PosiCalculia: an adaptive virtual environment for children with learning difficulties

Personalizing instruction through computer assistive technologies seek to promote equal opportunities in learning by considering students' differences and learning disabilities. In particular, children who have dyscalculia struggle with mathematical concepts comprehension, which usually has a negative impact on their academic performance and daily activities. In this paper, we suggest PosiCalculia, an adaptive virtual environment that takes into account students' abilities and progression to create a personalized learning experience. It is based on an assessment tool as well as adaptive serious games that aim to improve students' mathematical skills while maintaining their motivation and engagement. We conducted a pilot experiment with therapists and children with dyscalculia to study the usability of the virtual environment and its impact on their learning outcomes. The results of the experiment show that the virtual environment can be a promising learning tool to improve learners' mathematical skills while providing them with an enjoyable learning experience.