1. Adaptive Learning Technology
CONNECT - LEARNSMART
Emerging Technologies
Technology Sharing Project
Sheldon Wrice & Mary Williams
Dr. John Savery, Professor
Fall 2016

2. Adaptive Learning Systems & CONNECT’S LearnSmart
Adaptive Learning Systems are designed to provide different instruction or assistance to different groups of students based on individual or group student information
LearnSmart is the adaptive software program found within McGraw-Hill’s CONNECT platform.
It assesses individual student strengths and weaknesses in key course areas and provides individualized study plans

3. Overview of Adaptive Learning Systems
An educational method which uses computers as interactive teaching devices
Better facilitates the needs of individual learners
Adapts the presentation of educational material to specific learner needs
Encompasses aspects derived from various fields of study
Transforms the learner from passive learning to a collaborator in the educational proces

4. Benefits to students
Involves active learning and cooperative learning -- two alternatives to the traditional lecture/lab approach
Reduces the level of frustration
Better prepares students for jobs based on teamwork
HOW LEARNSMART BENEFITS STUDENTS Students also benefit greatly from LearnSmart. Using LearnSmart to study has proven to lead to improved learning efficiency, greater engagement, and better career readiness. Learning efficiency With its ability to pinpoint a student’s knowledge gaps and direct the student to the exact section of the eBook or textbook content for reinforcement, LearnSmart personalizes the study environment based on student needs. Students appreciate LearnSmart’s ability to focus their attention on the areas where they need to spend the most time, resulting in more efficient study time for today’s student and increased readiness for lecture and exams. As students work through each module, LearnSmart assesses how confident they are about their answers. Metacognitive reports generated by LearnSmart show students how comfortable they are with what they’ve learned, so even if they have shown mastery but are not confident about it, LearnSmart will provide them continued practice until they’ve reached full confidence in their content mastery.

5. Embracing technology to achieve results
Students arrive on campus and face a number of challenges, including under preparedness, especially in oral and written communication classes.
Once enrolled, students, generally, do not spend adequate time preparing for class.
Full time students now on the average spend from hrs./week studying (down from 24 hrs in 1971).
New adaptive technology offers smart study tools that engages and assists students in their learning outside the classroom and supports instructors’ teaching goals.

6. Target Audience
College students representing a broad mixture of students from different majors
Typically, first or second semester students
Students meeting their gened requirement

7. Case Studies: The University of Akron
Professional Communications & Presentations:
Public Speaking
Business Communications
Technical Report Writing
English Composition

8. University of Akron, Professional Communications & Presentations Classes
Course Description:
Business writing and speaking with emphasis on communicating in typical business situations and expressing ideas effectively. Emphasis on communications, including business letters, resumes, and oral presentations.

9. University of Akron, Technical Report Writing/Composition
Course Description:
2020:222 Technical Report Writing (3 credits)
Prerequisite: 121, 3300:111 or equivalent.
Prepares student to write the types of reports most often required of technicians, engineers, and scientists. Includes types of reports, memoranda, and letters; techniques of research, documentation and oral presentations.

10. CONNECT: Supports Teaching & Learning
Enables students to access educational tools outside of the traditional classroom
Provides supplementary assignments and resources to re-inforce and enhance learning
Enables teachers to flip the classroom; freeing up valuable classroom time

11. CONNECT Activities
Provides a flexible, highly interactive learning environment designed to connect students to the tools and resources they will need to achieve success in the course(s)
Assignable exercises, engaging media, and speech preparation tools help students apply important course concepts

12. Assessments Business Communications & Technical Report Writing:
Case studies/problems to assess knowledge and apply concepts to realistic situations
Grammar exercises
Quizzes and exams
Collaboration/peer review
Public Speaking:
3-4 oral presentations during the course, which includes preparation of a full sentence outline, as well as peer and self- evaluations
One major exam covering 5-6 chapters
Weekly chapter quizzes
Small group presentations

13. Constraints
Generally, increases the cost of the textbook by a small amount
Teachers must be trained on how to use
Periodic problems with logging in and registration
Students sometimes forget how to locate and complete assignments
Technical problems/lack of computer skills
Costs: CONNECT is included with the price of the textbook.

14. Adaptive learning system essentials
Must be a hypermedia/multimedia system - videos, interactive exercises, and animated infographics;
Must be equipped with learner modules; and
Must be a hypermedia model with adaptive learning functions (Chang & Chen, 2015)

15. Applications Writing/Composition Technical Report Writing
Communications
Science
Mathematics
Social Sciences

16. Adaptive Learning Systems Applications
Introducing CONNECT LEARNSMART

17. CONNECT…LEARNSMART Product of McGraw-Hill Publishing Company
A leading online assignment tool and assessment engine
offering innovative, digital features including LearnSmart
a powerful adaptive learning system;
Tegrity, a lecture-capture tool;
and a library of media-rich eBooks.

18. LearnSmart Adaptively assesses students' skill and knowledge levels
Tracks which topics students have mastered and which require further instruction and practice.
Adjusts the learning content based on their knowledge strengths and weaknesses
Adaptive technology identifies the concepts that students are most likely to forget and encourages periodic review by the student to ensure that concepts are truly learned and retained.

19. Introduction to CONNECT Features for students
Performance feedback
To do list of assignments, tests, projects, etc.
Adaptive Learning SmartBook: designed to adapt to individual learning behavior
Course content is delivered within Connect (e-books)
Guides students to learn (and remember) key concepts with question prompts to assess comprehension and retention of the material
Instant feedback
In-Product Help & Tutorials
Custom Calendar

20. LearnSmart in Professional Communications & Presentations Classes
Using LeartSmart in Public Speaking:
Practice quizzes and exams – Immediate feedback
Sample speech videos and analysis questions
Writing: extensive grammar exercises and tutorials
Interactive e-book - lessons change in response to the student’s answers to pop quizzes along the way
Multiple opportunities to complete assignments (established by instructor)
Interactive activities—videos, practice tests/quizzes, case studies, etc.
Speech Capture

21. Process
After receiving log-in approval from McGraw Hill, the instructor creates the course and adds assignments
Students receive a URL with information regarding logging into Connect
Students can now access the course and start working on assignments
More content is added to the course by the instructor with specific policies, such as due dates, points available, etc.
Now, let’s a brief look at what Connect LearnSmart has to offer teachers and students. Click on the click to
CONNECT

22. References
Maxon, S. (2016). “The Future of Education and Eating” Retrieved from Oremus, W. (2016). “No More Pencils, No More Books.” Retrieved from Valenti, S. (2003). “Information Technology for Assessing Student Learning.” Retrieved from Journal of Information Technology Education, Vol. 2.