Smart Sparrow is an ed-tech (education technology) start-up, the commercialization of an

adaptive learning Adaptive learning, also known as adaptive teaching, is an educational method which uses computer algorithms as well as artificial intelligence to orchestrate the interaction with the learner and deliver customized resources and learning activities ...

technology incubated within the Adaptive eLearning Research Group at the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

in Sydney, Australia.

Adaptive learning Adaptive learning, also known as adaptive teaching, is an educational method which uses computer algorithms as well as artificial intelligence to orchestrate the interaction with the learner and deliver customized resources and learning activities ...

is an educational method using computers as interactive teaching devices, adapting educational material according to students' learning needs. The technology incorporates the interactivity previously only afforded by an actual human teacher, and integrates ideas from various fields, including computer science, education, and psychology. The Smart Sparrow software tools, known collectively as the Adaptive eLearning Platform, are a web-based suite that develops adaptive learning content and applications, deploys that material to students and analyses how students learn from their responses to the material. The platform implements an

intelligent tutoring system An intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is a computer system that aims to provide immediate and customized instruction or feedback to learners, usually without requiring intervention from a human teacher. ITSs have the common goal of enabling learni ...

that combines Constraint-Based Modeling with Model Tracing. In 2013, an educational white paper "LEARNING TO ADAPT: A Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in Higher Education" identified Smart Sparrow as one of six ‘notable’ adaptive learning platform providers. The same paper, part of a study funded by the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it w ...

, cited the impact of the Smart Sparrow platform on increasing enrollments and reducing dropouts. Other studies cite accelerated learning times with the platform. By 2013, the platform had become the basis of Australia's national Biomedical Education Skills and Training Network, and was being integrated into tertiary courses in differing disciplines at universities in the US and Australia. By later that year, Smart Sparrow was being deployed in Australian high schools, as part of a collaborative partnership with Australian universities to improve student engagement in mathematics and science. In January 2020, Smart Sparrow has been acquired by

Pearson Education Pearson Education is a British-owned education publishing and assessment service to schools and corporations, as well for students directly. Pearson owns educational media brands including Addison–Wesley, Peachpit, Prentice Hall, eColleg ...

References

{{Reflist Educational technology companies of Australia