As Andy has indicated in a separate post it has been my responsibility to issue "the assignment" for those wishing to contribute to the general open knowledge base on "personalized learning."

Personalized learning is in quotes above because, as we discussed in our session in Utrecht in February there is no accepted definition of the term. In fact, large amounts of money have been spent by governments to better pursue personalized learning that have been wasted because pretty much any institution could claim its approach was "personalized."

So, the question becomes "how do we ground truth statements about personalization?" What are the different types of personalization? Can we compare and contrast and come to a better understanding that goes beyond the ongoing "hype" about personalization of education?

Our first attempt is this simple assignment for individuals (presumably teachers) or representatives of institutions that can speak to their approach. Here is the assignment:

Develop a write-up - less than two pages - and post it here - describing "your approach to implementing personalized education." So, the title of the paper should be "Xyz's approach to personalized education." - where Xyz is replaced by a name of an individual or organization.

Now, and this is important, you should structure your paper to address the following items:

1. Explain as briefly as possible your approach to personalization. Linking to online public resources is allowed.

2. In which of the following ways is the educational experience personalized (and how so?)? (a) the educational task is personalized, (b) the educational technique is personalized, (c) the use of time is personalized - such as pacing, (d) the cohort or team involved is personalized, (e) the place is personalized

3. How is the right fit between the individual and the personalization arrived at? How is the plan constructed?

4. How does your approach to personalization support/improve student motivation?

5. What evidence do you have that your approach is working?

6. In what ways does technology support your approach to personalized learning? In what ways could technology better support your approach (what would you like technology to be able to do for you?)

That's it.

To make it worth your while, IMS will profile the top three papers received by December 31, 2011 in a case study write-up and award free registrations to Learning Impact 2012 (expected to be held in Toronto) to those three authors who will be recognized there.

Legal: IMS does not claim any ownership of your write-up - it's yours to do with what you please. Submitting a write-up does not commit you or your organization to anything. We will ask for your approval prior to publishing anything on your paper. You do understand that by submitting to these forums it will be available for public comment and discussion. IMS reserves the right to withdraw the contest and awards if we determine that the number or quality of papers is insufficient.

Please spread the word and post any questions here!

Good luck!

- Rob Abel

Edited: 04/12/2011 at 11:31 AM by RobAbel