Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Research in Teaching and Education
Year: 2025
DOI:
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Digital Differentiated Instruction in Higher Education: A Case from Mathematics Learning
Hadar Spiegel,Biana Shteinbuch-Fridman
ABSTRACT:
Differentiated Instruction (DI) is a pedagogical approach that adjusts instructional strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of students, based on their readiness, abilities, interests, and learning styles (Yuen et al., 2023). Research has shown that DI has a positive impact and benefits, but at the same time is challenging in its implementation. In higher education, factors such as time constraints and large class sizes have hindered lecturers from adopting this approach (Turner et al., 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a re-evaluation of teaching methodologies, emphasizing the necessity of flexible and adaptive instruction. Additionally, the advancements in technology, pedagogy, and institutional policies provide opportunities to make DI more practical and scalable in higher education (Yuen et al., 2023). This study presents an innovative Digital Differentiated Instruction (DDI) approach, which leverages technology to implement differentiated teaching in academy. It addresses learning alternatives, levels, styles, products, and environments. The proposed method minimizes traditional barriers to DI by incorporating new teaching strategies and materials, such as digital fill-in files and continuously updated digital textbooks. DDI was examined in four mathematics courses across two academic institutions, involving students with various backgrounds and skills. Data collected from student reflections and teaching feedbacks indicated increased engagement, comprehension and satisfaction. Students reported that the flexibility in instructional design enhanced their confidence and ability to cope with complex topics. Most of them recommended integrating DDI into additional courses.
keywords: Differential Instruction (DI), Digital Learning, Higher Education, Mathematics Education, Teaching Innovation