This blog post explains why the success of educational technology should be measured not only by time spent on a platform, but also by learning.
Khan Academy is designed around principles of mastery learning, which encourage learners to engage in instruction and practice until they reach high levels of success before moving on to the next skill.
The post describes Khan Academy research on the relationship between MAP Growth mathematics scores and indicators of mastery progress on Khan Academy.
The analysis found that, regardless of the number of skills learners worked on, the proportion of math skills completed at a proficient or mastered level correlated with MAP Growth mathematics scores. This pattern held across grades and regardless of time spent on Khan Academy.
The post explains that “skills to proficient/mastered” is notable because of its correlation with an external measure of math achievement, which provides evidence of convergent validity.
The author concludes that learners are better served by focusing on fewer skills and reaching at least proficient levels on those skills than by working on more skills at only a familiar level of understanding.