Types And Styles of Adaptive Learning

 Types And Styles of Adaptive Learning

By reviewing some of the literature, research and studies that dealt with adaptive learning, the researcher concluded that each of these studies dealt with adaptive learning from a specific aspect and according to a special nature. That is why different types of adaptive learning have emerged, and these types can be presented as follows:

1- Types of adaptive learning in terms of content:

Khamis (2014, p. 2) indicates that there are two types of adaptive content[1]:

• Adaptable (manual) content: This type of adaptation is in which the system is able to adjust the settings manually by the learner, by controlling the required content, the way it is presented, font type, size, colors, and so on.
  

• Adaptive (automated) content: In this type of adaptation, the system adjusts itself automatically based on the actions of the learner, that is, through the formation of the system for a broad base of information that pertains to the learner, and in light of that it provides the learner with what is appropriate for him.

 Among the studies that dealt with this type of adaptation, the study of Al-Saedi (2019), which sought to identify which types of electronic content (adaptive electronic content) versus (adaptive electronic content) are better for developing programming skills, and developing students’ attitudes towards the provided electronic content, The results of the study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference at the level of significance (0.05) between the average scores of the first experimental group that used (adaptive electronic content) and the average scores of the second experimental group that used (adaptive electronic content) in the post-application of the achievement test, the note card, And the attitude scale associated with programming skills using ready-made programs for the benefit of the second experimental group [2].

 2 – Types of adaptive learning in terms of levels of adaptation [3]:

• The first level: Initial: This type of adaptation is called false or delusional adaptation. At this level, educational content is presented through a set of different multimedia to take into account individual differences among learners, without presenting models to the student or taking into account any of the learning styles or preference patterns of the learners. .

• Second level: simple: this level is related to processing and readiness, as this type of adaptation takes into account very limited variables from the individual differences between the learners, because each individual has different characteristics through the application of learning methods, and accordingly the adaptation takes place by presenting the content only with its corresponding Student learning styles.

• The third level: This type of adaptation is called advanced or joint adaptation: this type of adaptation takes into account more than one variable of individual differences among learners, and includes some common adaptive methods that are employed within the adaptive learning environment; It is represented in the methods of displaying content, patterns of activity, interactions between learners, interaction interfaces, navigation patterns, and observation of the system for the learner. The current research adopts this level of adaptation; This is due to taking into account more than one variable of individual differences among learners, in addition to the possibility of diversity in displaying electronic content, activity patterns and interactions within the environment in light of learning styles and learners’ preference patterns.

• The fourth level: the most advanced or intelligent: this type is also called dynamic adaptation: this level is characterized by its adoption of the generation of intelligent adaptive systems, which include everything necessary to meet individual differences between learners, and apply all the necessary adaptive methods to accommodate these differences, providing the user model, as well as It is dynamic and constantly updated by monitoring student work; In terms of progress and errors, the system’s functions are adaptable, allowing the system to update itself without external interference, and it uses modern technologies in assessing emotional states of students and tracking eye and gestures, but these systems have a high production cost in addition to the need for a specialized team.

3- Types of adaptive learning in terms of adaptation models: 

There is a set of models or elements for adaptive learning, where adaptive learning depends on those elements and models in order to achieve its goals, these models are as follows [4]:

• The Learner Model: In this model of adaptation, attention is paid to the learner’s characteristics, learning style, previous knowledge, learning patterns, and preferences. It also stores all information about the learner in terms of his cultural background and educational habits, in addition to the procedures he performs during his learning within the The system, such as monitoring and storing the pages visited and the tasks completed, its answers to test questions and questionnaires, and its reactions to learning activities, and takes into account that this is accurately determined; As it is the basis on which adaptive learning is based, and identifying the individual characteristics of the learner helps in providing contents that suit these characteristics in their various aspects.

• Content or domain: This model refers to the method in which the content is organized, as the content model identifies the learning objectives, its sequence, and the tasks that must be performed. Usually, the learning content is structured and categorized hierarchically, starting from main general units, then dividing each unit into several sub-chapters. Each chapter consists of a set of topics, each topic has its own learning objectives, each objective has its own set of diverse sources and resources, and each resource consists of a different number of data and tags associated with it.