Here at Macmillan Learning, we understand that not every student, course or institution is exactly alike. Which is why we want to provide instructors with the freedom to create course materials that fit the goals and objectives of their course. By giving instructors the ability to combine their own original content with Macmillan Learning content, we can create the best custom solution to meet your needs. And the best part is we can do this in an easily accessible, digital format!   What can we customize?   Anything we publish! The Macmillan Curriculum Solutions team is able to customize e-books as well as our digital courseware solutions, Achieve and LaunchPad. We are able to add exciting interactive content to all of these platforms to give your students a digital courseware experience that meets them right where they are, online. With features available ranging from additional readings, assessments, videos and other interactive content, we’ve got you covered.   What do other instructors do to customize their courseware or e-book?   As Macmillan’s Custom Marketing Manager, I’ve seen some amazing projects come across my desk recently. Some of the most unique and interesting projects involve incorporating local students into the content. Seeing their peers reflected in their course materials can be incredibly impactful for your students. And whether it is profiles of current and former students, pictures, video or artwork produced by students, or exemplary student projects used as examples, all of these are options in customizing Macmillan courseware.    Outside of incorporating students into their project, many instructors include videos, interactives or other dynamic content they have created. Some instructors organize their projects around a theme that involves a selection read by the entire school, freshman class, or cohort. This creates an opportunity for meaningful conversations among students, faculty, and sometimes even the author of that reading selection.    How does it work?   Customization is a collaborative effort! Your Macmillan Learning sales representative will work with you and an editor from our Curriculum Solutions department to create the custom courseware that works best for you and your students. We provide guidance on selecting content, proofreading services and clear all permissions necessary to get your content ready by the start of the semester. Most projects take anywhere from 3-6 months to complete depending on complexity, but the time and the effort are all worth it! ... View more

As we start the semester, don’t forget that Macmillan provides a variety of tools to help get your students registered for your class. You can see slides, videos, and syllabus inserts on our First Day of Class page to get you through the start of the semester regardless of which product you’re using.  That said, a few students will always run into some issues, so here is one easy thing, per product, to tell your students or do yourself.    “I’m still waiting for the code.” When students buy access to Achieve, LaunchPad, or Sapling through the Student Store , they do not get emailed an access code; they purchase the access directly to the product. Some students wait for the email to arrive that includes their access code. That’s not necessary (and no email will arrive with a code). Once you pay for access, you can enter the product.    “I can’t find your course on the Store.” LaunchPad: We sometimes get reports that students “can’t find” their instructor’s LaunchPad course. Remember, you need to activate your course in order to make it available for students. And if you activate the course at 1pm on Monday, it won’t appear in the Student Store at 1:02pm on Monday; it will appear the next day.  Sapling: If you are using a Sapling course that is LMS-integrated, then that course is NOT available to buy through the Student Store. Students can only purchase access directly through SaplingLearning.com. So if students can’t find your course on the Store, that’s one likely reason.  Achieve: You need to make your Achieve course Active before students can enroll into it. You also are asked for your course start date when you set up your course. If your course starts on 1/25 and you put that into Achieve, your course will remain in draft status until 1/25, which is why students won’t be able to purchase access until 1/25.  If you have more questions, you can always check out our Support Community for more help.   ... View more

As you likely know, we at Macmillan Learning have a ton of help articles in our Support Community. What is the best way to find what you're looking for?  If you are just getting started, there are "Getting Started" pages for each of our digital products. To find them, go to the main support page (https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/) and scroll to the bottom to find the digital product that you're using from the list of icons.   If you click on, for example, the logo for Achieve, you will be directed to a page where the articles are organized by Topic and there is a "Getting Started" link at the top. If you are new to the product, I'd start with the Getting Started information. If you know generally what you're looking for, say something about student refunds, simply click on that "Refunds and Returns" box to find a number of relevant articles. (Keep in mind, those articles will be for both students and instructors.)   Alternatively, if you have a precise question, when you first get to the support page (https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/) you can click on the "Search" box.  I would then recommend that you use the filters (Role and Products, for sure) and then search for the topic such as "extra credit." You can use the Article Features option to search for articles with videos. When you narrow your search using the filters, in this case, Instructor using Achieve, then the article that comes up (see in the gray box) is more likely to be the answer you need.   Happy searching!      ... View more

We want to make sure you're ready to wrap up 2020 (phew!) and begin preparing for next semester as January (or February) are right around the corner.  Sign up for teaching tips for 2021 if you're looking to stay crisp next term.  If you're looking for innovative teaching ideas, check out our Webinars on Demand recordings.  Don't forget to check out iClicker for new ways to engage your students (online and in-person) throughout the term.  And as always, check out our Support Community if you run into any questions while getting ready for 2021.  Here's to a fabulous 2021!  ... View more

