After we had the new design release this summer, we had a number of customers ask us if we could add an option to hide the 'Upcoming Assignments and Events' box. Voila! That functionality is now available, and it works the same way as hiding does throughout the rest of the site. Get more directions in the Support Community. In addition, I wanted to remind you that we are happy to get started on building your courses for the Winter or Spring 2018 term now. (We'd rather start early, than get a panicked email from you on January 6!) So, if you would like us to start building your Sapling Learning course for you, can you do one of three things:    1. Fill out this form.    2. Let your rep know.    3. Let your Client Success Specialist know. We look forward to hearing back from you.  ... View more

We’re delighted to launch our Learning Science and Insights website and share with you our approach. We hope there’s something of interest here to all educators. Improving learner success is a complex process with many influencing factors. The responsibility couldn’t be greater, and the benefits more profound. So, for our contribution, at Macmillan Learning we wanted to lay bare how we go about developing the most empathetic, effective, and impactful digital learning solutions. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to read through the quick overview and be intrigued to dig deeper into a section of special interest to you - how we use design thinking to co-design with students, instructors, and institutions; how we leverage the best learning science and insights from data mining; how we iteratively design, test, and refine a solution and the surprises and insights into students we get along the way; and how we partner with colleges to execute rigorous studies to explore variations in how students, instructors, and institutions use a product and the outcomes they achieve. We’re also delighted to share with you the generous and passionate experts who guide and challenge every step of our approach. We are continuously learning and improving, and aim to provide rigor and transparency in what we do. We will be sharing regular findings In The News section of the website which we hope will be of interest and that you’ll check in regularly. ... View more

Windows Software IOLab_win32_1.64.1457.zip  Extract the IOLab... folder from the ZIP file. Enter the folder and double-click on the IOLab.exe application (look here for more details). Requires Windows 7 or higher. If you run into problems because Norton Anti-Virus is quarantining your IOLab application, please look here. Previous Windows versions   Mac Software IOLab_macosx_1.64.1457.zip  Extract the IOLab... folder from the ZIP file. Double-click on the IOLab.app application (look here for more details). Requires OSX 10.9 or higher. Previous Mac versions Python Development (for experts) Latest PyOLab Release This is a Python library that enables primitive stand-alone communication with IOLab. It is NOT designed to replace the highly capable application you can download for Windows and Mac at the above links, but rather to enable interested people to play with the guts of the IOLab system at a programming level. To get involved with further development of this fun python resource, check out the PyOLab GitHub repository. When you have questions or comments please send me an email at mats.selen@gmail.com. Selected Release Notes 1.64.1457 (Sept/13/2017): The lesson player now saves PDF files for each completed step of a lesson. More info here. 1.64.1452 (July/7/2017): Another minor bugfix to lesson player. 1.64.1450 (July/1/2017): Bugfix to smoothing in player mode. 1.63.1447 (June/20/2017): Fix to output config code to make the setting of D6 and DAC more robust. 1.62.1443 (May/16/2017): Data smoothing now done during acquisition. The features and changes for each versions are documented in the ChangeLog. Device Firmware & Expert Documentation To find out more about IOLab firmware click here. To access expert documentation click here. Please email me if you have any questions:  helpme@iolab.science ... View more

Getting with your IOLab is easy - the following videos will take you through the steps See also the iOLab YouTube Channel Step 1. If your device is not brand new you can skip this step. If you just bought your device, this will help you figure out whats in the box and what to do with the red felt pads in the accessory kit. (video). Note: New devices come with a little plastic battery saver protruding through the battery door on the back of the device - you should remove and discard this. Step 2. If you are using a Windows based computer then you need to do a small driver installation before plugging in the dongle and running the IOLab application (video). Alternatively you can click on the Driver (Windows) link located at the top right of this web page. If you are using a Mac you can skip this and go straight to Step 3b. Step 3a. This will show you how to get and run the Windows application (video). Step 3b. This will show you how to get and run the Mac application (video). Step 4. This will show you how to run and calibrate your IOLab system. The calibration values are stored on your computer, so this procedure needs to be done on each computer that you use the device with (video). Step 5. This will show you how to analyze at your data and how to recall data from previous acquisitions (video). Step 6. Some classes may use this feature and other may not - check with your instructor. This will show you how to share your data using the IOLab cloud repository (powered by Azure). The first time you access this the system will ask you to create an account (video). You can access data shared to the cloud repository using any web browser by going to iolabrepository.azurewebsites.net. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkgql1ePbwyCP-selmAUJng/playlists?view=1&flow=list&view_as=subscriber&sort=da Please email me if you have any questions: helpme@iolab.science ... View more

