It's the Khan Academys of the world against the Duolingos. A tale as old as the early 2000s. Or is it even a battle at all?
Lesson libraries and learning pathways are standard models in the supplemental edtech space that each have their strengths, weaknesses, and qualities that overlap. After years of navigating the UX of both, for fun practice or tutoring, they're both second nature to me. They both offer fun (and at times frustrating) challenges to build skills and knowledge.
But as I think about the best way to help students learn careers through their homework, this debate has been brewing in my head: what model is better?
Lesson library
The phrase treasure trove is disgusting overused these days, but it describes what this model does quite well.
A lesson library provides a hub of lessons, practice activities, and assessments on specific subjects and skills. Videos, printable handouts, interactive modules, and quizzes are typically organized by subject, grade level, or topic. These flexible resources help teachers fill gaps in their instruction, letting them easily grab what they need to confidently deliver instruction.
Students can also study with lesson library resources on their own if they have home access to the platform that provides it. Back in my day (the late 00s) I remember clicking into many a dropdown menu to search for content by topic, attempting to match my homework prompts with the right practice material offered by supplemental providers.
Lesson libraries from my student years: BrainPOP, Khan Academy, IXL
...that I've done product marketing for: Raz-Plus, Flocabulary, Nearpod
Learning pathway
If a lesson library is a buffet, a learning pathway is a full-course meal. This structured sequence of learning experiences gives learners a clear roadmap that guides them through specific skill development. As students progress, they're relying on the prior knowledge and skills that they've picked up earlier on in the pathway.
Just like the content in a lesson library, learning pathway material includes a mix of interactivities to help students stay engaged and master the content. But because learning via this sequence is cumulative, the order content gets completed in is more rigid, unless a student forgoes a section of content indefinitely. In this case, they're able to skip ahead in their pathway because of prior knowledge they have that allows them to know how to answer questions correctly.
This model is often adaptive, using persona;zed student responses to tailor future questions.
...that I've done product marketing for: N/A
Where the models overlap
Both models allow students to learn at their own pace. When and how often learners click into a module or pathway stepping stone is up to them.
When students do decide to log on to engage with either model, they interact with multimodal activities, In a lesson library, this means choosing from a pool of available resources. In a learning pathway, this means getting served specific content in a scaffolded order. Quality programs that follow either model will serve students rich, high-quality content based on research.
Feedback loops also available with both models. Checkpoints that tell students if they answered questions correctly or incorrectly, along with additional color commentary, can be provided after every question or at the end of a short series. These pause points can help learners identify areas for improvement.
Conclusion: My verdict
The competition between these two instructional models is a battle I'm not sure I can judge with pedagogical expertise. As an ex-student user, I can confidently say that I preferred learning pathways. My type-A personality enjoyed moving in sequence, at times overcoming periods of feeling stuck at a certain level until I eventually overcame, won the digital ribbon/ trophy, and progressed forward, getting closer to the end.
Lesson libraries are the more flexible model, not requiring completion of earlier components before advancing. They also tend to have more of a front-of-classroom use case for teachers, like Raz-Plus or Flocabulary. But students, like the one I once was, can also dig into these to supplement instruction at home, like Khan Academy.
Duolingo is holding it down as a leading industry product leveraging a learning pathway for independent practice. Just because I haven't come across a front-of-class model, doesn't mean it's not as important as a lesson library.
Both concepts are essential in educational settings, and their effectiveness can depend on the goals of the educational program, the needs of the learners, and the context in which learning occurs.
Before you go, please select one. Votes are anonymous.
Lesson library
Learning pathway