How to make Adaptive Learning work for you

Bryan Rankin, Head of Student Operations at Chartered Accountants Ireland, reviews the benefits of Adaptive Learning so students can study smarter, stay motivated and have the best chance at exam success

The start of the year is a significant milestone in our learning programmes, particularly at CAP1, where students will have roughly half of their learning content assigned and participate in over half of the scheduled webinars.

If that’s a sobering thought, don’t worry. There’s still time to catch up. If you commit to some short, intensive study periods, a couple of evenings each week and during weekends, you will soon get back on track.

We’re aware that CAP1 and CAP2 students have faced some changes with the shift to online learning content delivered through the Adaptive Learning method and the transition to online exams using an auto-scored format. Over time, the platform for recording relevant work experience will transition to a new feature called the Training Development Log.

All these changes represent significant enhancements to our education model and have been introduced solely to make your experience better, more efficient and more productive, ultimately leading to exam success the first time around.

We have already mentioned the extended use of Adaptive Learning for this academic year. The rollout across all subjects followed extremely positive student feedback in 2024.

Based on our interactions with major training firms and many students, it’s clear that most are now accustomed to the new format and seeing the benefits. We hope that you’re appreciating a much more active, dynamic approach to learning that ensures key principles have really sunk in before you move on to the next session.

At a micro level, this approach aligns with our guiding cumulative principle, which requires our students to demonstrate competence at one fundamental level before advancing to greater challenges.

However, for others, we appreciate Adaptive Learning is a new approach and that it may take more time to adapt. Let’s review the benefits.

Adaptive Learning

The technology platform adopted by Chartered Accountants Ireland is now widely acknowledged as a world leader in online learning. Some of the largest global accounting and consulting firms, as well as international bodies such as the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), view Adaptive Learning as the future of technical skills training. We at Chartered Accountants Ireland are confident we’re on the right track.

Our chosen Adaptive Learning technology continuously assesses a student’s knowledge and confidence, using this information to present content, questions and feedback optimally suited to their learning needs.

It’s important to remember that one of the defining characteristics of Adaptive Learning is its dynamic nature, quite a contrast to the predictable, linear progression of the traditional delivery method at the second and third levels. It responds to the distinct characteristics of our students, many of whom are trained in accounting firms, where much depends on passing professional exams.

The Adaptive Learning system continually tests your knowledge to help you progress to a higher level of competence. As it recognises that you’re progressing well, you will be prompted to raise the proficiency level or encouraged to rate yourself as more confident when answering self-reflection questions.

Alternatively, if you’re finding a set of questions more challenging, the system will not only highlight the right answer but will also link you back to where the piece of knowledge was covered. It even prompts you to take a short break if you get several questions wrong.

Students do not need to reach 100 percent perfection to move to the next module, but the system recognises the areas in which you didn’t reach initial competency and will return you to these learning principles, a feature we call ‘sustain’. Because knowledge degrades over time, the system includes an individually tailored revision course for each learner called ‘refresh’.

Another useful feature is the navigation tool, which makes it easy to navigate your subject content. It’s available when you expand the window in the top-right corner of the screen.

There are also many features that allow you to give feedback to the education team on a piece of content.

Webinars and discussion forums

If this all sounds like a lot of change, it’s reassuring to know that the tried-and-tested building blocks remain. Our live webinars remain central to the learning experience. They supplement adaptive paths with clear learning objectives and regular milestones. Webinar presenters encourage interaction, creating a sense of community that supports social learning.

Alongside the live webinars, our discussion forums connect students with their academic team of lecturers and provide avenues for peer support. All the other cornerstones of our exam preparation remain in place, such as online textbooks, banks of exam-standard questions and mock examinations.

Leap in education

Adaptive Learning represents a significant leap forward in personalised education, leveraging advanced technology to enrich your student experience. We’re confident students will fully realise the benefits of Adaptive Learning as you move closer to exams.

We’re here to answer any questions you might have. Email your programme team on CAP1 / CAP2@charteredaccountants.ie