Prospective students face the difficult task of deciding whether or not a college degree is worth the cost. To deliver the best possible value to students, institutions are looking for ways to improve student outcomes. A perspective shift from instructor-focused content to a student-centered approach can be the starting point to ultimately improving outcomes. For instructors, this shift can prove difficult to navigate, as it requires moving away from curriculum delivery as the sole or primary focus and moving towards a focus on the expectations and desired results of the students. This highlights an important difference — one between learning objectives and student outcomes — and is central to creating more enduring, impactful learning. By focusing on student outcomes in addition to learning objectives, institutions and educators can involve students in the learning process, resulting in increased motivation and higher achievement. Learning Objectives vs.Student Outcomes: Why the Distinction Matters While learning objectives and student outcomes may seem similar and even synonymous, the key difference lies in the target audience of each statement. Learning objectives describe the actions the instructor aims to take, whereas student outcomes describe the results of the student experience. In other words, student outcomes refer to the knowledge or skills that a student gains as a result of an applied learning objective. Student outcomes can also be described as learning outcomes, as a result of learning objectives. Learning Objectives center the instructor Student Outcomes center the student Learning Objectives are what the instructor intends to teach Student Outcomes are how the learner will demonstrate achievement Learning Objective Example: We will discuss the varying character tropes across Shakespeare’s most popular comedies. Student Outcome Example: By the end of unit 2 of An Introduction to Shakespeare, students will be able to analyze and compare common character tropes across popular comedies. Stating the goals of a course, unit, or lesson as a student outcome involves the student in the process and clearly states the expectations, which can be helpful to set the student up for success from the very start. Tying Learning Objectives to Student Outcomes Establishing learning objectives is the first step to drafting concise, measurable, and impactful student outcomes. In writing a learning objective, you establish the actions you will take as the instructor to deliver student outcomes. However, because learning objectives tend to emphasize instructor actions and can alienate the student, considering how you can alter your objective to best center the student is a key step whenmoving from objective to outcome. Student outcomes should be: Specific: students should understand what they are expected to demonstrate or produce as a result of the learning process. Attainable: the outcome is a reasonable expectation for students, given their level of knowledge and preparation Realistic: the objective can be achieved within the established timeframe Active and Observable: students will know whether or not they have achieved the objective Measureable: students have a way of measuring their success Given the above parameters, it’s clear that language and wording of student outcomes are paramount. To create a more lasting and actionable level of learning, instructors can use language that encourages students to strive toward a place of synthesis, evaluation, and creation, in addition to knowledge and comprehension. The verbs that instructors use in their learning outcomes can inspire this kind of thinking. When writing student outcomes, consider language derived from Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives: Knowledge– to know, remember, and recite facts and concepts Comprehension– to understand and explain Application– to apply learned knowledge or skills to a novel situation Analysis– breaking information or concepts into its parts Synthesis– to integrate ideas, create something new, or propose a plan of action Evaluation– to judge the value of information or ideas Creation– combining parts to make a new whole Incorporating language from the higher ends of Bloom’s Taxonomy – synthesize, evaluate, and create – will set higher expectations for student outcomes and enable students to visualize the products of their learning. Improving Student Outcomes for More Valuable Learning Experiences By considering the factors impacting a student’s ability to achieve a learning outcome, instructors can intentionally incorporate strategies to address these factors and, in turn, bolster student achievement. Many great instructors have the ability to blend teaching strategies and their pedagogical approach to reach diverse learning styles. For example, instructors who provide opportunities for self-paced learning will find that many students thrive with extra time for processing and applying their learning. All students learn, process information, and complete assignments at varying paces; allowing students to learn on a flexible timeline relieves them of the pressure they might feel when up against a strict deadline. As you allow students this flexible time, however, it is also important to guide them as they learn to self-monitor and manage their time. The quality of learning time is just as impactful as the duration; some students may require more guidance than others as they learn to navigate a self-paced learning schedule. In addition to allowing for a flexible learning schedule, instructors might also consider modeling and encouraging a growth mindset in their students. A growth mindset is defined by an individual’s belief that they can improve upon something that is difficult for them; in contrast, someone with a fixed mindset believes that they are defined by their current abilities and unable to grow, change, or improve upon themselves. A student with a growth mindset might think, “Math is hard for me. If I dedicate extra time to studying, attend office hours, and take some practice tests, I can improve my grade from last semester.” A student with a fixed mindset might think, “Math is hard for me. I’m not very good at it, and my brain is better at literature and languages. I’ll just get through this requirement and then I won’t have to do another math course.” Chances are you’ve encountered students with a fixed mindset. They may have even had additional barriers to accessing education. Social stereotypes can also impact a student’s mindset. Even girls with a strong growth mindset in education may find that their mindsets become more fixed when studying STEM disciplines. Women are less represented in STEM careers than men. Because such stereotypes are often introduced early, they become more difficult to combat as students grow older. One of the most impactful ways to instill a growth mindset in a student with a stubbornly fixed mindset is to have them experience success as a result of their own hard work and dedication. Students often find this success through inquiry-based learning; or, a process in which students take the lead in their learning and explore topics through high-level questioning and investigation. For inquiry-based learning to be successful, however, students need to have first established a strong basis of knowledge from instruction-based learning. Therefore, a strategic blend of both instruction- and inquiry-based learning is the most likely to encourage a growth mindset in students. *It is important to note that leading an inquiry-based classroom is inherently more difficult to navigate than an instructional-based one; interested educators might consider undergoing training or professional development to help incorporate inquiry into their classrooms. Measuring Learning Outcomes You’ll probably want to measure the success of your learning outcomes. One way to do this is by trying to identify any changes in students' performance on assessments — both formative and summative. Formative assessments can be used throughout a course for ongoing measurement of student understanding, areas of confusion, and readiness to move on. Formative assessments can come in the form of quizzes, surveys, class discussions, debates, written responses to prompts, or in-class polling with tools like iClicker. You can track student progress across formative assessments, both as feedback for their own instruction and as useful insights for summative assessments; to do so, consider using analytics provided by courseware platforms like Achieve. The cumulative summative assessment should be aligned with the stated learning outcomes of the course or unit. In this way, students will not be surprised by the summative assessment, as they will have already aligned their expectations based on the learning outcomes. It is a mark of truly student-centered instruction when students feel confident, capable, and prepared for the summative assessment, as a result of well-established and communicated learning outcomes. ... View more

