Personalized learning may involve the application of “high technology” or “high touch” (i.e., lots of opportunity for human interaction).  The following are attributes of e-learning that is personalized:

Learner Directed

• Learner-determined navigational path through material
• Content adjusted for learner’s bandwidth
• Instructional material or tests adjusted for learner’s familiarity with material
• Learner may pose questions to program, or to designated human “subject matter expert” (by telephone, e-mail, or on-line chat), and receive timely response
• Search capability
• Learner may communicate with other classmates (by telephone, e-mail, or on-line bulletin boards or chat)
• Help desk support for technical questions
• Privacy, in cases where learner not required to take or pass a course—IBM calls it “safety” (assurance that learner will not be assessed or tracked)—to encourage employees or partners to try new learning offerings
• Learner given meaningful opportunity to evaluate the learning module

Meaningful Measurement of Learner Progress

• Ample questions directed to learner throughout the course
• Measurement of “learning outcomes”, i.e., measurement of learner’s ability to apply knowledge gained rather than rote memorization of instructional material