“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
-Mark Twain
At Cengage, we’re always striving to create better products that save instructors and students time, money and headaches. We won’t always hit a new feature out of the park, but we’re committed to fixing what could be working better. That’s why we rely on customer feedback to guide us. There’s no one better positioned to help us improve our products than the people who use them day in and day out. We listened closely to customer feedback and are excited to share several new features that solve common customer problems.
Quick and Secure Account Creation and Management
Problem: Account creation could take hours
Solution: Partner with SheerID and OKTA for instant (and secure) account creation.
Creating a Cengage account should be a quick and easy process. At the same time, it’s also critical to protect your personal information. To facilitate the most secure and efficient experience possible, Cengage has partnered with OKTA and SheerID, two leaders in the account management and identity verification industry, to provide a state-of-the-art account creation and login experience. When you create an account through Cengage, you can expect your identity to be verified quickly (often instantly) and your data to be protected. Cengage also uses Okta Identity Cloud to secure all of your students’ data so you can be confident that your accounts—and those of your students—are fully protected with industry-leading account management software.
A Streamlined Instructor Center
Problem: Reviewing, adopting and assigning course materials is too time-intensive
Solution: A transformed web experience that puts everything you need in one place, shaving hours off of course prep time
*Coming in June!*
The new Cengage Instructor Center will have everything you need to quickly find and review course materials, easily set up online homework and more. With just a few clicks, you can:
- Review our entire library of eTextbooks
- Explore online homework solutions
- Access support and training resources for you and your students
- Browse a library of professional development resources with inspiration and advice on the latest teaching trends (coming late 2021)
More Value, Less Headache for Budget-Minded Students
Problem: Students were frustrated by confusing trials, small refund windows and limited rentals in Cengage Unlimited
Solution: Simplify the trial experience, increase refund windows and expand limits on print book rentals
When you’re a student, finding ways to save money is essential. A big cost-cutting maneuver is “try before you buy” to see if the product or service you’re considering is worth it. Cengage Unlimited and Cengage Unlimited eTextbooks has a refund window of 7 days after purchase (so students can still try Cengage Unlimited).
Students can still access the free online learning platform trial for MindTap, WebAssign, SAM, etc. This allows them “Temporary Access” for up to 14 days (based on the length of the course).
We’ve also increased print textbook rental limits:
- 4-month Cengage Unlimited and Cengage Unlimited eTextbooks subscribers can rent up to 4 print textbooks
- 1-year Cengage Unlimited subscribers can rent up to 8 print textbooks
- 2-year Cengage Unlimited subscribers can rent up to 16 print textbooks
Renters only have to pay shipping and handling per book.
Finally, Cengage Unlimited plans offer 24/7 access to new employability modules in the Career Success Tips tab. These modules help build students’ confidence and preparedness in their transition from college to career with interactive scenarios students can apply to their future work experiences.
Students Empowered to Study Anytime, Anywhere
Problem: Not all students have reliable internet to access their eTextbooks
Solution: Provide offline access with the free Cengage Read app
Students should have choice and flexibility when it comes to how and where they want to study their course materials. The Cengage Read app does exactly that by providing both online and offline access to eTextbooks and allowing students to read, highlight, take notes and have their text read aloud to them, anywhere, anytime.
Streamlined Reading Assignments
Problem: Students are confused about their reading assignments
Solution: Integrate eTextbooks into their campus Learning Management System
When course models change or your students are accessing their textbook in various formats (eTextbook, print, etc.), it can be confusing for them to pinpoint exactly what they need to read for class. Integrating eTextbooks with your campus LMS allows you to directly link to your full eTextbook or specific readings*. Students can use tools such as notetaking and highlighting within the eTextbook while they complete the reading.
* Chapter-level eTextbook integration is available for select titles.
We’re always looking to improve your experience with Cengage products. If you would like to provide feedback via future research projects, please sign up for our instructor research panel.