Learning personalization: definition, strategies and benefits

Learning personalization is based on strategies that place the learner at the center of the learning process, accompanied by two-way communication with the teacher or tutor. The results are enhanced by using technological tools focused on more sustainable, secure, accessible, and inclusive education.

Given its unique nature, personalized learning often poses management and monitoring challenges, both in online and hybrid training.

In this article, we go into detail on the subject and talk about strategies and tools that you can use to implement this methodology, even in classes with many students.

What is personalized learning?

Personalized learning is an educational dynamic that employs pedagogical strategies that place the learner at the center of academic actions. Its purpose is to achieve substantial and meaningful learning for the learner.

It is important to note that it is a two-way process between teacher and learner-centered on each learner’s background, needs, potential, and perception of the practice.

Personalized learning provides access to several benefits with clear advantages for both parties:

• The teacher detects the needs of each student from the beginning, which is conducive to being proactive in problem-solving.
• The student is more motivated by feeling listened to and considered, which results in them being more participative and generating better performance.
• The student’s feedback nourishes the teacher. This helps him make changes focused on better educational content, reducing frustration related to passive learning methods.

One of the biggest challenges is putting theory into practice with large groups of learners. This is where Personalized learning strategies that rely on innovative technological tools come into play.

What strategies are used to personalize learning?

Personalized learning model arises from initiatives aimed at recovering the meaning of learning to help the learner. These initiatives have been a constant in the history of education throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

Personalized learning is synonymous with added value and seeks to make the learner recognize their decision-making capacity in the learning process through strategies such as the following:

• Taking into account the learner’s interests, motives and objectives.
• Using culturally and socially relevant learning contents to arouse the learner’s interest.
• Involving the learner in creating content so that the learner can assert their decision-making capacity.
• Connect the experiences and learning that have taken place at different points in the activity to provide cohesion to the subject matter.
• Invite the learner to reflect on their learning process.
• Create personal itineraries by creating with the learner a sort of portfolio that allows him to reflect on his experience by asking questions such as: What activity made him feel that he was learning, At what point did he realize that his thinking had changed, What does he need to improve?

In all these actions, digital tools can be your great allies.

Benefits of personalized learning

When it comes to education, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s where personalized learning comes in. 

Personalized learning is an approach that tailors the educational experience to the individual needs of each student. Every student has a personal learning plan that is updated in real time based on their performance. 

As a result, students are able to learn at their own pace and set their own goals. This approach has been shown to be particularly effective for students who have traditionally struggled in school. 

Personalization allows these students to take control of their education and achieve success on their own terms.

What digital tools are used to personalize learning?

Technology-enriched environments serve to boost learner competencies and create accessible and egalitarian spaces.Adaptive learning and educational co-design enhance their results thanks to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Learning Management Systems (LMS), and proctoring.

Information and Communication Technologies -ICT-

Access to information through ICTs has revolutionized how we access it and relate to each other.

In education, according to UNESCO, they contribute to the advancement of sustainable development and promote integration. In addition, they complement and enrich content, fostering creativity and, of course, adaptation to the learner.

ICTs are not a sine qua non condition for personalized learning; however, they facilitate the deployment of strategies to achieve it, broadening its scope and effectiveness.

Learning Management Systems or LMS

Thanks to LMS, the online classroom has access to multiple resources, information, and a constructive and collaborative work methodology.

They facilitate the organization of content, the deployment of communication tools, and the management and monitoring of student activity. But they also pose challenges, such as the need for proper guidance and supervision of the student’s activity.

Proctoring

The proctoring functionality is becoming more and more relevant, as it helps you create secure environments for your online assessments and training and allows you to check that the testing procedure is respected at all times.

At Smowltech, we specialize in proctoring products such as SMOWL+, which, on the one hand, allows complete monitoring of the test taker’s computer thanks to the SMOWL CM desktop monitoring tool and, on the other hand, SMOWL 360, which integrates the use of a second camera to increase the field of view by integrating a complementary viewing angle.

In our eagerness to keep evolving to meet your needs, we have also developed a browser locking system called SMOWL Lock. This functionality is handy to ensure that the student uses the right tools in the performance of their tests and thus obtains the best possible performance from the training received.

Want to know more? Don’t hesitate to ask us for a free demo so we can share with you everything we can do to enhance the customization of your educational projects.