Adaptive Learning Goes to China

Adaptive learning, by definition, adjusts the content and guidance offered to individual learners. Studies have shown that adaptive systems can be effective learning tools. This paper introduces an adaptive learning system, “Yixue,” that was developed and deployed in China. It diagnostically assesses students’ mastery of fine-grained skills and presents them with instructional content that fits their characteristics and abilities. The Yixue system has been used by over 10,000 students in 17 cities in China for learning 12 subjects in middle school in 2017. The hypothesis is that the Yixue adaptive learning system will improve student learning outcomes compared to other learning systems. This paper describes major features of the Yixue system. A learning analysis of 1,355 students indicates that students learned from using the Yixue system and the results can generalize across students and skills. We also report a study that evaluates the efficacy of the Yixue math program in 8th and 9th grade.