When instructors and students are used to in-person learning, the switch to online, remote learning can be a difficult one. It’s not unusual to feel rather disconnected, and it can be a challenge to form meaningful instructor/student and peer relationships. Macmillan Learning’s new digital platform Achieve can help facilitate this sense of community that many might feel is lacking in the virtual classroom.  The Achieve platform includes an interactive e-Book as well as extensive learning materials with pre-class, in-class and post-class activities. In addition to these materials, Professor of Psychology Dr. Michael Poulakis finds the Goal-setting and Reflection surveys to be the biggest advantage of Achieve. Through the use of this key function, Dr. Poulakis feels he can better understand the needs of his students and track their progress throughout his courses. Macmillan Learning asked Dr. Poulakis what other features of the new digital learning platform he found helpful.    What have been some challenges with teaching–especially with online learning–since the pandemic started? How have you addressed them? I think one of the main challenges is knowing how I should reach out to and communicate with my students to make sure that they understand the material. I teach psychology at the University of Indianapolis, so teaching online I need to ask myself: Do they understand the material? And, do they feel safe and comfortable enough to reach out to me if they don’t? Can they raise their hand virtually, so to speak, and say “Dr. P. I need your help with this”? Lastly, can I provide them with the tech experience that they need to be successful students? For me, Achieve has achieved that. Achieve has done that for my students.  How do Achieve and LaunchPad differ? Achieve is LaunchPad on steroids. I think that Achieve is what Windows 10 is to Windows 7. One of the advantages is the ability to do online surveys. This way I can gather some confidence about my students regarding how they feel about the class and their performance. How are they doing? How are they performing? These are the questions I ask myself, and with Achieve, I get data. I get to see what challenges my students face, including individual data from each student based on their responses, and that gives me more information about each student.  Another thing I like about Achieve is the plurality of assignments for each chapter. That is one of the major advantages, and the reason I believe that is because I can use current events, and I can also make sure that I capture different learning styles. That has been very helpful to me.  One part of Achieve that instructors and students have really responded to are the Goal-setting and Reflection Surveys. Are you using those? If so, how has that student information changed your class–for you and your students? I’ve used Goal-setting and Reflection surveys since I started using Achieve. One of the main advantages is that I get additional information about each one of my students. I’m a qualitative researcher, so the ability for me to know what is going on for each student–and I taught a class of 45 students this past semester, dealing with COVID, dealing with financial issues, dealing with relationships, dealing with medical issues, working full time (many of them work full time). The surveys gave me information about how I can best reach them, especially during off-hours when I’m not teaching class to ask them “What can I do for you?” or “How can I help you?” and I think that helped me realize that each one of them had their own particular set of challenges. I think it also reinforced that they can reach out to me, and it gave me a good idea of how they’re doing in class. They respond well to that because you can assign the different surveys throughout the semester, and that gives you data–baseline to an output–about how they’ve done, how they have progressed, and also how successful they feel about reaching their goals.  Why did you first decide to use online tools in your class?  All of my students used digital in high school, and that’s a shift that I have seen. Because of COVID, they’re already predisposed to that model. So for me, in terms of teaching, I knew that I needed to have a robust technology platform like Achieve to reach them. There were no technology issues, and that is such a blessing. I did not have to play tech support; I did not have to refer them to the tech side. The worst problem that happened was for me to teach them how to disable pop-ups and ad-blockers–for Achieve to work–and that was the worst scenario the whole semester.    This interview is part of a series focusing on how digital learning is being used in college classrooms and, in particular, what the transition to Achieve has been like. Interested in hearing more from Dr. Poulakis? Register today for the webinar "Connecting with Students to Improve Learning" where he'll share more about his experience using Goal-Setting and Reflection Surveys in Achieve. About Achieve: Macmillan Learning built it’s new digital learning platform Achieve to help students of all abilities and backgrounds succeed. It offers the content, tools and insights about student success to do just that. Achieve was designed with active learning in mind, and can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support engagement. It was co-designed with more than 7,000 students and over 100 leading educators and learning scientists both at our company and on our independent review boards. Learn more about Achieve. ... View more

For many students, accessibility is not a nice-to-have, but a need-to-have for their learning journey. And that shouldn’t be a journey students have to embark on alone. Macmillan Learning has long invested in tools and services that make learning more accessible for all learners, regularly sharing best practices, including with publicly available checklists and guidelines. The upcoming “Accessibility in Action” panel on March 7 at SXSW EDU brings together industry leaders for an important conversation on the accessibility journey including Macmillan Learning Senior Director of Accessibility Outreach and Communication, Rachel Comerford; Anaya Jones, Elearning Librarian & Assistant Professor at Southern New Hampshire University; Southeastern Oklahoma State University student Madison Saunders; and Benete ch Account Manager Ashley Wells Ajinkya. Ahead of the panel, our team spoke with Rachel Comerford about her role, what accessibility means in education, and important advancements that are being made. What does it mean to have "accessible" learning materials? There are two sides to making something accessible - meeting the requirements outlined by standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and meeting the needs of users.  