With Adaptive Tech, Students Are Saving Money and Learning More

For Ed Surge, Manuela Ekowo interviewed the staff at Central Piedmont Community College about making use of emerging innovations in adaptive technologies: 

Community colleges are known for innovating to meet the challenges of educating some of the nation’s most disadvantaged students: low-income, first-generation, minority, and adult learners. One new category of tool schools are experimenting with is adaptive technology. These digital tools help students master course learning goals by using data generated from students’ interactions with the adaptive software to predict what students should view or do next online. Instructors can use this data to assess what additional supports students may need on their way to fully understanding each lesson.

Established in 1963, North Carolina’s Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) is one of the largest community colleges in the Carolinas, offering nearly 300 degree, diploma and certification programs. I spoke with biology instructor Kathy Watkins and Associate Dean of STEM Bruce Johnson about how CPCC is hoping to transform a biology survey class using adaptive technology. Watkins and Johnson highlight how adaptive tools create more enriching learning environments, improve teaching and learning, and save students money.