What is the value of an education? College enrollments have declined steadily in recent years with hundreds of thousands of prospective students choosing not to pursue a degree. Students have to weigh the cost of college against the perceived value they’ll take away from it. We all have a role to play in helping students realize the greatest possible value from their investment in their education. Listen to the Macmillan Learning executive leadership team, product designers, and engineers discuss why we care so deeply about helping students connect to their learning and to recognize the value in their experience, every day. Featured in this video: Susan Winslow, Macmillan Learning CEO Tim Flem, Senior Vice President, Product Chris Paddock, Senior Director of User Experience Jason Walker, Director, Product Steve Hill, Senior Vice President, Engineering ... View more

As an instructor, you likely have some idea of who your students are – their demographics, their fields of study, and their academic strengths. But how do you get to know students on a deeper level? With shifting course formats, a challenging past two years, and a more diverse student population than ever, this question is becoming ever more important to address. For one thing, it’s been a whirlwind two years with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing change and uncertainty to academic life. Most courses are in person again, but some students have chosen to remain remote or hybrid – and the fallout of the past two years includes notably high levels of disengagement on campus. After experiencing so many disruptions to their learning, students reasonably need support to get back on track. On top of that, the postsecondary student population is more diverse than ever, and your students are bringing different learning and studying skills, cultural backgrounds, academic goals, and expectations to your course. How do you get to know students who feel increasingly disconnected from academic life, and how do you connect with the diverse perspectives that they bring to the table – all while you are preparing and teaching hours worth of lessons for your course subject? It can seem daunting to find a way to connect with students individually on top of your heavy academic workload – but tackling one or two manageable strategies can go a long way. In this guide, we’ll share a few approaches for connecting with your students more deeply so you can help them to engage with your course and feel more invested in their own academic success. What is engagement? You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz around the concept of “student engagement” in recent years. So how do you know when a student is engaged? The Glossary for Education Reform describes student engagement as “the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education.” Research shows that engaged students are more likely to be motivated to learn and persist. Getting to know your college students and incorporating their perspectives in the learning process is a powerful way to help them feel invested in their education. Here are a few strategies you can try. Ways to Get To Know Your College Students Icebreakers One simple way to set the tone for your course is to offer meaningful but no-stakes in-class icebreakers. Questions like “What do you want to learn in this course?”, “How are you feeling?”, or “What’s one thing you love about your major?” give students a chance to check in and opens up a channel for two-way communication in your course — while students are learning from you, you also want to hear from them. These get-to-know-you questions don’t need to be reserved for the first few days of the semester. Throughout the semester, ask students what they think in real-time to continue the conversation and encourage students to engage actively with the material.   A simple way to create this in-class feedback loop is through iClicker, which is available for free with Achieve courses and allows students to answer in-class polls through their smartphones. To get started, you can use iClicker’s sample icebreaker polling questions. Temperature Checks Continue to connect with students and how they’re doing with your course material by conducting quick temperature checks throughout the semester. The iClicker polling feature offers an option for “anonymous mode” in your question formats, which you can apply if you think students may feel more comfortable answering a question honestly without their name attached. You can use the short answer option for open-ended questions, and student responses will be merged into a word cloud so you and the students can see trends in class responses. Office Hours There is always the tried-and-true office hours approach. Office hours present a prime opportunity to get to know students’ perspectives and challenges. But as you know, it can be a struggle to get students to show up. Many students may not understand the purpose of office hours or may think that they need to have a specific question to meet with you. And since students have gotten used to the decreased in-person interaction of digital courses, they need even more encouragement to show up now. Emphasize the reason behind office hours in class, in your syllabus, and even in course materials or quizzes. You can create an inviting atmosphere in your course by letting students know that you want to talk with them. During your office hours, ask students about their goals and what they need to be successful, and encourage them to visit you any time throughout the semester – not just when they have a specific homework question. These one-on-one faculty-student interactions have proven to lead to higher achievement and increased engagement, and an engaged student is more motivated to learn. Goal Setting and Reflection Knowing students’ goals allows you to better address their learning needs. One way to get students thinking about their goals for the course is to start the discussion during class. Have students fill out inventories where they are prompted to reflect and answer a series of questions about their interests, goals, concerns, and inspirations. You may be surprised by what you find, and you can use this knowledge to highlight the connection between course concepts with students’ interests. If you’re looking for a way to administer inventories, you can try the Goal-Setting and Reflection Surveys in Achieve. These pre-built surveys prompt students to set goals and reflect on their learning, and you can assign them throughout the semester to get a read on the interventions or support your students need as your course progresses. This small action can have a major impact on students’ participation. In our research, we’ve seen that courses that assign at least two of these surveys result in at least a 15% increase in assignment completion, which leads to an 8 percentile point increase in student grades in the course. Start a Conversation If you find students are still hesitant to come and speak with you even as you offer multiple ways to open the conversation, remember that you don’t always have to wait for your students to come to you. Reach out to individual students to start a conversation, ask questions, share your own goals for the course, and listen closely to their feedback. What goals emerge? What challenges may be holding them back? The spectrum of personal experiences and cultural backgrounds represented in your course means that your students may come to you with different expectations and learning styles. Initiating these one-on-one conversations with students can provide the context you need to create a learning environment where all of your students feel encouraged to engage. Apply What You've Learned with Your Students Once you’ve started getting to know your students on a deeper level, there are many different ways you can use that knowledge to engage students in your teaching. If you’re looking for ideas, try a few of these: Connect your instruction to students’ interests. Look for patterns in what you hear from students in surveys, polling, and one-on-one conversations. Look for ways to connect your academic content to students’ goals and interests to help them engage. Encourage students to apply their knowledge and experiences. Practice culturally responsive teaching by encouraging students to bring their existing knowledge and lived experiences into their course experience and assignments. Acknowledge that their unique perspective is an asset to learning and discussion in your course. Incorporate different communication styles into your course. As you get to know your students, you will see a myriad of communication styles that students bring as a result of their differing personalities or cultural experiences, some of which are not naturally facilitated in the standard college course format. As you learn where your students are coming from, find opportunities to incorporate different approaches into your instruction so you can support all types of learning styles. Incorporate interventions and supports based on student feedback. As you connect with students throughout the semester, use what you see from your poll and survey check-ins to address challenges and misconceptions as they arise. All in all, every semester’s group of students has a different set of strengths, needs, interests, and perspectives, and it can be overwhelming to figure out how to get to know each new group in a progressively more digital university learning environment. As an educator, you have the expertise to forge these connections and the power to make a huge impact on your students’ academic careers. When you make ongoing efforts to connect, you prime your students to be more successful with your course material. Give your students many ways to connect and engage with the expertise that you bring, and your whole course will be enriched by the unique perspectives that interact with your teaching. ... View more