Guidelines are important for establishing a consistent experience for students and in making materials work across the many platforms that students use. Assistive technology does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to introducing variation in how educational content is displayed on a screen or delivered, but it can only do that work if the appropriate accessibility standards are met. The user experience, however, is more nuanced. Learning scientists discover more every day about how students learn and how unique the learning experience is. This goes for all students - checking off the accessibility to-do list is a great starting point, but every student is different and may need materials in different formats or styles. This is where flexibility plays a part in educational design. Making accessible learning materials also means being willing to re-make them according to user need. It’s in this spirit that Macmillan Learning offers alternative formats for all of its learning materials for students with disabilities. Macmillan Learning became the first publishing firm to be "global certified accessible" in 2019. What, in practical terms, does that mean? For Macmillan Learning, as it will be for most publishers participating in the certification program, this meant revisiting our eBook publishing workflow from the ground up. The first step was enormous; we made a format switch from PDF to EPUB3, which is widely considered to be a more accessible eBook format. From there, we made incremental improvements from adding alternative text to every image, to establishing accessible design templates, to tweaking our code until it reflected the best practices in the industry. We were supported on the journey by our partners at Benetech, who went through countless reviews with us to highlight challenges. We also worked with Tech for All, who trained employees and authored support documentation throughout the process, along with various industry organizations who have helped us create, maintain, and communicate these standards. We are very proud of the accomplishments we have made, but we also recognize that this is a journey that is ongoing. What do you consider to be some of the most important advancements in moving forward accessibility? People are the driving force behind accessibility. We are at a time where there's unprecedented awareness of the need for accessibility worldwide, which has led to widespread knowledge of the techniques necessary to make content accessible. Standards like WCAG and EPUB A11Y, certification programs, and an infrastructure of organizations, documentation, and training makes it easier than ever before to find out what still needs to be accomplished. How has the pandemic-induced shift to digital and remote learning impacted students that need accomodations? There were pros and cons to the sudden switch to remote learning. In a sense, the change was incredibly helpful to students in need of accommodations. Suddenly, students with chronic illness, pain, fatigue, and mobility issues had access to their ‘classroom’ when and where they needed it. And for many of these students, it worked. There was a downside as well though. When digital materials weren’t born accessible, students faced long waits from understaffed disability services offices for alternative formats. As the pandemic wore on, we saw an increased investment from procurement offices at universities in adopting accessible materials, which in turn led to students with disabilities getting the materials they needed at the same time as their peers and relief for accessibility offices.    What's something that would be surprising about accessibility in education? It’s disappointing that we still hear from some professors that students with disabilities are not “their” students. Educators need to understand that there are students with disabilities in their classrooms, either in-person or virtual. Refusing to consider these students when choosing educational materials, however, will delay or halt these students’ studies. This cannot be a chicken or egg argument: if we create an inaccessible environment for all students, then some students will be unable to complete their studies, and in the long run, society misses out on the valuable contributions these students might make in their fields. Every educator has the chance to make a difference for every student. It starts with them. The SXSW EDU Accessibility in Action panel  is scheduled for Monday, March 7, 2022 from 3:30pm-4:30pm CT. It will provide context from various stakeholders about what goes into making an eBook, a textbook, or other course materials fully accessible.  ... View more

The best designs are often the ones we don’t think twice about because they blend so seamlessly into our environment and benefit everyone who uses them. While it may go unnoticed, creating purposeful, accessible design often takes input from a variety of stakeholders; without consideration for and input from everyone, rather than from one specific user, accessible design can fail to hit the mark. Creating a seamless environment that supports all learners – with the input of a variety of stakeholders – is what Macmillan Learning strives to do as we develop our products and services.  To learn more about accessible design, Macmillan Learning recently sat down with Senior Development Editor, Sherry Mooney, and Associate Marketing Data Analyst, Vera Sticker, who also serves as the Cultural Awareness and Education Committee Lead for Macmillan Learning’s AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities) Employee Resource Group. In our conversation, Sherry and Vera explained what the Curb-Cut Effect is, and they offered several great examples of architectural and product designs that benefit everyone - not only those with disabilities.  “We’ve all been there,” Vera said, “trying to push open a door designed to be pulled because of a misleading handle.”  “Or trying to get a stroller, wheelchair, or suitcase over a curb,” Sherry added.  Design problems like these might not just be irritating, they might even prevent people from being able to do simple things like accessing a building, enjoying a movie, or making dinner.  “People with disabilities face these obstacles regularly, sometimes on a daily (or even hourly!) basis,” said Sherry. “Over the years, as disability awareness has grown, many commonplace things have been modified or redesigned to enhance accessibility.”  “And this has led to a very cool discovery: time and again, the more accessible the design, the better it tends to be for everyone, with and without disabilities,” said Vera.  Such consistent results have warranted a name for this phenomenon: the Curb-Cut Effect. The discovery of the Curb Cut Effect led to a new design philosophy known as Universal Design, for which the University of Washington offers a lengthy but usefully precise definition.  Sherry and Vera provided three great examples of the Curb-Cut Effect in architectural design and products that people encounter or use on a daily basis. Accessibility Wins  The Curb-Cut EffectCurb-Cuts “Obviously, we have to start here,” said Vera. According to Sherry and Vera, curb cuts started appearing on American sidewalks in the 1940s and 1950s, when a few communities decided to invest in more accessible environments for disabled veterans. Thereafter, with the pressure from disability rights activists, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 led to curbs being cut in every corner of the country.  “It was a big win for people in wheelchairs, but they were far from the only ones to benefit,” said Vera. “Curb cuts made life easier for anyone navigating with a stroller, shopping cart, rolling luggage, and just about any other thing on wheels.”  OXO Good Grips “Another great example is the ‘Good Grips’ line of kitchen tools by OXO,” said Vera. “Although Good Grips products can be found in many kitchens (and almost every home goods store), the first product was created by Sam Farber with just one person in mind: his wife, Betsy, whose arthritis made it difficult to use a standard peeler.”  Farber founded OXO to create a line of tools that were easier for everyone to use, regardless of ability. The company applied universal design principles from the beginning, rather than trying to retrofit existing products.  Automatic Sliding Doors “The first modern sliding doors weren’t created for people with physical disabilities,” explained Sherry, “but for a different group of people who still had trouble in their environment: the residents of Corpus Christi, TX, which is one of the windiest cities in the US.” In 1954, Lew Hewitt and Dee Horton recognized this community’s struggle to open and close swinging doors, so they invented the automatic sliding door.  “They’re great for people carrying groceries, using wheelchairs, walking with guide animals, and those juggling multiple small children or strollers,” said Sherry. “In short, automatic sliding doors are a simple solution that makes buildings more accessible for everyone.”  Helping Everyone When it’s successful, we often don’t even notice universal design in action. Unfortunately, good intentions don’t guarantee success in universal design when it isn’t applied appropriately.  It’s not enough to only consider certain groups of people and to think of solutions based only on that group. In other words, adding accommodation for whomever might be deemed as the “default” user is not the same as removing barriers and increasing accessibility for all.  Universal Design is not limited to architectural design and products, but can be extended to the ways in which society as a whole is organized. Some companies offer their employees the flexibility to shift their working hours or to work longer on some days and shorter on others.  This would make jobs more accessible to those with chronic concerns like pain or fatigue because those individuals would be able to work when they feel best and rest when they need to. Many jobs offer this option as an accommodation when it’s specifically requested, but offering this sort of flexibility can make things better for everyone in terms of work/life balance. A good example of this benefiting everyone would be how it would allow those with different sleep schedules to be more productive during the times of day when they are feeling most energized and motivated.  “Obviously, this sort of approach wouldn’t work everywhere – for instance, in a retail or restaurant position* – much the same way that we don’t all have automatic sliding doors in our houses,” said Sherry.  There are requirements for particular places and roles that necessitate particular design choices. Whenever it is possible, however, universal design can point to better solutions for all users – and a better society for everyone.  *Sherry and Vera note that the most limiting positions are often held by those with fewer options because of structural economic, racial, or educational discrimination. Therefore, even as we acknowledge the challenges of universal design in these more constraining situations, we also embrace the challenge of trying to find ways to continue to apply universal design and to improve access and quality of life unilaterally.   ... View more

Like millions of Americans, I found myself glued to my television screen this past Sunday in hopes of witnessing a memorable Super Bowl.  From the onset of the event, I got more than I actually expected.  At the opening of Super Bowl LV, gospel duo Mary Mary gave a powerful rendition of James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, commonly known in the African American community as the Black National Anthem.  I was moved to see the thousands in attendance, and know that millions more were standing, singing, and listening to this most sacred hymn in honor of Black History Month.   For more than one hundred and twenty years, the Black National Anthem has been sung in churches, auditoriums, at family reunions, and during moments of reflection as a source of unity during our difficult journey towards social progress in America.  When I heard the first words ring from Mary Mary in harmony, without thinking about it, I stood up on my feet at attention. With my head raised high, I whispered the words aloud. I was compelled to do what I had done every day during morning assembly at my predominantly Black elementary school in Trenton, New Jersey.   In school, after the flag salute and before the morning announcements, all students and teachers would stand and sing the Black National Anthem with pride. Every morning, regardless of who didn’t eat that night and came to school hungry, regardless of what violence was waiting at home, in spite of the general perceptions of African American students and their ability to learn, we stood proudly at 8:00 am with our heads held high and sang.   There was a stillness in the room and throughout the school as our hearts grew heavy for those morning moments. It felt like we were singing to ourselves as a reminder to never forget the struggle for freedom and the price of dignity in the face of adversity.  We were singing as a way to motivate our hearts to never give up on any meaningful pursuit in life.  We offered ourselves to a sad reality that hope itself is not secure, but must be evoked by remembering our past and those who came before us while committing to the path they envisioned for the future of a people. We stood there in a fear and reverence, hoping that we were in some way worthy to be the benefactors of abolitionists, activists, entrepreneurs, educators, inventors, and explorers who dared to contribute to the American experience in face of injustice and discrimination.   Last Sunday, while singing the Black National Anthem aloud, I felt what I hadn’t experienced in a long time- a sense of belonging and shared purpose.  I realized that church burnings and public threats couldn’t keep my forefathers and mothers from the difficult task of raising families, protecting communities, and contributing to the building of our nation.  I understood there, on my feet with the heavy heart of hope, that if they could accomplish so much with so little, then I could navigate a pandemic and the challenges of a virtual office space en route to realizing my own dreams of making a difference in the lives of others.    This Black History Month, I remember with pride those morning assemblies with Principal Morgan and the students and teachers at Joyce Kilmer Elementary School.  My hope now is that, in some way, the lifting up of my own voice brings honor to the African American elders who came before me and might serve as a source of inspiration for the emerging generation that will stand on the foundation of my generation of Black leaders.   ... View more

Student engagement remains a hot topic during the ongoing pandemic. How are instructors, who normally offer their classes in-person, managing to keep students engaged in their fully or partially virtual classrooms? For William Curington, instructor of English at Rio Hondo College, it's important to make sure his students feel they are part of a community - even if it’s an online, digital community.  William Curington, Instructor of English at Rio Hondo College Successful online teaching makes use of the best digital learning platforms, and in his classroom, William has used Macmillan Learning’s Achieve platform with his teaching of A Writer’s Reference. The Achieve platform includes an interactive e-Book as well as extensive learning materials with pre-class, in-class and post-class activities. Macmillan Learning asked William Curington about his experience switching to this new digital platform.  People are hesitant to embrace change, but what would you say are the benefits of moving to Achieve vs your experience with LaunchPad?  I think change is difficult for anyone. While I enjoyed using LaunchPad, I have found Achieve to be more “customizable” for my individual class needs. The pandemic kind of forced instructors everywhere to become more tech savvy and I was able to use some of that transitional time to find new and creative ways to use the platform.  How do Achieve and LaunchPad differ?  