e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning

13.6. Consider Adaptive Control

In adaptive control (also called personalized instruction or user modeling), the program dynamically adjusts lesson content based on an evaluation of learner responses. If learners do better on an exercise, the program offers more challenging exercises. Conversely, if learners do poorly, the program offers more instruction or easier exercises. Adaptive control has proven to yield higher achievement than learner control (Tennyson, Tennyson, & Rothen, 1980).

13.6.1. Four Formats for Adaptive Control

Four ways to implement adaptive control are illustrated in Figure 13.6. An early type of adaptive control still used today involves branching learners to different lessons or topics based on pretest results. We refer ...