Hear from Eric Chiang, Professor, Author of Principles for a Changing World, about the importance of using resources and course material that connect with a diverse body of students. Whether they are first-generation college students or students working full-time while pursuing their college degrees, having course material that fits each of their unique situations is paramount. By delivering course material in a range of formats, professors are able to create closer connections despite the diverse needs of their student body. Watch the Video ... View more

At Macmillan Learning, we strive to provide educators and learners with course materials that promote inclusive learning environments. We know that the tools you choose to use in your courses will work best for all of your students if they prioritize equitable approaches to education for the most marginalized students. We are designing all of our resources and tools with a commitment to equitable outcomes so you can feel confident when you choose Macmillan for your classroom. How do we accomplish this work? Listen to some of our product developers, researchers, and executives to learn more about our commitment to DEI and why it’s so crucial to integrate these evidence-based practices into our tools and into your classroom. Featured in this video: Chris Paddock, Senior Director of User Experience Marcy Baughman, Executive Director of Learning Science & Insights Tim Flem, Senior Vice President, Product Jason Walker, Director, Product ... View more

We asked some of our super users how Achieve helped them support diverse viewpoints and combat bias in their classrooms. We also asked iClicker super-users. Here’s what they had to say: “Quiet or less confident students aren't as likely to participate in Socratic method or cold calling. The use of iClicker allows ALL students to participate including those who are less confident or quiet. The inclusiveness is refreshing and allows the instructor to determine where everyone is in their understanding.”  -Candace Timpte, Biology “I adopted Macmillian course texts that provide pedagogically sound, culturally responsive, and DEI-reviewed materials. Students: 1) get introduced to voices and perspectives outside their South Dakota bubble.  2) practice inclusive communication practices and perspective-taking. 3) carry out learning in a classroom of belonging and empathy-minded communication. 4) cultivate mindfulness in how we interact with each other.” -Matthew Ingram, Communcations “The LearningCurve [adaptive quizzing] assignments are offered to all students as a way for them to check their individual learning progress and to get additional practice geared towards their skills. This, I believe, is a way to make the class more equitable.” -Lisa Sharpe Elles, Chemistry “With iClicker questions that students have difficulty with, I will sometimes stop class and have them discuss their answers with their neighbors and then answer again. I will sometimes use anonymous mode when asking questions that are of a sensitive nature so that students don't feel exposed by their answers. I am also using Achieve in the hopes of boosting student performance by helping students see the connections between the questions and the textbook.” -Jeff Henriques, Psychology Want to learn more about how Macmillan content is designed with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind from the outset? Explore the Development Matters page, which describes our principles for diverse, equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive-sustaining learning materials. Looking for more ideas? Schedule a demo or training to discuss how Achieve and iClicker could support your class. For iClicker Super-user testimonials, check out this article! ... View more

In this Tech Ed Week presentation, Betsy Langness explores Goal-Setting and Reflection Surveys in Achieve in her courses at Jefferson Community & Technical College - Shelbyville. Jefferson is a big school with a diverse student body that has a high percentage of first-generation college students and Pell grant eligibility. After re-designing a "gateway course" (a course attended by many first-time students) to incorporate these Achieve tools, Professor Langness was able to assess how students were doing in the course and develop metacognition skills for her future students. In this presentation, learn more about how Achieve Goal-setting and reflection surveys provide data that inform and elevate student performance, and how this data can help you create a closer connection with each of your students so that everyone is given the opportunity to excel.  Watch the Presentation! ... View more

When implemented with intentionality, instructional technology can be used to support your institution’s equity and inclusion initiatives in meaningful ways. In this webinar, Dr. Edna Ross, professor of Psychology & Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville, and Emily Ravenwood, instructional technologist at the University of Michigan, explored pandemic-era lessons that can help you create and deliver more inclusive and equitable learning experiences for every student. Watch the webinar recording or read through the session slides to learn more about supporting your institution's equity goals in meaningful ways, allowing you to create connections with all your students.   Access the Recording and Resources!     ... View more