I feel like Achieve gives more options to me as an instructor when customizing it for the needs of my own course. LaunchPad certainly worked, but it felt more pre-packaged. With Achieve, I have more control of how I’m utilizing it and what features I’m using to connect with my class. Most recently, I have worked with integrating Achieve into our LMS, Canvas, which I’ve found very effective.  We know that student engagement–especially now–is a large issue and so important to student success. How do products like Achieve fit into that? As a community college instructor, I have students of various levels in all my classes, and one of the things I’ve found very helpful are the adaptive quizzes (LearningCurves) Achieve offers. It is nice to know that students can work at their own pace and the adaptive quizzes will identify areas students need work on so they can adjust accordingly. This kind of individualized, self-paced, non-threatening practice of concepts is exactly what many college students need.  How have students responded to Achieve overall?  Students have responded well to Achieve and have taken the time to tell me it has really helped them develop their writing skills. Class time is limited, and I think Achieve is extremely helpful because it allows an instructor to make sure that students are getting reinforcement and feedback on concepts outside of traditional class meetings. I can dedicate more class time to things like discussion and peer review and still know that my students are receiving the self-paced support they need for concepts that are foundational for their writing skills.    This interview is part of a series focusing on how digital learning is being used in college classrooms and, in particular, what the transition to Achieve has been like. About Achieve: Macmillan Learning built it’s new digital learning platform Achieve to help students of all abilities and backgrounds succeed. It offers the content, tools and insights about student success to do just that. Achieve was designed with active learning in mind, and can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support engagement. It was co-designed with more than 7,000 students and over 100 leading educators and learning scientists both at our company and on our independent review boards. Learn more about Achieve. ... View more

Student attrition is an unfortunate reality for many universities. For students, that can mean accumulating debt, but without the added income that a degree can bring to their lifetime earnings. For colleges, it can harm their ability to support students who need support the most -- including first generation students. This is a significant concern for many colleges, as more than one million students drop out of college every year.   So what’s a college to do to help support students' ability to persist and ultimately retain the students so that they complete their degree? Rochester University, an open enrollment liberal arts institution, asked that very question. To answer it, they created new programs to support student success initiatives and better retain their students.  For the last decade, first-time student retention at Rochester University has remained in the low to mid-60s.The university has set a goal of increasing retention by 7%. To increase the impact of the university’s student success efforts, Rochester implemented tools from Pharos Resources and iClicker Insights by Macmillan Learning to better understand the challenges students faced and how to support their needs. Although Rochester University is still in the early stages of integrating their use of Pharos and iClicker Insights, they have already experienced positive results. Fall 2021 to Spring 2022, persistence/retention for first year college students was 81.88%, a 3.3% increase over the prior year. To learn more about what the university discovered, and how they implemented the insights, download the free white paper. ... View more

The cover of Macmillan Learning’s first edition of Preparation for Calculus features a picture of Olympic skateboarder and X Games champion, Lizzie Armanto. For many students, Lizzie’s image provides a point of entry into the course; math can be cool, and everyone should feel welcome to enroll.  Macmillan Learning asked Lizzie what it meant to her to be featured on the cover of a textbook, to reflect on her own schooldays, and if she had any words of encouragement for students pursuing something new or challenging.    Photograph by Anthony Acosta. You were the first female featured on the cover of Transworld SKATEboarding. You’ve been featured on the cover of Thrasher Magazine, and you’re also a playable character in several skateboarding video games. Did you ever imagine you’d be featured on the front cover of a textbook? Not at all. I think people are more excited about the cover of Preparation for Calculus than they were about Transworld.  Lots of students on social media are saying that seeing you on the cover is the first time they've felt represented by a textbook, and it's inspiring them to consider the course. What would you say to them? Studying/learning new things can be challenging and maybe even daunting. Applying math to skateboarding is a fun way to make learning and practicing new 'math things' relatable. Hopefully it makes the work seem less like work and more fun. Can you describe for those of us less knowledgeable about skateboarding the maneuver or trick you’re performing on the front cover of this book? The trick is called a “frontside invert” aka “frontside handplant”. You basically go up the wall forward and as you approach the lip, or “coping” of the ramp or bowl, you reach out with your leading hand to grab the lip while at the same time grabbing the toe side edge of your board with your trailing hand. Your body will instinctively turn towards the direction you turn your head and the forward momentum combined with looking over your forward facing shoulder as you leave the bowl (hands still holding the lip and board respectively) will naturally bring you back around towards the ramp or bowl. You have to pull your weight in sometimes in order to make sure you do not land on the deck of the ramp. Once you’ve come all the way around and have spotted your re-entry point, you bend your knees and begin to slowly stand as you’re entering back into the ramp or bowl. This sounds complicated but once you see it, the trick is actually pretty simple.  What’s a fond memory that you have of your school days, high school or college, outside of skateboarding?  Still to this day, when I walk through the history building in Santa Monica High School, I can remember feeling a cesspool of emotions in ninth grade. Everything was new to me, the classes, campus, teachers, and kids. I knew I wanted to pursue skateboarding but at the time it felt like some far off dream. There were a few teachers that made my high school years pretty enjoyable. Their passion for what they did or the subject they taught had an impact on me. Teachers don't get enough credit and the bad ones really give the rest a bad rap.  