How do you keep students from cheating on homework? This is an age old question that isn’t tied to using online homework. Back in the day, students would pay other people to do their pencil and paper homework. Now, they can do the same thing online--but with a wider pool of people willing to "help". So how can you as an instructor combat cheating, so that your homework scores follow the same general patterns as your test scores?  Here are a few ideas from users: A Weekly Homework Assignment Worth 0 Points Erika Martinez, an economics professor at University of South Florida, has a variety of assignments for students, including watching videos, completing the LearningCurve adaptive quizzes, and having the students complete worksheets (or do in-class activities). All of this work is for points, but very few points. Then she has a weekly homework assignment (which is essentially considered the summation of everything learned that week) that is worth 0 points. She tracks the students who complete the assignments, but they don’t get credit for the completion as part of their overall grade. (They do get flagged by Prof. Martinez if they are not doing the work as no points doesn’t mean optional!) Then she has the students complete weekly quizzes (for points) as well as 2 bigger tests and a final. In this way, students come to see the homework as practice and self-assessment, not as a reason to cheat.  Deduct Small Points Each Attempt Amanda Norbutus, a chemistry professor at Valencia College explains that while she is willing for students to have multiple attempts at a problem, she has Achieve deduct small points each attempt (5%), so a student has to actively work to solve the problem effectively.  With this method, students are more actively mentally engaged with doing the work, and develop better problem-solving skills that serve them well in high-stress situations like a quiz or exam.  She theorizes that the lack of any penalty makes it too easy for students to “throw a handful of pasta at the ceiling to see what sticks,” without needing the student to critically think of how to approach a problem and culling through their knowledge to find a working solution/approach. Get Creative with the Assignment Dr. Norbutus also suggests making sure the homework assigned has a range of easy, medium, and hard skill level questions, as exposing students only to easy and medium-level questions is a disservice to them in building their skill set for solving problems quickly and efficiently. Professors could also use more problem-solving worksheets or practice assignments either in class or as part of bonus work.  If for bonus, make sure they are tiered problems, where the problem requires the use of more than one skill or concept. Finally, have the teacher select one handwritten problem for students to solve and submit with work shown per HW assignment. This can quickly identify where students may have a disconnect between high scoring Achieve assignments and low scoring quizzes and exams. Use Homework Questions During the Lecture Kiandra Johnson, a mathematics professor at Spelman College, suggested two simple, easy, and effective ideas. Use clicker questions during the lecture as many of the clicker questions are concept-based and cannot be entered into a mathematical database. This is a way to check individual student understanding outside of the homework. Additionally, use  a few problems directly from the homework on the test, and analyze the difference between how students performed on those same problems in homework form vs. on the test.  Other Advice to Prevent Cheating A few instructors mentioned versions of this as well, “We’ve tried to emphasize the importance of the assignments with lots of explanations about why we create these assignments and how they can improve understanding (and grades!) but also try to weight those assignments low enough in the grade to de-incentivize cheating."  We hope this tips help you as you work to navigate an increasingly digital world with your students.  (A note from Macmillan here:  If you do think that you are seeing some of our problems appearing on other sites, with answers, please report these to our piracy team so we can continue to work to maintain the integrity of our content.  Thank you! ) ... View more

We talk to customers. Our sales staff talks to customers everyday, as do our marketing and editorial teams, our trainers, our learning science team, our product teams, our support teams, and more. We get lots and lots of one-on-one feedback from customers that we track and we can ‘vote up’ an issue that lots of people are hearing about or ‘vote down’ an issue that is less common.      We look at in-product data. With Achieve, we have lots more data on the backend--which is awesome! We can see the volume of people (overall, not the individual list of people) who used a particular feature. Obviously, this means we can when a certain feature is not being used as well. All of this data is considered directional as it helps us figure out what’s important to our users.    We survey users. We ask users who are in Achieve what they think of a particular page or feature and we track those results. We have internal goals about what each page should be achieving on their SEQ (Single Ease Question) and pages that fall below that goal are noted as noted to need more analysis for potential refinement. In addition, we do a longer user survey to both students and instructors at the end of the term so we can ask more questions and also track results over time. This is another way of checking to see what parts of Achieve are working well and where we need improvement.        We track the issues that come into our support team. You as a customer (both students and instructors) can actually submit requests for new features or changes via our support form:  https://macmillan.force.com/macmillanlearning/s/contactsupport . We also track the calls, emails, and chats to our support team to figure out the topics that have the most problems and we look at what users are searching for in the Knowledge Based. These contacts to support usually signify areas where refinement to the product is needed as customers aren’t finding it intuitive to use on their own.   We do usability testing. We give students and instructors (not always users of our products, and not even always people who are familiar with online learning tools) a goal to accomplish in Achieve like “Assign this homework” or “Check your grade” and then we ask them to complete that task with no additional instructions, but we do ask them to vocalize their thought process. This gives us great insight into things like, “Well I assumed it would be here” or “Because you used this word” and tells us how customers are using the product.    We look outward. In addition to talking to users, we also talk to people who don’t use our product to find out why not. We follow trends in tech education so we can see the big issues under discussion and see how we can help. And we look at other products to check out other great ideas that are out in the world.    So is the formula as simple as A+B=C? No, but we do look at all sorts of data and take your feedback in mind as we continue to improve Achieve. Please keep letting us know what you like and where we can improve. ... View more