Dr. Mark A. Laumakis presents a nuanced perspective on classroom technology in his Tech Ed Week presentation: Unintended Consequences: When Technology HURTS Learning. In this presentation, Dr. Laumakis discusses findings within his own Department of Psychology at San Diego State University and highlights the ways in which iClicker encourages academic integrity in his courses. Watch the Full Presentation! ... View more

We asked some of our super users how Achieve and iClicker helped them support academic integrity in their classrooms. Here’s what they had to say: “Rather than giving limited numbers of data sets, we are able to have students use their own original data and perform calculations on their own data.” -Ed Lee, Chemistry, Texas A&M “I use LearningCurve [adaptive] quizzes, discussions, and video activities to instill effective, competent, and ethically sound communication practices.” -Matthew Ingram, Communication, Dakota State University “I personally love the adaptive quizzes in Achieve. Since each question given to students is based on their own individual performance, this guarantees that no two students get the exact same quiz. This decreases the chance of students writing these in groups and increases student understanding.” -Marissa Dahari, Molecular Biology, University of Guelph “I love how diverse the test banks are and that gives me a peace of mind when I assign material to them.” -Michael Poulakis, Psychology, University of Indianapolis. “While not seeking to identify potential academic misuse, I use iClicker attendance to promote timely arrival in class, and polling to ensure that students learn critical facets of all my courses.” -Michael Shapiro, Georgia State University Interested in ways you might be able to use Achieve and iClicker to foster an environment where students can practice concepts in a low stakes way and minimize the stress that can lead to cheating? Consider encouraging your students to use Study Tools, which is included at no additional cost with Achieve full course solutions, as a way to prepare without pressure--with no work on your part.  Looking for more ideas? Schedule a demo or training to discuss how Achieve and iClicker could support your class. ... View more

What does Academic Integrity mean? What steps can we take, as educators, to support students before and during learning to help promote academic integrity in their daily practice? At Macmillan, we acknowledge that cheating happens, but we also know it’s often because students are strapped for time, feel under-prepared, or otherwise feel out of options. We want to help. Whether it’s providing students with low or no-stakes opportunities to engage with course content or offering them a chance to do some self-reflection, our teams aim to give students plenty of opportunities to develop intrinsic motivation. Because our research shows intrinsic motivation promotes the autonomy of learning and that fosters true student success. Listen to our product developers, researchers, engineers, and executives talk about why and how opportunities to develop intrinsic motivation are offered every step of the way. Featured in this video: Susan Winslow, Macmillan Learning CEO Tim Flem, Senior Vice President, Product Chris Paddock, Senior Director of User Experience Marcy Baughman, Executive Director of Learning Science & Insights Jason Walker, Director, Product Jennifer Ferralli, Senior Director, Product Steve Hill, Senior Vice President, Engineering ... View more