You competed for Finland in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. What have you learned while training for the games that may help students as they face their own challenges? Aside from rehabbing a serious injury nine months prior to the Olympics, I didn’t really change anything as far as training or preparing for the Olympics. In all actuality, the Olympics was one of the easier contests for us as professional skaters are concerned. Due to the quota system, no country could send more than three qualified skaters and with the majority of top pros being from three countries (USA, Brazil, Japan) there were quite a few top skaters who could have medaled but were not able to compete in Tokyo because they fell outside of the country quota. X Games and Vans Park Series (pro tour) are much more competitive than the Olympics were. You’ve been described as a trailblazer in the sport of skateboarding. Less than twenty years ago, women were earning less than 5% in winnings compared to men's event winners in the X Games. When you won skateboard-park gold in your first X Games in 2013, the prize amounts were equal. What advice would you give to other women and girls pursuing their dreams in male-dominated fields or spaces? Don’t be afraid to go for it or fail. Everyone has to start somewhere. Be patient with yourself and just keep at it, eventually you'll get to where you want to be if you keep at it or maybe even end up somewhere better. You’re passionate about promoting the sport of skateboarding in lesser developed countries, and you’ve helped run skateboarding workshops, clinics, and demos. Why is it important to share skills with others?  Skateboarding is such an amazing lifestyle and teacher of things on and off the skateboard. Skateboarding teaches resilience like when you fall, you get back up. Little things like this go a long way when you start applying it to other areas of life. You can follow Lizzie on her Instagram and see her on the cover of Preparation for Calculus here. ... View more

Students taking economics courses are expected to learn about traditional finance and intermediaries that impact the economy, like supply and demand, trade, stock markets and hedge funds. These are critical topics that help them to understand individual markets, the impact of government policies and the overall economy. But what, if anything, should students learn about decentralized finance, like cryptocurrency? Why is or isn’t it important to learn about these peer-to-peer transactions and their impact on the economy? We asked the popular economist and co- Alex Tabarrokauthor of  Modern Principles of Economics and Marginal Revolution Alex Tabarrok about decentralized finance ahead of his webinar next month on the topic. What is decentralized finance? Traditional finance involves many financial intermediaries like stock markets, hedge funds and banks. Banks, for example, stand in between savers and borrowers and, as we explain in Modern Principles, they perform useful services like evaluating borrowers and creating easy means of payments like credit cards and checks. Naturally, financial intermediaries also take a cut of the proceeds, about 8% of GDP! Decentralized finance replaces some of these intermediaries with code, smart contracts, that allows buyers and sellers, borrowers and lenders and others to interact more directly and we hope at lower cost and with greater innovation. Loosely speaking, decentralized finance is to finance what Facebook and Twitter are to newspapers and magazines; namely, replacing a centralized authority with a more decentralized peer-to-peer interaction, for better or worse! How do cryptocurrencies fit into decentralized finance? Right now, "DEFI" is mostly used to borrow, lend and trade cryptocurrencies. And frankly it's very risky, hard to do, and pretty weird.  What we are seeing, however, is a very rapid evolution in the DEFI sector and this may turn out to be a fantastic example of Clayton Christiansen's disruptive innovation; namely, an innovation with a smaller company at the bottom of the market that traditional players ignore and discount until it moves up market and disrupts established competitors before they even know what is happening. Frankly, every stock exchange in the world ought to be very fearful of DEXs, i.e. decentralized exchanges. You’re covering cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance in an online chapter in the next Edition of Modern Principles of Economics. Why did you choose to include it? Students ask us about crypto all the time! I don't expect there's a lot of time to teach this material, but a teacher should always know a little bit more than their students! So we thought teachers might be interested in this material to help them answer questions and they can always include some of this material when talking about money or financial intermediaries. Right now BitCoin remains the most accepted and widely known form of crypto. Do you think that is the case going forward, and what other coins do you think may become more prevalent and accepted? Bitcoin has proven to be a good store of value, somewhat equivalent to gold as a store of value. It's not a good medium of exchange, however, and I don't think it ever will be. There are lots of other coins, including stable coins that are very useful in transacting online and a lot of coins tied to various products and projects. Most of these coins will fail and people will lose money. Still, the new tools that are being developed today at a rapid pace suggest the future of finance is going to be quite different than the past. To learn more about decentralized markets and how to teach students about it, sign up for the free professional development webinar hosted by Tabarrok on Feb. 23 here.   Alex Tabarrok is Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Tabarrok is co-author with Tyler Cowen of the popular economics blog, Marginal Revolution. His recent research looks at bounty hunters, judicial incentives and elections, crime control, patent reform, methods to increase the supply of human organs for transplant, and the regulation of pharmaceuticals. His popular articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other magazines and newspapers. ... View more

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, many students all around the world will be celebrating love with their romantic partners by sending cards, giving gifts, and sharing candlelit meals. While doing this, they will be demonstrating their interpersonal communication skills which help them to competently communicate, interact, and work with individuals and groups or, in this case, a romantic partner. According to Dr. Kelly Morrison, Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and co-author of Reflect and Relate, “love is defined and created by how we interpersonally communicate.” Much of what’s learned about interpersonal communication is derived from social and mass media, family and peers, personal experiences, and cultural norms and practices. That includes the communication that’s used throughout romantic relationships. But that’s not where the learning needs to end. From combating stereotypes about love as depicted in the movies, to understanding the various stages of falling in love, students can learn a lot about the intersection of romantic relationships and interpersonal communication in a college classroom. From Hallmark and Disney movies to popular love advice books, misinformation about relationships is pervasive. For example, students often learn from these media that passionate love should be the ultimate relationship goal. In interpersonal communication courses, students learn that there is more than one way to demonstrate love, with passionate love being just one of them. “Our job as educators is to give our students trustworthy knowledge and help them apply it to their close relationship challenges,” said Dr. Steven McCornack, Professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham and co-author of Reflect and Relate. There’s also an opportunity for students to learn what love is -- and what it isn’t. According to Professor McCornack, it’s not uncommon to conflate physical intimacy with love, but the two do not always correlate. “Across the globe and throughout history, people have been physically involved with those with whom they’re