Research on Features
We’re continually reviewing recent studies on digital learning supports and considering what to prioritize in building Clusive tools. Explore different features to find out what we have learned so far.
Features we're considering
![Screen capture of Clusive recommendation panel.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/cisl-adaptivty-page-why-image.png/cisl-adaptivty-page-why-image.png/aem%3Amedium)
Adaptivity
The adaptive features in Clusive will provide recommendations for supports and content that individualize learning with the ultimate goal of creating expert learners.
![Adjustable line spacing image: Two images of the same article within the CISL reader environment are shown side-by-side. The article in the image on the right has more space between lines of text, compared to the article in the left image. Above the two images a line of text reads “More or less space between lines?” with two arrows, one pointing to each image.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/research-feature-line-spacing-041519-1.png/research-feature-line-spacing-041519-1.png/aem%3Amedium)
Adjustable Line Spacing
Readers may want to adjust the amount of spacing between lines of text to find the right fit. One student told us, “When I read I skip lines, so it’s really helpful for me to have spacing between lines.
![Two images of the same article within the CISL reader environment are shown side-by-side. The article in the image on the right has letters that are more spaced out from one another, compared to the article in the left image. Above the two images a line of text reads “More or less space between letters?” with two arrows, one pointing to each image.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/research-feature-letter-spacing-041519-1.png/research-feature-letter-spacing-041519-1.png/aem%3Amedium)
Adjustable Letter Spacing
Extra-large letter spacing has been linked to increased reading speed and accuracy among children with dyslexia. CISL users will have the opportunity to discover letter spacing options that work best for them!
![A tab for adjusting text settings including text size, line spacing, letter spacing, and font pops up over an article in a digital reading environment.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/research-feature-text-size-061119.png/research-feature-text-size-061119.png/aem%3Amedium)
Adjustable Text Size
Making text sizes larger or smaller as needed can benefit readers of different ages and those with visual impairments.
![Arrow pointing to font choice section of Clusive tools.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/feature-font-choice-020620.jpg/feature-font-choice-020620.jpg/aem%3Amedium)
Font Choice
Readers may prefer different fonts in order to reduce barriers for fluency in decoding, to match a reading purpose, mood, or to help engage with a text. Options for text size, line spacing, letter spacing, and font allow readers to find a combination that works for them.
![Examples of different text and background contrast settings.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/research-feature-contrast.png/research-feature-contrast.png/aem%3Amedium)
Color and Contrast
Being able to adjust contrast settings can help people avoid eyestrain, and allows users with low-vision to personalize the tools to meet their needs.
![Tools that read text aloud will often also highlight the text as it is read.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/research-feature-read-aloud.png/research-feature-read-aloud.png/aem%3Amedium)
Read Aloud
The ability to have text read aloud is an important access point for many students, and a helpful support to others.
![research suggests that students often have highlighting preferences that may aid their comprehension](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/features-highlights.png/features-highlights.png/aem%3Amedium)
Highlight
As text becomes increasingly digitized, reading platforms should include flexible highlighting as a feature, new research suggests that students use highlighting preferences that may aid their comprehension.
![Annotating text is a strategy that leads to greater text comprehension because it promotes deeper engagement with a text.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/freature-annotations.png/freature-annotations.png/aem%3Amedium)
Annotation
Annotation has been shown to increase students’ memory of text, which leads to improved learning. Annotations typically include a person’s thoughts, reflections, and questions about a text as they read.
![A screenshot of an article within the CISL reader environment is in the background of this image. An arrow extends from the underlined word “nutrients” in the article to a pop-up box in the foreground of the image. The box has the title “Nutrients,” a definition of the word nutrients, and a captioned image of a group of various food ingredients including carrots, strawberries, and walnuts.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/research-feature-glossary-041519-1.png/research-feature-glossary-041519-1.png/aem%3Amedium)
Glossary
Glossary features highlight key words that are chosen based on the learning goal of the material. The definitions in a glossary can be customized to match how the word is being used in the text.
![A screen grab of an embedded comprehension check in a digital reading environment.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/research-feature-comprehension.jpg/research-feature-comprehension.jpg/aem%3Amedium)
Comprehension Checks
Students and teachers get quick feedback that can help them know when to move ahead to new content or revisit challenges when comprehension checks are embedded in a tool.
![Screen capture of text with highlighted words and alternate phrasing.](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/feature-auto-text-simplification.jpg/feature-auto-text-simplification.jpg/aem%3Amedium)
Automated Text Simplification
Automated text simplification tools, such as Rewordify, may help scaffold challenging texts and build reading comprehension and fluency.
![screen shot of Clusive switch panel](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/feature-manual-text-editing.png/feature-manual-text-editing.png/aem%3Amedium)
Manual Text Leveling
Find out more about text leveling, where text is modified to be more simple or complex to fit a student's reading skills.
![Screenshot of a popup window in Clusive asking students of their thoughts on the reading and how it made them feel](/binaries/content/gallery/cisl/feature-affect.jpg/feature-affect.jpg/aem%3Amedium)
Affect & Student Learning
Find out how the built-in “reaction wheel” in Clusive allows students to reflect on their emotional state during a reading.