pages. The net effect is that the user always has thechoice to change the mode of learning and proceed in a nonlinear fashion. Thisis very different from branching, which occasionally offers the user a choice,followed by a linear series of content pages based on their selection.

The key to adaptive design is smart navigation

Designing an adaptive course involves navigation offering alternatebut related content. This navigation would repeat across many pages. Forexample, a bathroom design course might feature five components (fixtures,vanity, tile, mirror, and lights), each having five pages of content. Inaddition, each page has a navigation menu to view the page from four differentstyles: modern, spa, traditional, and vintage. How would you build such acourse that does not bring the user back to a table of contents and does notforce the user to start from the beginning?

Hardcoding navigational links for 100 pages is not practical,and for larger courses it becomes prohibitive. The solution, what I call smart navigation, dynamically detectsand links to the correct page. With Articulate Storyline, smart navigation useslayers. The styled content for each component is placed on a separate layer.The navigation menu then shows only one layer while keeping others hidden. Thedesigner creates a single styles navigation for the layers that is copied toall pages, requiring only four links instead of 100.

The forward and back buttons move the user horizontallythrough the course (see illustration). The user can then switch styles whilestaying in the same course position. For example, from Page 3 in Fixtures, theuser can switch to any other style to view Page 3 content in the chosen style.The smart navigation automatically brings up related content regardless ofwhere the user is in the course. In Lectora, content is organized in sectionsrather than layers. A custom JavaScript is used to get the same result. (Readerswho would like to receive templates for Storyline or Lectora may contact theauthor at [email protected].)

Just how adaptive is this course? This small course designedin this way provides well over a billion (4²⁵) different pathsthrough the content! Users can view the content from one style or anycombination of styles they find most meaningful. 

Add adaptive design to your toolkit

Adaptive learning no longer needs to be mysterious,complicated, or expensive. Approaching adaptive learning from a learningintelligence perspective eliminates the dependency on costly third-partyplatforms. Smart navigation is used to add dynamic page linking to quicklycreate courses that respond to the user’s real-time needs. Adaptive coursedesign is an asset to instructional designers, who can integrate it intotraditional courses as needed. In a future article, I will explore techniquesfor meeting with subject matter experts to develop the layered content neededfor adaptive courses.