Check out the Upcoming Webinar:   Unlocking Student Engagement with Learning Science Thursday, December 10, 2020| 30 Minutes Register for the webinar or sign up for the recording:  https://go.macmillanlearning.com/recordingregister-201210-unlocking-student-engagement-with-learning-science.html    How can learning science impact your course design? Erin Scully, Senior Director of Learning Research & Analytics at Macmillan Learning, will share practical advice on how the student-centered approach taken in the development of our Achieve platform led to a research-based learning model that can be used by instructors to amplify the learning science in their course design  regardless of which online tools are in use. ... View more

Throughout the spring and summer, we’ve been listening to you and working on ways we can keep improving Achieve to make your experience and your students’ experience with the product better. As a result, here’s a long list of what you’ll see changed for Fall 2020 classes (and all of this is live as of today, save one noted item).   Start of Classes:  Students who attempt to register into an LMS deep linked course via the Achieve “ enroll in a new course ” option will see a message directing them to use their LMS. Instructors who attempt to use the “ invite students ” functionality will see a message alerting them that this invite functionality is not available to deep linked courses.    My Course: Under My Course, we have combined the Assignments and Course Plan tabs into one place, but with a filter that will allow you to select your View by Assignment or Course Content or Resource type.       Browse: The Browse tab has been retitled as Resources and the content reorganized and renamed to make it easier to find materials. In addition, we altered the view a bit so you can see more of the item name when you are selecting materials. In addition, we added a ‘select all’ option so you can find a series of content items, select and assign them at once.      Navigation:  We added navigation to make it easier to get back ‘home’ when you are in another part of Achieve.      Section Management: If you are using Section Management, instructors will now always see “View Sections” that will take them to a list of their sections. Sections are now listed on a single page (or more than one page, if you have over 100 sections). Section Coordinators can now add and remove questions from their assessments after students have started working and then push those updates down to restricted access sections. Once students have started the assessment in any of the sections, coordinators will see a new option that allows them to add and remove questions (but not to edit questions).    Orientation Quiz:  Each course will have an Orientation Quiz for you to assign to students (within the Welcome folder) to help students quickly understand how to work in Achieve.    Time Accommodations: As part of the assignment settings, instructors will have the option to add a time accommodation for students who get additional time on particular (or all) assignments. (This will be live before Fall 2020 classes start, but is not available yet.)    Batch Assignments: We have added the option to batch update gradebook category & assignment visibility, as well as the option to batch update assessment grading policies. (The latter is not in Read & Practice.) There is a new “add select all option” to the content library.   Instructor-Created Content: You will be able to name files and links while uploading your materials to the course. We have also added the option to rename files, assessments, writing assignments and links after those materials have already been added to the course.    Assignments: In certain types of Assignments, we added tags to show if the answer is correct or has been revealed, and we added a new visual to show when the assignment is complete.      Gradebook: Instructors now have the ability to add weights to Gradebook categories. And for LearningCurve Adaptive Quizzing assignments, instructors and students can view the date and time when a student reaches the target score.       Diagnostics / Study Plan (only in English and Chemistry): The study plan completion selector has more options (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) for the instructor to assign to students. In addition, for instructors, we combined pre- and final tests into a single reporting page for easier viewing.    Side by Side View of Writing Tools (English Only) Instructors can turn on a side-by-side view to see any draft alongside the current draft including peer reviews, view comments from previous feedback, and highlight and comment in this side by side view.  Students can also turn on a side-by-side view to review instructor feedback and access content support just as they would in full screen mode. Students will also be able to draft in side-by-side mode, use simple format commands and access their revision plan and mark tasks complete.   Updates to Peer Review with Comment Tool (English Only) Instructors are able to quickly scan all peer review comments made by a single peer reviewer and leave a comment. Instructors can come back any time and revise the comment to the student as new peer review activity happens. In addition, instructors can click on selected text and be taken to that spot in the draft for comment context.   Improved Peer Review Submission Tool (English Only) With this new view, instructors can now efficiently monitor peer review activity from a single view. Instructors can click in to view peer writer submission and leave a comment, as needed.     ... View more