  Students today have more tools and opportunities to violate their institutions’ academic integrity codes than ever before. According to research conducted by the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) in 2020, “more than 60 percent of university students freely admitted to cheating in some form.”  Whether cheating on an exam, paying someone to complete an assignment for them, working together on an assignment designed for independent completion, or using the internet to plagiarize entire papers, academic dishonesty can take on countless forms.  Educators and administrations will never eliminate academic dishonesty. There will always be those students who are more motivated to take the easy way out than they are to learn the material. And, there will always be students who arrive on the first day of class unaware of the difference between paraphrasing and plagiarism. While you may not be able to prevent every instance of cheating or plagiarism, it’s important to uphold the standards set by your school and to teach students about academic honesty by making it an intrinsic part of your course design.  What is academic integrity and why does it matter? Chances are your institution has detailed its definition of academic integrity or academic honesty in an honor code, academic integrity code, or code of academic conduct. These contracts that students enter into with the university are an important source of information for students and a helpful tool for educators. Most definitions of academic integrity encompass a set of values and approaches toward a scholarship that may include honesty, trust, responsibility, respect, and openness. Academic integrity isn’t just about negative, dishonest behaviors like cheating and unauthorized collaboration. Positive, honest behavior like demonstrating personal achievements, recognizing and crediting others’ work, and receiving feedback with humility, are equally important to a strong sense of academic integrity.  When accepted and acted on as standards, these behaviors not only foster trust in an individual’s academic work, it supports the trustworthiness and credibility of scholarly work at large. In a time when misinformation is rising rapidly and trust in science and institutions of higher education seem to be declining equally as quickly, it’s important to remind your students of what is meant by academic integrity and why it's so important. This information is relevant to their lives in the classroom and beyond.  Student motivation should be a part of the academic integrity conversation. Students don’t cheat solely because they have the opportunity to do so. They also do it because they are motivated to. Understanding student motivation is an important step in building academic integrity in your course design. Without first knowing why students might engage in dishonest behavior in your course, how can you hope to address it? The Center for Teaching Excellence at Boston College has assembled a collection of teaching strategies, including a few on academic integrity, that is incredibly helpful and well organized. In the “Cultivating Academic Integrity” resource they outline the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as follows.  “Intrinsic motivation is active in a student who is personally interested in exploring the material at hand because of their curiosity and desire. Students who are intrinsically motivated assign value to doing the task itself, not to a particular outcome.” “Extrinsic motivation is active in students who are willing to invest in a task to the extent that it will help them achieve ‘extrinsic rewards,’ like public praise or money. In the classroom, any number of extrinsic rewards may be operating: good grades, feeling accomplished in relation to peers, admission to graduate or professional school, etc.” The ultimate goal is to help students develop the intrinsic motivation to learn the course material and successfully complete the course. Not all students start a course with this type of motivation, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be built. Some students might not be passionate about the subject matter, and sometimes students who are may still be inclined to cheat. Here are a few factors that might motivate students to act dishonestly. High-pressure academic environment Stress from large courseloads and overlapping assignments Stress from external environments like work, home, or community Disinterest in course material and/or a failure to see the relevance of the material to their lives Lack of confidence in one’s own ability to successfully do the work If you’ve been teaching for a while, you’ve probably encountered one of these motivating factors. If you’re new to teaching, chances are you’ll encounter one soon enough.  6 Steps to Building Academic Integrity into Your Course Design 1. Reflect on your students, their challenges, and how your course relates to their broader educational goals.  This goes hand in hand with knowing students’ motivation to cheat. As you work to make academic integrity an inherent part of your course, try thinking through what this course means to your students and what their goals and challenges may be. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself.  Check your knowledge of your students. How many students in your course have a strong high school background? How many students in your course are first-generation college students? Do your students understand the purpose of office hours? What is happening in my community and the world that may lead to increased stress and pressure for my students? Question your course. Is this course a prerequisite to more advanced courses? Are you teaching the “weed-out class” that students fear most in your department? Or, are you teaching the class that students tend to mischaracterize as a “blow-off class?” Are you teaching a first-year composition course where students may not understand paraphrasing and plagiarism?  