An Adaptive Learning Model for K12

My wife and I have been planning to launch a technology-centric non-profit organization to serve the underprivileged kids in poor schools in India. Much research and analysis needs to be done, and it’s going to take us a few years to get everything right. Fundraising, needed to purchase hardware, would take a lot of time too. However, the software, which would be an online product utilizing an adaptive learning model, can be launched sooner, so that we can iterate rapidly and keep improving it.

On a very basic level, for third-grade math, here are the requirements.

Database
A database of math questions with these fields:

• Question ID
• Difficulty level
• Question number
• Options
• Correct option
• Feedback

Adaptive algorithm

• A multiple-choice question with four options is served.
• When an option is selected and submitted, the option is compared with the correct option.
• If correct, the corresponding feedback is displayed.
• if incorrect, the corresponding feedback is displayed.
• When the Continue button is clicked, the system checks if the question was answered correctly.
• If true, another question at the same difficulty level is served to make sure the previous answer was not a fluke.
• A total of three questions at the same difficulty level is served.
• If all are answered correctly, the next question would be at a higher difficulty level.
• If any question is answered incorrectly, more questions at the same difficulty level will be served.
• If two or more questions are answered incorrectly in succession, a brief tutorial will be displayed showing how to solve the question.
• The tutorial will be followed by a question at the same difficulty level.

Though there are multiple interpretations of “Adaptive Learning“, I interpret it as a learning model that adapts or shows content based on the users’ current performance. It’s not a one-size-fits-all product, which are common these days though the technology has made rapid advancements. Great content and a great algorithm can be integrated with the right hardware to teach the kids effectively. It’ll take time but I think it’s doable.