digital learning

Author:  Dr. Stephanie Thomas, Cornell University How do you engage a class of more than 450 students with varying academic backgrounds and vastly different interests in the subject? This is the challenge I face every fall semester when I offer Introductory Microeconomics. I approach this question from the following perspective: students come to class on the first day because they have to come. They come to class the rest of the semester because they want to come. It’s hard for us to imagine why a student wouldn’t want to come to class! As instructors, most of us enjoyed going to Read More…

Learners Expect Credentials with Market Value

Many educational institutions are responding to shifts in the market that increase the number of people seeking digital credentials, rather than traditional degrees, for professional development. Adult learners in particular are attracted to innovative credentials as ways to get the education they need for job and career advancement more efficiently. Credentials such as certificates and badges can generally be achieved more flexibly than a 2- or 4-year degree, in a shorter amount of time, and with more targeted results. Learners’ demands for credentials with specific employment value call attention not only to Read More…

As community college Math professors and Cengage authors, Mark Clark and Cindy Anfinson see firsthand the impact expensive course materials can have on a student’s learning experience. With a shared commitment to helping students access and achieve higher education, Mark and Cindy share their reactions and excitement around Cengage Unlimited, which can help students save money without sacrificing the quality of their education.    1. As community college Math instructors, what are the biggest challenges that your students face? The two biggest challenges our students face are time and money. Many students are working one or more jobs, as well as Read More…

Last week, the city’s top talent joined Cengage employees and members of the leadership team for “Cengaged,” the first in a series of Cengage events designed to engage the area’s brightest minds in education, technology and innovation. The theme of the event was “Our Transformative Journey” and included opening remarks from CEO Michael Hansen, who reflected on his personal Cengage journey.  From leading the company through bankruptcy to overseeing the Cengage transition from a print publisher to an education and technology company, Michael demonstrated that change is only hard if you don’t understand the drivers behind it.  

Transformative Technology

The Read More…

MindTap and Cengage support upgrade Psychology professor’s confidence in digital technology.

Digital Learning, Done Better

Social Psychology Professor Carmon Hicks makes student interaction the focus of class time at Indiana’s Ivy Tech Community College, so it’s logical that she’d want to promote interactivity outside of class, too. Hicks’ experience with another company’s digital product was so negative that she stopped using it midway through the term. Now she’s using MindTap from Cengage, and she and her students are more than content. In fact, all but two students got an A or B on the midterm, and Hicks is effusive in Read More…

Adjuncts’ top priorities are to share knowledge and make a difference in the lives of their students. And yet, many still feel disconnected and less valued than full-time faculty because they believe they have to try harder in order to prove themselves. Most adjunct faculty hold master’s degrees or a PhD, and because several of them have professional/real-world experience in the course area they teach, they can bring that extra value to the classroom.

Adjunct Instructor Survey

Cengage partnered with Zeldis Research Associates in a three-phased multimethod study. 417 adjunct instructors completed an online survey, and 63 adjunct professors participated in Read More…

APLIA is a by-product of science that transforms the way students learn and how faculty teaches. In an orthodox set-up, students use books as a primary source of information. However, complex by-the-book discussions make it harder for average students to comprehend. The use of a dictionary may be necessary to know terms commonly introduced by different fields. One of the advantages of APLIA is its built-in dictionary that provides definitions of unfamiliar terms. In addition, APLIA reinforces the learning of students by providing them instant feedback about their performance in exams and activities. Traditionally, written assignments do not effectively serve Read More…

Modern college students are used to information being available at their fingertips. So how do you persuade them that the best way to search isn’t to only use Google, but to also check out all the electronic resources available from the college library? In addition to the expert advice available from reference librarians, library resources at your college likely include a number of online resources and e-journal titles, often hosted in a database like Questia. Get familiar with the electronic resources offered to your students, and help them learn how to incorporate those resources into their Read More…

The current generation of college students has grown up surrounded by technology. It’s easy to assume that all of them possess a superior technical literacy to students in years past. But the digital divide—a gap between those who have easy access to technological tools and those who don’t—can mean not all your students have the same level of digital literacy. You need teaching strategies to assess the digital and technical literacy of your students to make sure they’re able to keep up with the digital assignments and resources you use in your course. In McKeachie’s Teaching Tips, 14e, Wilbert Read More…

Professors of online courses have the benefit of being able to work for colleges that are hundreds of miles away, and hundreds of miles apart. Case in point: Sheila LeviAland, who teaches art history for Lord Fairfax Community College in Virginia and Valencia College in Florida. Since long before her introduction to digital products, Sheila has used one of the field’s classic texts — Gardner’s Art through the Ages. When decision makers at Lord Fairfax switched to MindTap®, Sheila was wary due to a negative experience with another company’s web-based assignment and assessment platform. She needn’t have been. “I Read More…