Test Security - We have had a number of instructors ask us about test security, and we also know that a lot of your schools already have programs for proctoring and browser lockdown. As such, we are not adding our own options for proctoring and lockdown (and be forced to charge for it accordingly), but rather we are providing more tools to make exporting our tests to load into your campus LMS easier. Directions to export a test created with Macmillan Learning Test Bank into your LMS are here .  In addition, each of the individual digital products that we offer have tools to help with test security. You can read through those options here . And we had a very useful  webinar with Eric Chiang where he reviewed ideas for test security.  Lastly, we have moved most of our test banks to the Macmillan Learning Test Bank, accessible only only to a verified instructor. With this system you can: Create paper or online tests that you can export to your LMS using your web browser; Drag and drop questions to create tests; Create and edit your own questions and edit publisher-created question sets. Learn more here:  https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Getting-Started-with-the-Macmillan-Learning-Test-Bank .   Engaging Students - We know that one of the biggest concerns if you end up moving to a fully or partially online class is keeping students engaged. While each of our products have active aspects, we are proud to offer the market's leading student engagement solution, iClicker. Our attendance feature automates taking roll, then you can choose from flexible polling & quizzing options to engage, check understanding and get feedback from students in real time. Best of all, iClicker works seamlessly with your existing content and any other software or tools you'd like to use in your virtual, hybrid or in-person class. We also have great webinars on fostering student curiosity and engaging students online that I’d recommend.    Volume / Load - We anticipate that many more instructors are likely to try digital solutions for their students as classes are moving to hybrid or fully online options this fall. As such, we have been planning for a large uptick in student usage and making adjustments to our servers accordingly. We feel very good about our preparedness for a significant increase in student users in all of our platforms.    Instructor Training on Digital Products - We are anticipating that a lot more instructors are going to be in need of training with more digital product usage and with changing class formats. Beyond our standard training options, including time with our Learning Solutions team and our self-help documentation , we are also doing intensive training with our entire team so we have more people available to train you. In addition, there are help guides within the products and we have a group of Faculty Consultants (colleagues) who are also available to help. For this to be successful, however, we request that you don’t wait until the day or two before classes start before you request training. 🙂     Professional Development - Throughout the spring and summer, we conducted a wide variety of webinars with a number of our fabulous authors and customers and we recorded all of those webinars. You can find all the recordings here , and they cover both general teaching tips (Online Teaching, Inclusive Teaching) as well as tips for particular disciplines or products. Check out the options!    Student Training on Digital Products - We will continue to add to and refine our First Day of Class Materials for students for you to send to students or use on the first day of class so they know what you are asking them to do online, why, and how to get started.    Customer Support - Our fantastic customer support team stands at the ready to help you and your students with any issues that may arise. You can find the team (as well as a variety of help articles) online here: https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/   ... View more

As more courses move online, one question we keep getting is, “How do I offer assessments in the most secure way possible?”.   We have had a number of instructors ask us about test security, and we also know that a lot of your schools already have programs for proctoring and browser lockdown. As such, we are not adding our own options for proctoring and lockdown (and be forced to charge for it accordingly), but rather we are providing more tools to make exporting our tests to load into your campus LMS easier. Directions to export a test created with Macmillan Learning Test Bank into your LMS  are  here .  In addition, each of the individual digital products that we offer have tools to help with test security.  You can read through those options below.  And we had a very useful  webinar with Eric Chiang  where he reviewed ideas for test security.  Lastly, we have moved most of our test banks to the Macmillan Learning Test Bank, accessible only only to a verified instructor. With this system  you can: Create paper or online tests that you can export to your LMS using your web browser; Drag and drop questions to create tests; Create and edit your own questions and edit publisher-created question sets. Learn more here:   https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Getting-Started-with-the-Macmillan-Learning-... .   If you are using a Macmillan Learning digital product for your online class, here are some suggestions below to help you with assessment security.    For LaunchPad Users:   Set a Passcode - Requires a student to enter an instructor-specified Passcode to begin the quiz. Limit the Number of Attempts - For higher stakes assessment, only allow students to submit the assessment one time.  Time Limit - This ensures that all students are provided the same amount of time to complete a quiz. If the quiz is not completed within the time limit, the quiz is automatically submitted when time expires. The time limit will also limit students’ ability to look everything up or get too much assistance. Scrambling - Instructors use this setting to randomize the order of question, the order of answer choices, or both. Feedback Control - This gives instructors the control over what information is available to students after they submit a quiz, such as whether to show the correct answers. Visibility - Instructors use the Visibility setting to "hide" a quiz from students until a specific date and time. Hide Grade - Instructors can elect to hide students' quiz grade until the due date has passed. Question Pooling - can further add to the variability of the assessment so that not all students receive the same questions on the exam and instead receive a random set of questions from a set of them. Instructors can set up multiple pools within one assessment to ensure students receive the right number from each desired topic the test should cover.   You can see all of these settings explained in this article on setting up assignments: https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/LaunchPad-Tips-for-setting-up-assignments   and the article on question pooling: https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/LaunchPad-Creating-a-quiz-with-question-pools   For Sapling and Achieve Users:  For Assessments, use the Quiz / Test policy and add a time limit also. https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-View-or-change-mobile-assignment-grading-policies Time Limit - This ensures that all students are provided the same amount of time to complete a quiz. The time limit will also limit students’ ability to look everything up or get too much assistance. https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-Make-an-Assessment-timed Use question pools - Although many of our questions already contain variation, using Pools can further add to the variability of the assessment so that not all students receive the same questions on the exam and instead receive a random set of questions from a set of them. Instructors can set up multiple pools within one assessment to ensure students receive the right number from each desired topic the test should cover.  https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-Create-and-edit-question-pools-in-mobile-assignments Scrambling - Randomizing the order the questions are delivered could also be a viable option so no one has the same question 3.  This can be set in the Grading Policies for an assessment. https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-View-or-change-mobile-assignment-grading-policieshttps://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-View-or-change-mobile-assignment-grading-policies Visibility - When assigning the assessment, instructors should use the visibility settings to ensure students don’t see the exam until the instructor is ready for them to see it. By setting the student visibility to a certain date range, instructors can choose exactly when the assessment becomes visible to students and when it closes from visibility. For higher stakes tests, it is recommended that this window be as short as possible. https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-View-or-change-mobile-assignment-grading-policies ... View more