We added new "Average Time to Complete" data to the top of each LearningCurve Adaptive Quiz. This data (as shown below on the right) is just calculated for your class for this particular assignment. The data is only calculated started on 4/15/21, so you will not see data for any assignments completed in say January of 2021; this is only for assignments from here on out. (And teaser...we have more data coming for instructors assigning adaptive quizzes in Achieve for the Fall of 2021...) Enjoy!  ... View more

Foundational Experience Instructors can rename Adaptive Quizzing assignments and Instructor Activity Guides When instructors update due dates in batch using the option in the preview table, it will default to 11:59 p.m. Section Management Instructors can edit the target score and topics of a Adaptive Quiz or Read & Practice activity even after they've created section courses. When instructors create section courses, they will immediately become accessible to all instructors enrolled in them. Improvements Assignments with custom visibility settings will have the "hidden" indicator and tool tip Assignments with custom visibility settings or are hidden until # days before the due date will display in student preview Sapling migrated assessments will display in the Resources tab in the order that they display in Sapling Filtering by learning path designation will be sorted in pre-class, in-class, post-class order Due date exceptions will no longer display to all students (not just those with an exception) in their institutional LMS courses Instructors who want to override the lack of a grade and give their students a 0, will be able to save that 0   ... View more

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

2021 is off to a great start and we have improvements to Achieve to note already!  Students with multi-term access will be able to transfer their enrollment to a second semester deep integrated course Deleted iClicker sessions will no longer be included in the Achieve gradebook From within the Achieve e-book, students and instructors can access "read aloud" text to speech features from within course readings. (Note, available on iOS outside of the Macmillan app) From within the Achieve e-book, students and instructors can access content formatting options like font size, font type, line height and background color from within course readings.   ... 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

We just added a number of new features to Achieve in order to make your experience (and that of your students) even better in 2021. Here’s a quick recap of the changes. Foundational Experience Instructors can set an assignment to be worth 0 points or ungraded, which means it has a due date, but doesn't report to the gradebook Instructors can make an assignment extra credit   Updates to completion status indicators in the item for instructor and students   Instructors migrating from Sapling can surface their assessments in Achieve (if they have a course in Achieve) If you integrate your Achieve course with your LMS, nongraded content can now be integrated in addition to any graded assignments you have integrated.  Reporting and Insights Instructors can view time-on-task data for assignments   Writing Students are now able to meet MLA and APA style guide requirements (e.g. page numbers, headers, and works cited) and access in-tool support to ensure proper documentation; instructors are able to view properly MLA/APA formatted documents as well.   Diagnostics Students can take practice and final tests past the due date without instructors having to set a late penalty. Students submitting past the due date will receive 0 in the gradebook but they will no longer be blocked from moving on to the study plan. Instructors can still customize the late penalty in diagnostic settings.   Gradebook New gradebook categories added to a section manager will be reflected in restricted access sections   Help The help has been improved and expanded (and moved to the bottom left of your screen) to make it easier to get point of service help when you need it.      (And if you want to know what else has happened this fall, check out this earlier article.) ... View more

December 10 | 3:00 PM ET 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.   Register today to save your seat! REGISTER HERE ... View more

Keep track of all the updates to Achieve throughout the semester! I will update this as releases occur--and there will be a different blog post for Spring 2021 releases.  New Features: The session timeout duration has being extended to 8 hours from 4 hours Instructors can view students' individual results for a diagnostic pre-test, study plan, or post-test Instructors can download LearningCurve student data to a CSV file "Master section" is now renamed to be "Section Manager" The confirmation banner that displays when admins and customer support copy a template for an instructor course so that the banner will include a link to the course. New insight cards available for student login activity and assignment score snapshots Changes:  Instructors will be able to preview and view results for diagnostic study plan items Added a message that tells students when they reach the target completion threshold in a diagnostic study plan Updated LearningCurve challenge question feature so users can identify the issue type and add an email if they want to be contacted Updates to assessments made in the section manager will flow down to section courses Students will no longer be able to access hidden assignments from the gradebook Copying a course will retain the weighted gradebook categories of the source course Empty gradebook categories won't be considered in the total course calculation Draft due dates will push from the manager section to restricted access sections (right now only the final due date is reflected) - (Writing Tools Only) Instructors will be able to edit a writing assignment up until the moment a student starts drafting a paper - (Writing Tools Only) ... View more

Do you need technical support setting up a grade book, opening up a course for students, creating assignments, or anything else? If you are using Achieve, LaunchPad, iOLab, or Sapling, and you need technical support, visit the Macmillan Support Community, where you can search our knowledge base, chat, or fill out a form describing what's going on. (And that goes for instructors and students alike!) ... View more

There will be maintenance to LaunchPad, Sapling, and FlipIt from 12:01am Eastern until 7:00am Eastern (7 hours) on Sunday morning, November 8. None of those products will be available during that time. In additional, all assessments in Achieve will be unavailable during those 7 hours (although other parts of Achieve like the e-book and videos will be useable during that time). A notice will go up in the relevant systems 7 days in advance to alert students to this work, although we pick Sunday AM as the time to do this maintenance as it's when historically we have the lowest number of users in our products. Please make any adjustments to your assignments and sleep in (or go to bed early or nap then, if you're in a different time zone) and thanks for your patience with us.  ... View more