not intimate; and intimate with those with whom they’re not physically involved.” Professor Morrison explains that love is “created and sustained, moment by moment, day in and day out, through our communication, what we share, and how we support one another.” Further, men aren't from Mars, women aren't from Venus, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all way to approach love. The different love attitudes expressed in a relationship lend themselves to vastly different communication styles. “If you possess a more practical, as opposed to a more romantic attitude about love, you likely will also see variations in what and how people communicate about love,” said Professor Morrison. In addition to tackling misconceptions about romantic relationships, interpersonal communication classes also discuss topics critical to building and maintaining successful relationships: from how to approach conflict to the importance of emotions. This kind of knowledge helps students to make more informed choices regarding how they communicate and respond to another person's communication. “We control our own romantic relationship destinies through the choices we make regarding how we communicate. Our choices determine our communication; and our communication creates our romantic relationship outcomes,” said Professor McCornack. Learn more about the intersection of romantic love and interpersonal communication from a webinar when the two Macmillan Learning authors and interpersonal communication professors spoke about “love attitudes and relationship maintenance.” The webinar is free for instructors and will provide a complimentary assignment for instructors to use on Valentine’s Day or when otherwise discussing romantic relationships. Access it for free here. ... View more

A decade ago, I would proudly tell a stranger that I was a STEM textbook publisher. I was proud of my work supporting educators and students, especially in such a critically important field. As a publisher in this area, it was commonly understood that I produced big, fat print textbooks that a student would use in a course on campus. If someone approaches me today, however, I would say that I’m a STEM courseware publisher. What’s changed?  I explain that now I participate in creating an instructor’s entire course—content, pedagogy, assessment, interactivity, and more. The changes in my role underscore the fact that our entire industry has shifted. We haven’t simply migrated content from print to digital. We are now taking on the role of creating, from beginning to end, the entire course. We aren’t just publishing finite textbooks, but content, tools, assessment - full solutions that can be accessed anywhere.  With this model, instructors are now empowered to instantly measure what their students are (and are not) learning, and then make adjustments for better outcomes.  Ten years ago, when I described my job, most people would then comment on the “expensive textbooks.” Today, a typical one-term STEM course costs (on average) approximately $70; a far cry from the infamous prices of print textbooks of years ago. We are now in a new era where students pay less for a better product. And the educational solutions companies (publishers) that have invested wisely in their people, technology, and customer outcomes are the companies that are flourishing. What I’m describing is actually really simple math. For students, courseware costs significantly less than a print textbook. For publishing solutions companies, however, our investment in better educational tools has grown. And although we still stand by providing our customers with the tools that support their specific courses and needs, digital or print, the dominant model in STEM is now lower priced courseware. Every student pays the same amount instead of one student paying for new while the rest pay for used material. Now, every student is paying a fair price for content, and publishing solutions companies can afford to continue to invest to continuously improve the learning experience.  Learning technology is changing rapidly. We have seen the educational landscape change dramatically in the past few years. Our goal now has to be integrating learning technology seamlessly into the teaching and learning experience because who wouldn’t be excited about measuring learning in real time and adapting courseware to constantly become better? So what felt like a pipedream ten years ago is a reality that, as a publisher in STEM, I am enormously proud of, and excited about, where we go next.  ... View more

While the pandemic forced many instructors to adapt their teaching style for a fully or partially virtual classroom, the use of digital learning platforms will remain a key component of both remote and in-person learning moving forward. Dr. Darcie Rives-East used Achieve during the pandemic when her teaching moved completely online, and she’ll continue to use the platform for her in-person teaching.  The Achieve platform includes an interactive e-Book as well as extensive learning materials with pre-class, in-class and post-class activities. Dr. Darcie Rives-East, a Professor of English and First-Year Seminar Director at Augustana University, shared with us how she got the most out of this new platform during her time teaching remotely and which features she’ll continue using once she resumes in-person teaching. She’s used The Writer’s Reference with the Achieve platform.  What have been some challenges with teaching–especially with online learning–since the pandemic started? How have you addressed them? A major challenge for me as a composition instructor was having students peer edit classmates’ papers online. I used Achieve’s peer editing function to arrange peer editing partners, as well as the function’s ability to guide students through the questions I wanted them to focus on while they were giving advice to their partners. I found the peer editing function to be a great way to have students interact and work with one another despite not being physically present in the classroom.  People are hesitant to embrace change, but what would you say are the benefits of moving to Achieve vs your experience with LaunchPad? Achieve has so many more capabilities than LaunchPad (such as peer editing and instructor editing of papers, paper assignment templates, etc.), as well as more exercises than LaunchPad. I also thought it was easier to integrate Achieve with an LMS (such as Canvas), and, as a writing program director, I was able to set up and monitor accounts for program instructors.  Why did you first decide to use online tools in your class? During the pandemic, prior to vaccines, I had to be completely online due to prior health considerations. Therefore, I wanted to use all tools available to me in order to replicate and even improve how I teach composition in the physical classroom. Achieve provided me with the resources I needed to teach writing online without sacrificing quality. When I return to the physical classroom, I plan to still use the resources of Achieve to allow a “flipped classroom,” where students can learn and practice certain grammar lessons online, as well as participate in the writing sequence, so that we have more time to discuss writing in the classroom.    This interview is part of a series focusing on how digital learning is being used in college classrooms and, in particular, what the transition to Achieve has been like. About Achieve: Macmillan Learning built it’s new digital learning platform Achieve to help students of all abilities and backgrounds succeed. It offers the content, tools and insights about student success to do just that. Achieve was designed with active learning in mind, and can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support engagement. It was co-designed with more than 7,000 students and over 100 leading educators and learning scientists both at our company and on our independent review boards. Learn more about Achieve. ... View more

