Adaptive learning comes in many different forms and for many different users. Welcome to an interview with Andrea Leyden, ExamTime.
1. What is your
name and relation to e-learning?
My name is Andrea Leyden and I am part of the ExamTime
team. ExamTime is an elearning platform designed to encompass a variety of
areas including social, mobile and adaptive learning to enhance the effectiveness
of education.
ExamTime is a web-based learning solution which provides
students and teachers with free access to elearning tools to create, share and
discover resources including Mind Maps, Flashcards, Quizzes and Notes. The
tools on the site encourage engagement and participation in the learning
process by developing independent thinking and analytical skills in students.
2. What is
adaptive learning and how does it work?
Adaptive learning is an educational method which uses
computers and other technology to adapt the learning experience based on the
students' needs and progress.
3. What are some
of the advantages?
There is a huge benefit from personalizing education by
continually assessing student knowledge and skills. Applying this learning
method in the classroom means that students have more control over their
learning and their individual needs are heard. Education is not an area where "one size fits all."
Not only does adaptive learning help students by
identifying knowledge gaps and barriers to assimilation of new information, it
also highlights where a student's strengths lie. Identifying and highlighting
weaknesses alone will only work towards student isolation and
under-achievement. Build confidence by showing your students that their
skillset is important and beneficial.
4. How is
ExamTime adaptive?
ExamTime has added new tracking and progress tools
meaning students can apply adaptive learning to their own study. Students can
analyze their progress based on their completion of resources such as
Flashcards and Quizzes within a subject. After creating a comprehensive set of
study notes and collecting resources using the pinning option, the new subject
analytics feature will highlight the areas which need more work and where
weaknesses have arisen. Resources can also be tracked individually to
understand and assess key knowledge.
The Quiz feature is particularly helpful in this area.
Creating an online quiz demonstrates if there is a gap in student's knowledge
of key concepts and ideas in your subject.
Outlined below are some steps that allow students to use
ExamTime for adaptive learning:
a. Create
Subjects for each course:
b. Build a comprehensive
set of study resources by creating and pinning with Mind Maps, Flashcards,
Quizzes and Notes. Here are some examples:
Mind Maps
c. Organize
resources by categorizing study aids into topics:
d. Test knowledge
by completing Quizzes and Flashcard decks:
e. Analyze
understanding of core concepts based on this testing by using the Analytics
feature within each subject. This step in the process is key to using ExamTime
for adaptive learning. Using the Subject Analytics feature, students can see
their score and progress after they have tested themselves. The graph will
highlight areas where study has been focused and show where there is a gap in
student knowledge. The related resources section within each subject will
provide even more opportunity for students to have access to knowledge in areas
they are lacking.
There are future plans to develop this feature even
further so students and teachers can analyze progress even more so and adapt
their learning needs based on this.
The Quiz feature is particularly helpful in this area.
Creating an online quiz demonstrates if there is a gap in student's knowledge
of key concepts and ideas in your subject.
6. What are some
of the topics used in ExamTime?
ExamTime supports active learning by encouraging
students' creation of resources such as Mind Map, Flashcards, Quizzes and
Notes. As a result of this philosophy, users have the ability to create any
subject or topic they specialize or are involved in. That being said, the most
popular subjects on the site which are already created are Math, English,
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History and Geography.
7. Can you give a
few examples of case studies?
Selam Habtemariam, an 8th grade student has been using
ExamTime to progress her learning for over a year. She comments that "in the
last school year I started taking high school classes such as Physical Science
and Geometry so I had to try a little harder to pass those classes. I tried my
hardest studying with ExamTime and sure enough, I ended up getting the highest
score in the class."
Not only does this show that studying hard and giving it your all is important, it also shows how much ExamTime can help students achieve their study goals.
Not only does this show that studying hard and giving it your all is important, it also shows how much ExamTime can help students achieve their study goals.
Rafranz Davis, an established US education blogger and
instructional technology specialist, helps teachers to empower students to
become autonomous learners using innovative teaching strategies. Davis and her
students seek out new ways to approach learning by sharing new discoveries.
Her students flipped their role by teaching her and other
teachers how they were using the free online learning platform ExamTime to
impact their learning.
"You can't get this kind of work on paper," Davis comments while her students show her how easy it is to create a Mind Map online.
"You can't get this kind of work on paper," Davis comments while her students show her how easy it is to create a Mind Map online.
