TRENDS IN EDUCATION. INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

Here is a definition of individualized learning:

“The diverse variety of instruction programs, learning experiences, didactic approaches, and support strategies intended to address the unique and individual learning needs, interests, and aspirations of individual learners”.

In a word, individualized learning is a learner-centered education. It makes learners become the center of the learning path. Then, everything else is designed to meet their strengths, needs, and interests. This way, learners have their “voice and choice” in determining what, how, when, and where they want to learn. All these things are reflected in the word “individualized”.

Consequently, adopting individualized learning also makes teachers’ role change. They are now learning facilitators, not just lecturers who merely deliver lessons. Simply put, they have to take on many jobs, for example:

• Spend time getting to know each student, including his/her personalities, strengths, interests, and goals.

• Make decisions and strategies to design effective courses which fit each individual learning style.

• Learn how to apply technology in course design and teaching.

In eLearning Design, personalized learning carries a whole new meaning. That is, it is the act of customizing elements below:

• Learning contents such as text, image, audio, video.

• Interactions such as simulations and drag-n-drop quizzes.

• Interactions between learners and teachers like feedback and online discussions.

With these in mind, there are several ways to apply personalized learning in eLearning design. The following parts will discuss advantages of personalized learning and tips to design it in real life.

Advantages of Individualized Learning in eLearning

No one is precisely like anyone else. Every person has different needs, interests, and learning paths. Their ages, demographics, and cultural background aren’t even similar to each other. Hence, using personalized learning is clearly more effective than a uniform learning approach in many ways.

Here are major benefits of personalized learning in eLearning design.

Deliver Targeted Learning

Human beings are naturally needs-based. We want things which can meet our own needs. We don’t expect things which are irrelevant to us. This is also true when it comes to learning. We have a right to decide what/when/where/how to learn. We prefer learning intentionally.

Based on this fact, personalized learning is a good choice to provide a targeted learning experience. Using it means you consider learners’ role, need, experience, and skill level. This can be done through making pre-tests. You give learners these tests before taking eLearning courses. Then, use results to decide whether learners can attend the advanced courses. Or, they need to build a solid foundation of knowledge before reaching a higher level.

Increase Learner Engagement

When learners have a choice to control what they want to learn, they are more motivated to learn. They no longer have to join courses which may be not relating to them. Instead, they’re free to go with only the courses they need to thrive. They know exactly what they want and make decision to focus on them. This is the cornerstone of applying individualized learning in eLearning design.

In individualized learning, learners are given choices. That is, they’re free to pick up a lesson, skip unwanted information, customize their learning space, etc. No one can force them to learn what they don’t want. Besides, they take a proactive role in their education and study at their natural pace. Hence, they can dedicate their time and full attention to learning. Individualized learning undoubtedly helps learners find their spark and make their own fire.

Provide a Flexible Learning Environment

Individualized learning provides the learner with great flexibility in many ways.

• Learn at his own path. He can go at a slower or faster pace according to his needs. The learner no longer follows teachers’ lead in a tight timeline.

• Choose his own learning path. A lot of methods or resources to reach a learning goal is at his disposal. Besides, teachers can structure a customized path for their learners to help them fill the gap or escalate challenge.

• Take the tasks he wants to demonstrate understanding. Hence, he has chances to apply knowledge in authentic and relevant contexts.

It’s clear that individualized learning has potential to change the lives of many learners.