Dive Brief:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison computer scientists are developing ‘machine teaching’ capability that would allow computers to create personalized lesson plans for students.
- The researchers are working with experts in psychology and educational psychology to gather quantitative data to give computers the information they need about student learning.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that early applications of the technology include improving online tutoring programs and assisting faculty in curriculum planning.
Dive Insight:
Adaptive technology has become especially important with testing. Many K-12 students now take adaptive state tests that evaluate their learning under the Common Core State Standards. The GMAT, too, has become adaptive, changing the difficulty of questions and revising the estimate of a student’s skill-level based on previously answered questions. One key challenge for adaptive lesson planning is that researchers don’t have as much quantitative data about how students learn, making it hard to program a computer.
Competency based online programs already try to tailor curriculum to student knowledge by letting students speed through content they already know. The UW-Madison technology could augment instruction across the higher ed spectrum.