The PERvasive Learning System (PERLS) is a mobile microlearning platform designed for learning anytime and anywhere, taking advantage of planned and unplanned time during a learner’s daily schedule to enhance and reinforce learning. It is a government-owned platform created by Float for the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative with advice and independent evaluation provided by the Arizona State University Advanced Distributed Learning Partnership Laboratory. The system uses advanced algorithms to provide tailored learning recommendations to personnel based on their characteristics, learning history, training requirements, and context. The PERLS platform has both mobile application frontend and backend content management software. The mobile application includes a recommendation tool, providing the learner with different forms of content, e.g., reading content, videos, flash cards, knowledge checks, and more. While the learner chooses how to navigate through the material, the PERLS platform adapts to the learner’s preferences and level of effort. The backend software allows authors to create, attach, curate, and tag these materials, creating a pool of content to be served to the learner. This allows for distributed, self-regulated, context-aware, personalized learning. An empirical evaluation of PERLS to show evidence of the system within authentic training settings by evaluating assessments from soldiers that used PERLS during their class and those only taking a standard class. A total of 441 soldiers taking classes from the Sabalauski Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, KY were recruited. Overall, the perceptions of the system’s effectiveness and measured effectiveness were very positive. PERLS with a robust authoring system and algorithms based on learning science techniques has a strong potential for impact.

Keywords
ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING,BLENDED TRAINING,ELEARNING,MOBLIE TECHNOLOGY

Additional Keywords
PERLS