By Ambrish Sinha

The holistic growth of learners is the foremost goal of education. The “one size fits all” approach is the drawback in education systems and can be resolved when education addresses the diverse abilities and needs of each learner. The concept of personalised learning was introduced in the 1960s to promote such a learning environment to improve accessibility and equity in education by assimilating students from various backgrounds. 

Here are the few main modes of personalized learning that can be used in online education. 

Adaptive learning: It uses technology to personalise the learning experience for individual students by analyzing student data to determine their strengths and weaknesses to provide them with tailored instruction and feedback. Adaptive learning is helpful for learners to set their pace and identify areas of improvement. 

Competency-based learning: This type of learning emphasizes building skills rather than following a fixed timeline. It is used to help students focus on the skills that are most relevant to their goals and interests and to provide them with the flexibility they need to learn at their own pace. 

Individualised learning: In this approach, a personalized learning plan is developed based on the needs and goals of students in order to tailor the learning content to improve the skills of the learners. It is mostly applied in programs for working professionals who want to succeed in their chosen careers. 

Personalised learning in online education 

EdTech companies adopt various technologies, tools, and features to offer a personalized learning atmosphere to learners. Let’s discuss some of them below –  

Customised curriculum: Courses are offered with many elective subjects that can be chosen by learners as per their requirements. Some online learning platforms assess individuals to fix the learning plan and the learning module is framed based on the assessment. 

Advanced learning management system (LMS): Since LMS is the backbone of online education. Various latest features and technologies are used to ensure personalized learning through the LMS. 

User-friendly bite-sized content: In the online mode, learning content is offered in a bite-sized format, which helps learners comprehend the concepts effortlessly. The principles of design thinking along with Bloom’s taxonomy are incorporated in developing online learning materials to give a greater user experience. 

Gamification: Gamification has been a successful and personalised learning model in both traditional and online education. In online education, the prospect of gamification is vast and used for better engagement as well. The study materials are divided into levels like those in a game to measure progress in real-time. It also displays a leaderboard to identify students’ progress and encourage them to continue their education. 

Chatbots & discussion forum: Chatbots help online learners address their queries while a discussion forum allows them to interact with their instructors and peers to resolve their academic queries from time to time. 

Several methods are being implemented to boost the personalization of learning. Personalised learning is beneficial for both educators and learners. By tailoring the learning experience to the unique abilities and needs of each learner, personalized learning can help students achieve their learning goals more effectively. Motivating students to learn more in their preferred area ensures greater student engagement with the flexibility to learn at their own pace. The accessibility of learning is one of the best advantages of personalized learning in the online mode. Hence, it helps students with various cognitive levels to take their education forward. 

Conclusion 

Personalised learning is a powerful tool for improving learning outcomes and increasing student engagement in online education. By tailoring the learning experience to the unique needs and abilities of each student, personalised learning can provide students with the flexibility and support they need to achieve their educational goals. As online education continues to grow in popularity, personalised learning will become an increasingly important part of the educational landscape. 

The Author is the CEO, Unext.