I grew up Black in New Jersey’s capital city, Trenton. In the early 80s, I can remember walking through downtown Trenton on a Saturday afternoon with my father and feeling that something was wrong. I remember seeing homeless men and women stopped in front of abandoned office buildings and boarded up storefronts.  I asked my father what happened to the businesses, not fully understanding why so many people walked the streets in despair. I was confused. Everything I learned about my hometown didn’t match what I was witnessing: the monuments to the battles that made Trenton the turning point of the revolutionary war, the stories we learned in school about turn of the century wealth that made Trenton prosperous, and the community pride that was said to exist in every neighborhood in town. How could a city steeped in such a rich history, with such wealth and pride, lose so much of its light and its soul?   We stopped in the middle of our walk and sat on a bench and talked. I remember my father explaining to me that Trenton, like so many other cities big and small, erupted into violence in the days and weeks following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That Saturday, at six years old, while sitting on a bench in a desolate downtown street with my father, I learned for the first time that there were two Americas.  My father was careful to note that everything I learned in school about the rich heritage of our city was true, but that it was only one side of the story. There had always been an “other” America throughout our country’s young history, communities of people who had yet to articulate their respected place in our society.   I learned that Dr. King was a major voice in a struggle for equality and civil rights for this “other” America. He believed that his calling was to be a voice of hope for healing the American consciousness and to help create the laws and moral practices that could unite us finally as one people. My father explained that Dr. King’s assassination, in the prime of his life and at the height of his profound push for civil rights and equality, was a deep blow to those living in the “other” America, those who were looking toward him to walk them into the promised land he would preach about.   When the news of Dr. King’s demise reached the poor communities of America’s cities, it was but a matter of time before anger and violence erupted nation-wide. America’s moral compass was taken away from us. Throughout the country, anger and frustration filled the streets of American cities in a time when protestors, looters, and mourners alike clashed with the heavy hand of law enforcement for days on end. In the years that followed the riots and demonstrations, white business owners and residents fled cities for newly minted suburbs. The “other” America that existed in the shadows of our society was now left to toil with the challenges of blight and poverty that would plague cities for decades to come.   From that Saturday sitting with my father forward, I paid special attention to Dr. King’s unfinished work. I understood that his dream of a country unified by common respect and equal treatment for all would take each of us obligating ourselves to a personal journey towards growth in our humanity. We must each resist the idea of hoarding our privilege. Instead, as Dr. King did, we should use every ounce of our power, voice, and position to empower everyone around us.  My father’s description of the burning cities reminded me of the recent upheaval we’ve experienced in our cities in response to racial injustice still rooted in our society. There’s still much work to be done to heal our society and secure the equal rights outlined for all citizens in our constitution.   A great moral obligation came over me early in my life. It started for me when I walked the desolate streets of my hometown with my father and discovered the urgency that was lost when the last fire went out from the riots that broke our cities and the “other” America that was left behind. I understand that we have an obligation to see the possibilities in all people and feel compassion towards our neighbors’ stories. We can not write the great American story without the contribution, the perspective, and the dreams of all people in our society. This is the hope and dream that Dr. King lived and died for and the great work that must continue in halls of justice, board rooms and main streets throughout our country. As we celebrate the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let’s each do our part to break down the walls that divide our country and do our part to live with compassion and care for each other.    ... View more

After a mostly in-person fall semester, many instructors are now preparing to start the spring semester differently than they had anticipated. While the pandemic has presented many challenges to teaching and learning, instructors have found that the right digital learning system can make all the difference in maintaining engagement and supporting student success in the virtual classroom. At the start of 2020, Macmillan Learning launched its new digital learning platform Achieve, and many instructors have already made the switch to it from Launchpad. The Achieve platform includes an interactive e-Book as well as expansive learning materials with pre-class, in-class, and post-class activities.We asked Dr. Michael Stroud, Professor of Psychology at Merrimack College, about digital learning and his switch to Achieve for Exploring Psychology.  What have been some challenges with teaching–especially with online learning–since the pandemic started Psychology Prof. Michael Stroud? How have you addressed them? I’d say the biggest challenge is with student morale and engagement. Students do not seem to be as motivated to learn as before. The way I’ve addressed this is by focusing more on hands-on tasks for more engaging learning in the classroom. Students do not seem to be interested in hearing lectures, but rather creating projects instead.  People are hesitant to embrace change, but what would you say are the benefits of moving to Achieve vs your experience with LaunchPad? The user interface with Achieve is much more fluid. Finding activities and materials and assigning them is much easier as well. Achieve is essentially Launchpad with all the kinks worked out; it’s a cleaned up version, which makes content delivery much more seamless.  We know that student engagement–especially now–is a large issue and so important to student success. How do products like Achieve fit into that? It keeps students on task no matter what is going on in the classroom. This is especially the case for LearningCurve since it requires students to pay attention rather than mindlessly click.  How have students responded to Achieve overall?  Students love Achieve. They enjoy reading more for a purpose and with interactive activities rather than just reading plain text.    This interview is part of a series focusing on how digital learning is being used in college classrooms and, in particular, what the transition to Achieve has been like. About Achieve: Macmillan Learning built it’s new digital learning platform Achieve to help students of all abilities and backgrounds succeed. It offers the content, tools and insights about student success to do just that. Achieve was designed with active learning in mind, and can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support engagement. It was co-designed with more than 7,000 students and over 100 leading educators and learning scientists both at our company and on our independent review boards. Learn more about Achieve. ... View more

