APLU’s Personalized Learning Consortium Receives $197,500 Award from USA Funds

Washington, DC – The Personalized Learning Consortium (PLC) at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) today announced an award of $197,500 from USA Funds to increase the number and variety of universities experimenting with adaptive learning technologies, supported by networks of peer institutions that can disseminate and scale those innovations throughout public higher education.

Universities in the PLC serve more than 470,000 students annually. The consortium fosters multi-institutional cooperation and collaboration among academic affairs leaders to advance the use of technology to improve student learning, retention, and graduation. With this generous grant from USA Funds, the PLC will create a discipline-specific cohort of faculty working together to develop learning modules and pilot courses using adaptive platforms. In partnership with participating universities, the consortium will evaluate and report on instructors’ experiences with adaptive courseware and its impact on student engagement and performance.

“In keeping with our focus on Completion With a Purpose to promote student success in college and career, USA Funds is pleased to support APLU’s Personalized Learning Consortium and its work to help college students make more timely progress toward degrees and careers,” said Carol D’Amico, USA Funds executive vice president, National Engagement and Philanthropy. “This initiative will provide valuable guidance to the entire higher education community for using technology to improve education quality and access.”

“The USA Funds award will help public universities personalize learning for students in ways that promote completion while containing the potentially significant costs of developing and delivering instructional content though adaptive platforms,” said PLC Executive Director Meaghan Duff. “In addition to teaching faculty about the power of adaptive learning technologies, the grant will create a model for cross-institution faculty collaboration on teaching and learning.”

The PLC is aimed at improving learning outcomes and containing college costs by tailoring coursework to each student’s needs. Using modern technologies and their powerful analytical tools, faculty can create learner-centered educational experiences that help students succeed.

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Representing 238 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and related organizations, APLU is the nation’s oldest higher education association with member institutions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories, Canada, and Mexico. Annually, APLU member campuses enroll 4.8 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.2 million degrees, employ 1.4 million faculty and staff, and conduct $41.4 billion in university-based research.