As the semester comes to a close, you'll need to start thinking about wrapping up student grades and then creating your new course for the next semester. Here are a few links to help: LaunchPad: For this semester: Make sure you zero scores for unsubmitted assignments. Make any other changes to student grades. Export your gradebook (as needed).  For next semester: Copy your existing course (and update the due dates) or create a new course. (And, if needed, branch from a course Master to create section copies.)  Update the assignments (changing questions, changing due dates) as needed to meet your course goals. Make sure your course is available for students.  Sapling / SaplingPlus: Make any final changes to student grades. Export grades (as needed).  Copy your course or let the Client Success Team (clientsuccessteam@macmillan.com) know if you wish to use Sapling next semester.  Update the assignments as needed to meet your course goals (whether that means changing the questions or changing the assignment settings).  Achieve:  Make any final changes to student grades. Export the grades (as needed).  Either copy your prior course or create a new course.  Update the assignments as needed to meet your course goals.  And once you've done all that, consider yourself ready for the next semester!  ... View more

We have been doing A LOT of work on Achieve Read & Practice this fall, so here's a recap of what you and your students will have for January 2020.  Course List:  The Course List redesign (that you'll see when you first log into Achieve in mid-December) organizes courses for students and instructors in collapsible buckets allowing users to easily find their current courses and access past courses. Master Section: There is a new Master Section option that will allow one instructor or coordinator to set up their course and then create individual section courses (for themselves or other instructors) from the Master Section. The coordinator can set all of the consistent course info for all sections in one place. These settings pass down to the sections. Section courses are set up in a grid format where the coordinator can specify the section name, meeting days and times, instructor(s) teaching, and the level of access that the instructors will receive for that section. (If an instructor has Restricted Access, the instructor has clear indicators regarding what actions they can and cannot take.) Within the tools, coordinators will be able to edit the content and push the updates to Restricted Access sections until the first grade return.  We recommend using Restricted Access for your own sections when you want to manage the content for all of your sections in one place. Preview as Student:  I nstructors can preview the course as a student, including My Course and Gradebook. Contextual Help:  From the "Help" in the upper right of each page, we added in Help links to the most commonly asked questions--like how do I assign something on the "My Course" page or how do I sync with my LMS on the "Gradebook" page.  ... View more

As you know, one of the benefits of using a digital product (vs a print product) is that you can quickly make changes to that product and continue to improve on it after it releases. To that end, we’ve been working hard on Read & Practice in 2019 (and will continue to do so through the rest of the year).    This summer, we released two major changes: Added ‘batch’ functionality so you can assign multiple items or chapters at once  (directions under Method 4) Changed the page layout so you can see more of the important stuff at once   As a reminder, in the spring, the team was also busy working on a variety of changes and improvements based on your feedback: Improved the loading speed of the gradebook Improved navigation within the gradebook so that the top row and left column always appear Added pagination to the gradebook so instructors don’t have to wait for ALL students to load on one page Added Search to look for specific Assignments or specific Students in the Gradebook.  Added the downloadable ebook option (click on the arrow next to your name in the upper right) Created the ability for instructors to add a URL to their course   And of course, we will not stop work once the fall rolls around...but we want you to have the element of surprise to look forward to…so more to come! ... View more

As you start to prep for your next round of classes, don't forget that we have syllabus inserts and presentation decks for you to use to help students get registered with Achieve, LaunchPad, and Sapling.    Please view the following presentation slides and download the attached syllabus inserts, input your course information, and share them with your students prior to your first day of class. You can post them in your learning management system, e-mail them, or print them out to distribute in class. If you want to make any changes to the presentation slides, go to File > Make a copy and edit the copy you create. Good luck and let us know if you have any questions as you start up classes!  ... View more