2. Set clear expectations around academic integrity and set them early. Talk to your students about academic integrity. Define it for them and give them an opportunity to ask you questions. If you don’t have an answer to one of their questions about academic honesty, remember that you can always direct them to your institution’s honor system or academic integrity office. Whether required by your school or not, you should include the school’s policy on academic integrity in your syllabus. Setting these expectations can be done at the start of the term and followed up on throughout the semester. If you’re not sure how to continue the conversation with students throughout the semester, try including information about ethics in your field to help them realize the connection between academic integrity and their careers. Writing your own academic integrity statement In addition to what is set forth by your school, you may also want to create an academic integrity statement. Elements to consider including in your statement might be: Appropriate collaboration and a definition of what constitutes independent work Requirements for paraphrasing, quotation, and citation Rules and regulations related to your class and classwork When and how these guidelines for academic integrity will be applied 3. Help build intrinsic motivation by showing students the value and relevance of what they’re learning.  Students who don’t start the semester off with an intrinsic enthusiasm for the course content might need a little nudge to see how exciting, valuable, and relevant your course is. Here are a few ways things you can do to build intrinsic motivation in your course. Allow students to co-create parts of the course or syllabus with you. Get creative with positive reinforcement instead of negative reinforcement by helping students think of their grade as building up from 0, rather than chipping away from 100.  Share your passion for the subject with your students. Spend time showing students how the information will benefit their future academic and professional success. Use examples in your course that feel relevant to your students’ lives when possible. Get students excited by teaching with case studies.  By building intrinsic motivation, you can work through several common factors that motivate students to engage in dishonest behavior.  4. Give students frequent, low-stakes assessments or try scaffolding assignments. If your course is only made up of five assignments, each worth 20 percent of the final grade, doing well on each assignment becomes an enormous source of pressure for students. If they do poorly on the first assignment or exam, they may feel their only options are to either work that much harder on the second, or cheat to ensure a good grade. You can help reduce this pressure by adding more frequent, low-stakes assessments to your course or varying the value of your assessments and assignments.  If you prefer not to add assignments to your course, you could instead try scaffolding assignments by breaking down your larger assignments into smaller, sequential steps. This allows you to grade students each step of the way, across the entire process rather than just on their final product. 5. Help your students prepare for exams. Whether you write your own exams or use pre-built assessments, you know what’s going to be on the test. Shouldn’t your students know too? Help your students prepare for the exam by reminding them what they should study.  If you have time and/or the support of teaching assistants, you can also hold review sessions leading up to the major exams in your courses like the midterm or the final. You may even be able to replace office hours one week with an open review. These review sessions can give students the reassurance they need to walk into the exam feeling prepared and confident.  6. Practice the academic integrity you preach. It’s important to display the same academic integrity as you ask of your students. It’s a no-brainer, but it’s important to keep in mind. So, even if you’re in a hurry to finish your slides for tomorrow’s class, don’t forget to cite your image sources. You’d expect your students to do so, and leading by example helps students know what behaviors to embody. The challenge of academic integrity in online learning environments Remote learning environments can create unique challenges to academic integrity. It’s easy for them to turn their video off or completely tune out. It’s also easier for students to feel detached in an online classroom, and when they’re not invested in your teaching or the course material, they may be more inclined to look for shortcuts. Some ways to combat these additional challenges brought on by online learning include: Investing more time in letting the students get to know you Holding virtual office hours more frequently  Set a time limit for tests and quizzes, akin to how much class time they’d have in person Start with trust by making tests open book when possible  Regardless of modality, it's important to show students the value of what they’re learning, to build a connection with them, to set a strong example, and to reflect on their motivations. Fostering academic integrity requires a multi-pronged approach, but with the right tools, and a plan to shape your entire course with it in mind, you can reduce the urge your students have to cheat, giving them a more meaningful experience in your course, no matter the content. How do you build academic integrity into your course design? ... View more