As of today, 70 LaunchPad titles have the link to the new ebook under the Help Menu. We wanted to give students the opportunity to access the mobile-optimized and accessible ebook, as well as give offline access. (You can look to see if your book has this functionality.)  So how does this work in LaunchPad? Go to HELP in the upper right of your course. You will see the option for “Download Offline eBook.” Click on that. (If you don't see that option, then your book doesn't have this functionality, unfortunately.)    You will then to go to a new log in page. Enter in your email address to create an account. That will then opened the book on your bookshelf: Then, if you want to do the app, you need to download the “Macmillan Learning eBook” app and use those same credentials that you just created, to log in and see the book on your device. If you go to another LaunchPad course that has the offline ebook, simply enter in your existing username and password, and you will then see that additional book appear on your bookshelf. (You will not need to create another account.) For more information, directions, and visuals, check out the article in the support community.  ... View more

Subject & Strategy: A Writer's Reader features clusters of readings on a particular issue or theme. These clusters appear in the argumentation chapter, providing a case book for students to understand different viewpoints, synthesize sources and ideas, and enter the conversation with their own arguments. Which of the following clusters or themes would be most engaging and useful? Which do you like best? Cultural Appropriation  Race and Privilege The Upside of Failure  The Changing Nature of Work Click HERE to view potential reading selections for each argument cluster and to vote on your favorite option. ... View more

One of the greatest benefits of using LaunchPad is how easy it is to customize to create the perfect course for you. But not everyone knows that you can do all these things, so here’s just a short refresher on how you can customize your own LaunchPad course. First off, you need to choose the correct LaunchPad course to begin with. Make sure you are using the author and version of the book that best matches your course goals. (And we have lots of books available with LaunchPad, so this can be daunting. Work with your local representative to find the best book for you, or you can see what we have by browsing our catalog.) Once you have the base course selected, next comes adjusting the content. You can re-name and re-order chapters/units, delete existing units, or add new units. You can add additional resources to your course, like your syllabus or student policies, discussion boards, outside links, video assignments and more. You can pull in resources from our resources tab that are in the course, but not assigned. You can create or delete assignments that we have created for you. You can edit existing quiz questions or add your own quiz questions. You can pool questions for greater variety and security in your assignments. You can create video assignments. And for all of these assignments, there are a variety of settings that you can adjust, such as number of attempts, time limits, or ordering of questions. Since so many people using LearningCurve so extensively, you should know that you can remove topics in LearningCurve, as well as adjust the target score. You can manage your roster, dropping students from your course, creating groups for assignments or for various accessibility reasons, or emailing some or all of the students in your class. You can change assignment settings for particular assignments or particular students. If you want to know more, check out all the articles in our support community or reach out to us if you have additional questions. We love to be able to tell you, “Yes, we can do that!” ... View more

As a recent graduate, I remember all too well the shivers we would get as students when professors muttered the word “test” or “quiz”. If you wanted to hear a symphony of groans, add in the word now and a sea of furrowed brows and hand slams would fill the room. Tests get a bad rap in the academic world nowadays. With test anxiety being shed to light, academia has become aware of the negative effects it can have on students. Some students dislike testing because it makes them question their intelligence with every wrong answer. Others get stage fright, and can’t perform under the pressure, time constraint, etc. Not everyone’s IQ is defined by a mere test by any means, and some professors have shied away from administering them. For some students, an examination apocalypse would be a dream, but what if I told you that testing could actually be a good thing? It’s all about the execution. According to the Scientific American article Researchers Find That Frequent Tests Can Boost Learning  through the psychological process of retrieval practice, the repetitious nature of test taking actually aids students in retaining knowledge longer term as opposed to traditional teaching methods (Paul). Retrieval practice, formally known as “the testing effect” argues against the “reading the material and being tested on it later” method, but rather encourages students  to learn through frequent state of testing. Now while consistent testing sounds intense, many do not realize the brain empowered blessings this poses. Studies have shown that when testing a student on material even before they have had their lecture can improve knowledge retention rates even beyond the final exam. Learning Curve and iClicker are excellent examples of just that. Learning Curve allows students to answer multiple choice and short answer questions before the actual lecture, making students read the material and answer basic questions on what they read. To continue the testing repetition, using iClicker’s REEF Polling can continue the testing habit in a group setting. If more students get in the habit of answering questions based on the material, when it is time to take the official exam, they are more likely to excel and score higher. Paul, Annie Murphy. "Researchers Find That Frequent Tests Can Boost Learning." Scientific American. N.p., 08 July 2015. Web. 24 May 2017. ... View more

