ISSN 2737-5315 Volume 3, Issue 2 https://www.iikii.com.sg/journal/EIET Educational Innovations and Emerging Technologies EIET 2023, Vol 3, Issue 2, 1–6, https://doi.org/10.35745/eiet2023v03.02.0001 Article Learners’ Satisfaction with Adaptive Learning Systems Seo Hong Lim *, Lyndon Lim, and Rebekah Wei Ying Lim Teaching & Learning Centre, Singapore University of Social Sciences, 463 Clementi Rd, Singapore 599494, Singapore lyndonlimjk@suss.edu.sg (L. Lim); rebekahlimwy@suss.edu.sg (R.W.Y. Lim) * Correspondence: shlim@suss.edu.sg Received: Apr 30, 2023; Revised: May 31, 2023; Accepted: Jun 20, 2023; Published: Jun 30, 2023 Abstract: To enhance diverse students’ learning experiences, tertiary educational institutions are increasingly adopting adaptive technologies. Although there are views that adaptive learning platforms contribute to learning within higher education, efficacy research of such systems yields mixed results. This is an indication that more could be studied concerning how adaptive learning can be efficacious within higher education contexts particularly when cognate studies have mostly discussed how cognitive measures differ between learners who engaged and those who did not engage with an adaptive learning system. Beyond cognitive measures such as achievement scores provided by adaptive learning systems, this brief paper proposes that learner satisfaction towards such systems - as an imperative factor due to its direct and significant relationship between users and the system - needs to be examined, in part to evaluate the efficacy of adaptive learning systems. Given the complexity of learner satisfaction as a construct, such investigations have the potential to illuminate important factors of system optimizations, developments, and interventions that provide crucial guidelines for higher education institutions to implement successful adaptive learning courses that meet students’ satisfaction. Keywords: Adaptive learning, Learners’ satisfaction, e-Learning, Higher education 1. Introduction To enhance diverse students’ learning, tertiary educational institutions have implemented various digital technologies to meet learners’ needs. As such, adaptive learning platforms have been gaining popularity in higher education settings. Liu et al. (2017) pointed out that learners learn more effectively when instructional materials are individualized to meet their needs. Supporting this, Dziuban et al. (2016) suggested that the core elements of adaptiveness contribute to incremental learning, regular assessment, and the availability of many paths to a final destination. In this regard, adaptive learning platforms provide students the opportunity to navigate their learning trajectories at a self-determined pace within the scheduled course timeline (Dziuban et al., 2018). We concur and add that with adaptive learning systems, learners could take ownership of their learning experience (Yazon et al., 2002) and accelerate future learning (Walkington et al., 2013). In contrast to the viewpoints that adaptive learning contributes to learning, Booth et al. (2016) indicated that the efficacy of adaptive learning systems within higher education yielded mixed results. Essentially, it remains unclear as to how adaptive learning could be efficacious even though it has been implemented across different higher education contexts and various disciplines to influence student performance. For instance, to investigate the efficacy of adaptive learning systems, Murray and Perez (2015) compared students’ scores and completion rates through two instructional methods (i.e., an adaptive learning approach and a conventional approach such as quizzes supplied by the textbook publisher). They found that neither the first nor the second method provided a definitive learning advantage to student learning outcomes. In conclusion, Murray and Perez (2015) stated that both instructional approaches did not vary significantly during the course of students’ learning. Contrarily, Arsovic and Stefanovic (2020) compared two groups of college students in studying the efficacy of an adaptive learning system. The first group comprised students who elected to use the adaptive learning system while the second group comprised students who chose not to use it. They found that students from the first group had significantly higher pass rates than the second group. To this end, the researchers concluded that the findings support the use of the adaptive learning system due to enhanced pass rates between users and non-users. Given these mixed results however, the need to further investigate adaptive learning systems and learning outcomes remains critical to provide useful information for instructors to identify students’ knowledge gaps; and for institutions to continue investigating and refining adaptive learning systems that purportedly contribute to students’ incremental learning.