Noordhoff

Country:

The Netherlands and Belgium

Target group:

Secondary Education

Use case:

When learning a language, getting to understand mathematical concepts, acquiring knowledge about human body systems or about natural environments, declarative knowledge is a foundation for further educational success. The best way to learn and assess fundamental knowledge is through adaptive retrieval practice. The MemoryLab algorithm uses the speed and accuracy of the learner’s responses during practice to predict how well each fact is retained.

This allows for a continuous model-based assessment of proficiency. By successfully adapting to the knowledge and capacities of each individual learner, MemoryLab improves the classroom readiness of students, enhances engagement, and empowers educators. By integrating our adaptive system into Nordhoff’s interface, each year, over 1,5 million secondary school students not only learn the facts or words they have to learn, but they also learn what learning is.

Highlights

In 2021, in collaboration with Noordhoff, we investigated how the switch to distance learning impacted study activity and performance in our online retrieval practice app for language learning in Dutch secondary education. Insights from a data set consisting of over 115 million retrieval practice trials completed by more than 133 thousand students over the course of two consecutive school years show that:

Students’ progress through the material was largely unaffected by lockdown
Learners’ performance did not slow down and accuracy and response time on open-answer questions increased

Key findings

Insights from the 2021 collaboration with Noordhoff demonstrated that MemoryLab’s system continued to perform well during the transition to distance learning.

Despite the challenges of lockdowns and remote education, students’ progress remained largely unaffected, with even improved performance in accuracy and on open-ended questions. With a solution like ours, we show that education can remain unaffected and essentially continue without interruption.
During these times, learners had more time for open-answer questions and fewer distractions, which highlights the importance of a digital solution that allows learners to answer at their own pace, free from external interruptions and thrive when learners are focused and study independently.