The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation this week announced new investments in adaptive learning, an increasingly popular approach in higher education that blends individualized instruction, peer tutoring and automated applications that adjust to a student's skill level. Education Growth Advisors released a report, funded by Gates, which found that adaptive learning is spreading slowly despite its potential. And the foundation announced a planned $100,000 grant aimed at U.S. colleges that seeks to help them create partnerships to launch adaptive courses.