The way teachers instruct and students learn has changed significantly over the past few years. No factor has had a bigger impact than the pandemic, which emphasized just how important student engagement is and underscored the role that educational technology can play in supporting student success. As these changes were happening, Macmillan Learning launched its new digital learning platform, Achieve.  While some instructors were just starting to embrace new technologies, others -- like Central Florida Psychology Professor Amira Sims -- have been relying on it for many years. She was among the first to transition from the online learning platform LaunchPad to Achieve to better support active learning in her classes. We spoke to her about what teaching was like during the pandemic and about her transition to our new platform. The transition to a virtual classroom was inevitable with the pandemic. What were some of the ways that edtech supported it in your class? My college installed a camera and microphone in my office desk top so that we could teach synchronous online classes or hold office hours remotely. We also had several professional development seminars centered on using technology for education purposes. Using Achieve really helped me to feel confident that although there was no lecture, students were exposed to the information and had an opportunity to play with concepts. How long have you been using online tools in your class, and what helped you decide to embrace the new tech? I have been using online tools in my classroom since 2004. When I first started teaching (as an adjunct) I taught blended classes. Over the years I have only become more and more reliant on web-enhancement in all classes I teach. While campus life has returned to something slightly more normal, how has the pandemic changed the classroom and/or the way you teach? I no longer take roll and I waive the late penalty for all of my classes. I began making videos on a more consistent basis to help students stay on course. How do Achieve and LaunchPad differ? I use Launchpad for my Human Development course and Achieve for my General Psychology course. The main differences I notice is that students in the Development course all praise Learning Curve, whereas students seem to comment more on the activities with Achieve that help them to practice concepts and think critically. In general, Achieve seems to have more activities and a few more tools on the dashboard for the instructor. Most of my students have responded favorably to Achieve.   This interview is part of a series focusing on how digital learning is being used in college classrooms and, in particular, what the transition to Achieve has been like. About Achieve: Macmillan Learning built its new digital learning platform Achieve to help students of all abilities and backgrounds succeed. It offers the content, tools and insights about student success to do just that. Achieve was designed with active learning in mind, and can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support engagement. It was co-designed with more than 7,000 students and over 100 leading educators and learning scientists both at our company and on our independent review boards. Learn more about Achieve.   ... View more

I was recently thinking about my life before the pandemic. I traveled for work and pleasure regularly, worked from the office full time when I wasn’t on the road, and had an active social life that included weekends packed with activities and lots of weeknight outings. Mystery science theater at midnight? Absolutely! Concert on a Tuesday night? Why not? I got it all done with a smile and no bags under my eyes.  Then, like everyone else, my life came to a complete stop with the pandemic. I adjusted to no travel, no activities, and learning how to work from home in a very solitary way. Over the past few months, I’ve begun my journey back to “normal”, working from the office part-time and starting to see family and friends again. It’s unexpected and energizing to interact with people outside of my household! Seeing a movie in a theater or music live is magical, just like the first time. But guess what? I can’t keep up with the laundry and I go to bed exhausted every night. Seriously. When did we do laundry pre-pandemic? How did we fit it in? I swear I remember wearing clean clothes...was that my imagination? In my role, a lot of people ask me about what the future of work looks like. We talk about the hybrid work model and how we are all going to find the balance between both worlds. In theory, we want to take the best parts of working from home and working in the office and be the most productive workforce ever. That means when we are home, we will have flexible schedules and dedicated focus time. When we are in the office, we will be able to make quick, in person decisions, creatively brainstorm with our teams, and rebuild our culture by the water cooler. It sounds like what we’ve always dreamed about. But is it that easy? I believe we have some challenges ahead figuring out how we each will really work best and how we can optimize the places we work. At Macmillan Learning, we have been assessing our existing office spaces. What elements of the office environment have we missed and are excited to have again? Conference rooms, office equipment and desk space are at the top of our lists. But, what isn’t working for us any more?  As we walk our spaces, it’s become clear that our time at home has changed what we expect from our work environment. We are adding soft-seating groupings and incorporating visual interest with art and decoration that mimic the cozier elements we have been working in at home. From a functionality standpoint, we have been testing and updating our A/V and collaboration technology in our meeting rooms. Participation equity for both at home and in-office meeting participants has taken on a whole new meaning, and we know we can make our hybrid meetings better and more productive. More complicated is how we approach adjusting to hybrid work schedules. The “best of both worlds” work week has actually proven to be pretty complicated in the onset. Socializing in an office environment again can be daunting at first. Things that came so easily before the pandemic, like getting dressed and packing a bag for the day, seem to take an extra amount of thought and preparation. When you layer in coordinating in-office schedules with teammates, and remembering where you left your meeting notes or favorite sweater, you may find yourself wondering if the juggle is even worth it.  So my advice is this: as you begin your journey into our new hybrid world, I’d encourage you to start small. Try a day in the office, bask in the fun parts of your day, and take some time to think about how you might adjust your approach or build on the benefits that you found. Most important is to keep an open, honest line of communication about what’s working and what’s giving us anxiety about returning to in-person work. I would also encourage each of us to remember that it will take a trial-and-error partnership between our managers and us to figure out what long-term “normal” looks like, and that includes the time to get that laundry done! While it might take us some time to get there, I hope we can take some of the pressure off because just maybe, we will achieve the perfect hybrid work balance that we’ve been dreaming of. ... View more