The Oregonian
By John Kirkland
July 14, 2016
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today announced that PSU is one of seven institutions selected as participants in a three-year project that seeks to personalize learning and improve undergraduate education through adoption of high-quality adaptive courseware.
PSU will receive $515,000 as part of a grant program to adopt, implement and scale use of adaptive courseware in high-enrollment, blended learning courses in multiple departments and programs to improve student success.
"We are excited about receiving this grant as it offers us an opportunity to creatively use cutting edge technology to personalize student learning, improve outcomes and reduce textbook costs," said Sukhwant Jhaj, PSU's Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Student Success, who is principal investigator (PI) for this grant. The grant will be housed in Office of Academic Innovation under the direction of Johannes De Gruyter, Co-PI and Executive Director of Office of Academic Innovation.
APLU's Personalized Learning Consortium (PLC) is awarding the grants, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is overseeing the initiative. APLU intends to use its national network to work to scale the most promising findings and practices of the seven grantees to help its more than 200 public university members across the country better meet the general education needs of today's undergraduate students.
"Public research universities are being asked to educate more students and effectively prepare them for the workforce and society at the same time they continue to face reduced state and local funding," APLU President Peter McPherson said. "The seven public research institutions leading this effort are well-positioned to adopt and scale use of innovative learning technologies that can improve the delivery of public higher education as we know it. We are eager to assist and foster their development of what will certainly be promising approaches to faculty engagement with adaptive courseware and improving learning outcomes for all students."