Knewton launched the world's first free and open adaptive learning platform this week, Inside Higher Ed reported.
The New York-based has created a platform for students having difficulty in a subject. It plans on making school easier for these students by using its adaptive-learning platform to transform any content into the best data-rich version of itself, then personalize those pieces of content that for each student based on exactly what their needs.
Previously, this platform was only available "via licensing deals that utilized textbook content from over two dozen publishers," Venture Beat reported. Now, the company will host open content and free supplemental lessons on a wide variety of subjects and grade levels, starting with K-12 math, English, science, and history.
"Think of it as a friendly robot-tutor in the sky," Jose Ferreira, Knewton founder and CEO, said in a statement. "Knewton plucks the perfect bits of content for you from the cloud and assembles them according to the ideal learning strategy for you, as determined by the combined data-power of millions of other students."
A student who wants to learn algebra can select the corresponding assignments and start using their own free, personalized learning application comprising all algebra. Or, to improve their skills at particular algebra concepts, they can create their own lesson for just those concepts. Knewton's open platform is as broad as the content that users upload. Once enough users add content on a given subject it automatically springs to life and becomes adaptive.
"Educators have created unfathomable quantities of high-quality learning materials," Knewton COO David Liu said in a statement. "Until now, much of this content has been trapped on teacher's PCs, meaning some of the world's best materials are only used by handfuls of students. Knewton finds the best pieces of content for students and teachers based on learning outcomes to improve efficacy and save time."
Early user reviews are positive.
"It knows what you need in three seconds or less," Olivier, a rising ninth-grader at a private school in New Jersey, said in a statement.