Many instructors have adopted online discussion boards as a tool to encourage students to communicate with each other, share ideas, and participate in peer review. It’s also one of the few ways to check in on students to make sure they are actually reading their assigned texts (though the effectiveness of this is debatable). Plenty of students will admit that participating in discussion boards is pretty low on their priorities when juggling multiple courses, campus life, eating, and maybe getting a wink of sleep every now and then. In my experience, these discussions counted for a fairly minute portion of my grade, which translated to me posting first on these discussion boards in order to write something that was articulate but not exactly insightful. Genuine, thoughtful discussion can be beneficial to developing critical thinking skills and challenging students to question both their knowledge and their patterns of thought. This, however, is not something that can be forced.  Creating dynamic discussion online is not an easy task, but if done correctly these discussion boards can become an invaluable resource for students to become both better thinkers and writers.  So this question remains: How can instructors make online discussion more than a perfunctory task? Use Small Groups In some of my best classes, splitting the class into groups of four to six students eliminated the anonymity of posting. With the knowledge that my posts would have a specific audience, I was more likely to actually put effort into my responses and try to give helpful feedback to my peers. Ask Thoughtful Questions                                                                                                                                       This may sound obvious, but I challenge you to examine the prompts that you are giving your students. Are you challenging them to think or guiding them toward a specific response?  Relate Their Coursework to Their Real Lives                                                                                                           Students are more likely to actively engage with a text if they believe that the topics and themes are relevant to their lives on a personal, professional, or political level. If you find that students do not engage with specific texts it may be time to reevaluate what you are using in class. Like anything else, discussion boards can be incredibly effective when used well. Make sure you are reading your students’ posts and starting good discussions yourself. Consider doing the discussions within the e-Book itself to further foster reading and critical thinking. Bring up interesting topics in class to prove that you have read the discussions, and that will likely prompt students to be more thoughtful in their responses. And think about making the discussion boards worth more of students' grades if they are helping you achieve your goals. Let us know if you have other ideas to make discussions even better! ... View more

I’ve taken a fair amount of classes. By the time I crawled across the finish line most people refer to as “graduation,” I had earned enough credits for a double major in English and Linguistics (and just short of a triple major in Speech Pathology). I thought I was going to be an Audiologist. Funny how life turns out. The average class I’ve taken has become a vague memory only to be recalled upon reviewing my transcript, but the ones that stick out (for both positive and negative reasons) have shaped me deeply as both a writer and a generally intellectually curious person. One class that I took close to my degree completion was a course called Hearing Science. This course was one of the core requirements for Linguistics majors at my college and combined anatomy and physiology, audiology, and just a bit of physics to really simplify things. Although the course was a requirement for my major, it wasn’t offered every semester, and since I was a senior I was advised to take it as soon as it was offered. But when it came time for me to register it was only offered as an online class. Despite how daunting it felt to be taking a difficult course fully online, initially the idea of an online class appealed to me. I was working part time, writing my senior thesis, and participating in club activities. Being able to work on my own schedule was something I really needed. But what I hadn’t anticipated was that this particular instructor seemed to believe that “online course” meant “teach yourself.” She uploaded her PowerPoints onto BlackBoard for the entire semester. She had a section for quizzes that would come up bi-weekly. She had a section for the midterm and final exams. That was it. Those PowerPoints and my textbook were the only means of instruction, and the only time I interacted with that instructor that fall was to tell her that BlackBoard had incorrectly marked me wrong on a quiz. This created endless stress and anxiety for me that semester. There are people who are completely capable of teaching themselves how to cook, play guitar, or change a tire. I am not one of those people. I learn by hearing and asking questions. I am one of those annoying students who asks questions she already knows the answers to in class. Somehow hearing things over and over again helps them click in my head. There was no way I was going to perform well in this class if reading was the only way I could learn. So I improvised. I created my own audiobooks by recording myself reading chapters from my textbook. Then when it was time to study I would listen to those tapes religiously. It worked, and I did very well in that class, but this required me putting in time and effort that I didn’t have at the time. I know that this is not the way most instructors teach online, and my experience is just an outlier from the norm. With all the digital technology and online homework systems available there’s really no excuse not to make online learning as effective as possible. Trust me, your students will thank you for it. ... View more

Let’s Play a Game: How does your college match up? By this time of year, high school seniors have received their acceptance letters and have either made their decision of where to attend or will be doing so very soon. It’s also the time of year that colleges shine up their halls to make both their academic and campus life as appealing as possible to visiting students. When making the big decision of where to attend college, most will check various college rankings. U.S. News has been doing an annual ranking of colleges since Sam Adams matriculated at Harvard. They are generally a trusted source of this sort of information, and one of their most popular rankings is their list of the top 50 schools. However in our digital world there are many competing sources. An interesting one is the list on Rate My Professor. It takes into account data on both campus life (school reputation, clubs, and even the food in the cafeteria) and combines it with student feedback on their instructors. One can assume that some of the criteria used by U.S. News factors into this student list, but certainly not all of it. With that in mind we pose these simple questions which we challenge you to answer! We of course will share the answers in a later post. (No Cheating!) 1) How many schools appear on the Top 25 Universities on both the Rate my Professor list and the U.S. News list? 2 3 4 5 6 8 2)  Which one of these schools appear on both lists? Harvard Louisiana State University New York University Washington University in Saint Louis Princeton Dartmouth Bonus: What were the #1 Universities on both lists? (Hint: They are not the same) Submit Your Responses Here! ... View more

