Research from Harvard Medical School has resulted in a pretty sharp SaaS learning system. SpacedEd, as it is called, uses a simple question and answer format that adapts to the person’s level of knowledge.
Today the adaptive technology is taking a leap into the business world with SpacedEd Enterprise, a service designed for corporations and for-profit educational groups.
SpacedEd is based upon the spacing effect, which states that people learn more effectively when presented information that is repeated over spaced intervals.
Spaced Education is the company managing the technology. It conducted studies that show some pretty compelling results from training they did with doctors. For example, the SpacedEd training helped decrease cancer screenings by 26% in random clinical trials of 95 Virginia primary care providers, representing a potential cost savings of $650,000 per year in test costs alone.
Here’s how the service works:
The learner receives course materials that are delivered electronically in a question format. People may receive questions by email, through an RSS feed or through a web site. Answers may be posted using any connected device, reflecting the nature in which people are conducting their lives.
People receive two questions per day. If the person gets one of the questions wrong then it is posed again one week later. If answered correctly, the question is repeated three weeks later. If the person get it right a second time then the question is dropped from the course material. Course material is delivered to the recipient based on their knowledge level.
SpacedEd Enterprise is designed for corporate clients and for-profit learning organizations. Administrators may control the access that users have to the courses. The service includes the capability to answer questions in a blog format so they may elaborate and create their own questions.
SpacedEd offers a 30-day trial. Customers may use the technology on a pay-per-use basis.
