Researchers and physicians at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and NEJM Group conducted a survey study to determine user experiences with an adaptive learning platform and the impact on first-time American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying Examination (ABIM-CE) test takers.  The study was published in AMEE MedEd Publish, an open access online journal for medical and health-care professionals.   

The survey study examines the NEJM Knowledge+ adaptive learning platform, which we co-developed with NEJM Group, and found that the majority of respondents rated the platform as helpful and the content as good or excellent for exam preparation and relevant to their learning needs. The study also found that a significantly higher proportion of users reported passing the ABIM-CE on their first attempt compared to the national average (95 percent vs. 89 percent).

"This is encouraging and an important step in research to validate user satisfaction and outcomes from using our adaptive learning technology," said Dr. Ulrik Juul Christensen, CEO of Area9 Lyceum. "These results are important for health care organizations looking to improve their education offerings." 

Area9 Lyceum is dedicated to its evidence-based approach in adaptive learning, and this study provides some initial indications of the utility of this platform in medical education.

NEJM Group (a division of The Massachusetts Medical Society, publisher of the New England Journal of Medicine) and Area9 partnered in 2013 to launch NEJM Knowledge+, which to date has more than 18,000 users.

Area9 Lyceum leverages more than 20 years of research to identify the human factors that influence learning, such as when students prepare for medical exams or health-care professionals prepare for continuing medical education. Other key industries include aviation, defense, heavy industry, telecommunications, professional services and higher education.