Interested in incorporating LaunchPad into your curriculum but want to customize it to meet your needs? Macmillan Learning Curriculum Solutions is here to help. Our dedicated custom team will tailor your chosen LaunchPad course to your specific requirements.   Whether you have your own materials that need to be added to a custom unit, see value in adding an additional Macmillan Learning e-book to your course, or would like to combine student or instructor resources across LaunchPad courses, custom requests are our business.   We work across the disciplines and within all LaunchPad courses. As instructors and students navigate to digital learning materials, we can make the transition smooth by integrating multiple products in one easy-to-use LaunchPad course.   Recent examples include: Integrating A Pocket Guide to College Success e-book by Jamie Shushan into ACES, a nationally norm-referenced student self-assessment of non-cognitive and cognitive skills Incorporating a faculty-authored e-book into LaunchPad Solo for Public Speaking Adding Your College Experience (John N. Gardner; Betsy O. Barefoot; Negar Farakish) LearningCurve to LaunchPad Solo for Readers and Writers Contact your custom specialist today to hear how we can help you get the most out of your LaunchPad course! ... View more

As we near the end of the fall semester, just a few notes to make sure you are ready to wrap up fall and prepare for winter or spring. There is a great section in the LaunchPad Instructor’s Manual called “Track Student Work” which can help you see all of a student’s individual LaunchPad activities—their ‘digital footprint’. Here are some other key articles that might be useful today: Check student activity on individual assignments How to change a student’s grade Check student activity as a whole Import scores for offline assignments, if applicable Zero scores for unsubmitted assignments Export your LaunchPad gradebook Preparing for the Spring Semester We’d like to provide you with some helpful articles on how to make sure your preparation goes smoothly: Create new or copy existing LaunchPad courses (when in doubt, you are probably better off starting with a new course) Set up your spring courses If you copied courses, batch update assignment due dates If you created new courses, create assignments Deactivate your fall courses Activate your spring courses (This is an important step and will result in a personal URL for YOUR COURSE that will be emailed to you and that you should distribute to YOUR STUDENTS! Students must enroll in the course with your specific URL.) Distribute your spring course URLs to your students so that they can enroll in your courses And remember: As usual, you can find links for training, information and help here. Use the opportunity to sign up for a 30 minute training session with a product and discipline expert. It will probably be the most useful 30 minutes you spend prepping this term! And if you run into any issues, you and your students can always contact tech support for help or check out our Instructor User Guide for more information. ... View more

One of the forms of assessment in LaunchPad is called "Data Connections" and is built differently than some of the other measures like LearningCurve and Quizzing. Data Connections has more of an integrative and essay aspect with regard to how it presents itself to students. In this way, it creates a place where students have some free choice in what kind of content they want to look at and how they respond to the assessment prompt. Below, I am using a Data Connections activity from the LaunchPad system on human growth and development. This one is listed as "Common Genetic Diseases and Conditions" - clicking on it will bring up a new window. This particular Data Connections has 4 pages to it. In the screenshot below you will see how Data Connections presents an opening page that introduces the topic.  Clicking on the "Get Started" button at the bottom brings up the interactive table that I have highlighted in yellow below. The student is able to click through the table and learn about each of these different genetic diseases and conditions. Personally, I like having information presented in this way as it allows for the student to become more personally invested in exploring the content provided - contrast this to just reading something in a textbook. While the latter isn't non-educational, having the material appear in a way that is different, I think, helps to capture the student's attention and thereby, hopefully, fosters retention. On the next page, in the following screenshot, the student is prompted to enter a short essay on the previous information that was just presented to them. Unique to Data Connections is how the student's response is very wide open, allowing them to select from a wide range of possibilities as to how they want to show what they learned.  As an important note, being an instructor, you will want to be sure to go back and review the grade for this activity. Data Connections provides a tentative full-credit grade after the student has submitted an answer. As a result, a review by the instructor ensures that the student is learning the concepts and ideas that are required by the course.  Finally, the last page of Data Connections will let the student know that their work has been submitted. It will also provide a list of references that can be referenced on a term paper or used by the student for further learning.  Data Connections, a unique form of assessment in LaunchPad, has the benefit of providing the student with a broad range of possibilities of how to respond and demonstrate their knowledge. It does this through presenting the material interactivity and by using essay questions as a way to gauge the student's progress. Data Connections is another feature unique to the LaunchPad learning system. ... View more