The Uses (And Abuses?) Of Student Data
Knewton, a technology firm founded in 2008, has developed an “adaptive learning platform” that receivedsignificant media attention (also here, here, here and here), as well as funding and recognition early last fall and, again, in February this year (here and here). Although the firm is not alone in the adaptive learning game – e.g.,Dreambox, Carnegie Learning – Knewton’s partnership with Pearson puts the company in a whole different league.
Adaptive learning takes advantage of student-generated information; thus, important questions about data use and ownership need to be brought to the forefront of the technology debate.
The software adjusts the presentation of educational content to students’ needs, based on students’ prior responses to such content. In the world of research, such ‘prior responses’ would count and be treated as data. To the extent that adaptive learning is a mechanism for collecting information about learners, questions about
Adaptive learning takes advantage of student-generated information; thus, important questions about data use and ownership need to be brought to the forefront of the technology debate.
The software adjusts the presentation of educational content to students’ needs, based on students’ prior responses to such content. In the world of research, such ‘prior responses’ would count and be treated as data. To the extent that adaptive learning is a mechanism for collecting information about learners, questions about