Adult learners returning to school often have gaps in the skills required to thrive in higher education. To improve the readiness of MBA students we moved from a one-size-fits-all preparatory course to personalized just-in-time learning resources. The results showed higher engagement and success as well as reduced time to graduation.

Our institution primarily serves adult learners in an online environment. Our graduate student population, like many adult learners, are often returning to build their education after a long hiatus from the classroom, which often leaves students with significant gaps in skills and knowledge they have forgotten since their time in school. To address these gaps, students are often enrolled in remedial coursework, which has been found to be a significant deterrent to success. Our MBA Supplemental Content learning experience project specifically aims to reduce the cost and time to degree by offering customized, just-in-time learning materials to bridge these knowledge gaps for MBA students at our institution. This initiative is crucial to preventing students, particularly those who have been away from the academic environment for an extended period, from taking additional credit-bearing courses that drive up the cost and extend the time to degree completion, increasing the likelihood of them abandoning their studies before finishing. We developed this solution to student knowledge gaps by tailoring prerequisite supports to students through the use of our LMS’s quiz function paired with release conditions to provide customized content to students based on quiz results. Prior to this project, students at our institution were required to enroll in a comprehensive foundational course designed to cover a broad spectrum of topics essential for graduate studies, more prerequisite in nature. Despite its comprehensive curriculum, student success measures did not indicate much value in the completion of this course. Analysis of student performance and feedback indicated a critical need for a more adaptive learning approach to meet the needs of the adult students – often returning to academic studies – while not extending time to degree. The just-in-time learning resources we have created to support our MBA students are meant for students to engage with simultaneously with their MBA course work. This tool was designed to assess incoming students' mastery of key competencies required for successful graduate study and to provide immediate, customized instructional content based on individual assessment results. Students will start with a diagnostic assessment, which takes the form of a quiz tailored to evaluate competencies directly linked to MBA curriculum. Once students complete the diagnostic assessment, they are given a study plan highlighting the areas of understanding that should be strengthened as they are completing their MBA coursework. Learning modules containing personalized study materials are made available to students to enhance their level of mastery on these subjects. Each piece of content was designed to address specific gaps identified through the diagnostic quizzes, ensuring that every student received the most relevant and impactful learning experience. Key to this experience is that these materials were available to students to use in a manner that served them best. Some chose to complete the full study plan immediately, while others completed it as they progressed through their coursework, identifying where their gaps lay and leveraging resources to fill those gaps at the time when it was most needed. Following the project’s launch, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation including student surveys and interviews, faculty surveys, analysis of student behavior within the supplemental content space, student outcomes in MBA courses, and student retention within the MBA program. Our analysis showed that students found the resources valuable and useful throughout their time in the MBA program. We have also found an increase in the rate of student success by nearly 8 percentage points for students enrolled in the first course of the MBA program. One major concern of the planning team was whether students would complete this optional learning activity without any weight or course requirements attached. It was discovered that the majority of students did complete the quizzes and data shows many reviewed their custom study materials. It is also interesting to note that students revisited these materials throughout their coursework to reinforce their learning content. Level of Participation: During the session, participants will view a demonstration of the course, which includes a walk-through of the diagnostic tool and the adaptive content release. Following this, we will engage in small group discussions brainstorming potential applications of similar projects in the participants’ educational environments. We will also have a question-and-answer forum for attendees to ask detailed questions about the project’s technical and pedagogical aspects. Session Goals: Through our presentation, we will equip participants with a deeper understanding of how just-in-time resources can be leveraged throughout and in tandem with a program, rather than a pre-coursework hurdle to get through before the program-specific work is undertaken by students. We will also show how adaptive learning technologies offered by LMS platforms can be used to help personalize educational content and enhance student engagement. Finally, we will help our participants explore how similar initiatives could be created and scaled to other programs and institutions while considering the unique challenges and opportunities each context presents.