Research has shown that often students cheat because they are feeling intense pressure to get ahead. For some, it’s fear of failure. For some, it’s weak time management skills.  For others, it’s stress and anxiety.  Dr. Amanda Norbutus, a Chemistry professor at Valencia College, describes how connecting with students can help build a supportive classroom environment, which can minimize pressure to cheat. She has found that student success in her classes can be hindered, not by a lack of content knowledge but rather by a lack of skills needed to succeed in the classroom. By empathizing with students and encouraging a growth mindset, she helps her students develop valuable learning skills, along with their chemistry content.  Norbutus shares 4 key strategies that professors can use to help students overcome this soft skills knowledge gap  over the course of the semester. Office Hours and Problem-Solving Sessions It is important to make office hours count. Many students come to office hours unprepared. Instead, request that students attempt a problem before bringing it to office hours to be addressed. In order to help students learn important problem-solving skills, have them practice solving problems ranging from medium to complex to bridge between introductory examples in text and those used to test mastery in homework and exams. Study Modules and In-Class Study Tips Research has shown that stronger neuropathways get built when students take handwritten or typed notes. These neuropathways not only become easier to access but also longer lasting, allowing students to be more successful. Advise and encourage students to write in shorthand or abbreviations instead of writing everything out word for word. Have them practice these skills so that they can work to improve on this style of note taking. Student Goal-Setting and Reflection Surveys The student surveys in Achieve can help students learn new study habits and modify the ones that did not work for them through careful evaluation throughout the semester. Students are then able to reflect on their journey to help them optimize their study habits during the semester as opposed to latent regret or change after the semester. Academic Affirmations Students should be asked to manually write down academic affirmations and why they believed they would help them stay focused and on track during the semester. Academic affirmations can help students stay their path as they face deadlines, outside time conflicts and stressors, and semester fatigue. It also can stimulate a growth mindset, which aids students as they take on the class. To learn more, watch Dr. Norbutus’ presentation on Academic Life Skills here. ... View more

Did you know that Achieve includes Learning Curve, unpenalized and multi-take assessment grading settings, Diagnostics, and iClicker Study Tools that can help students better prepare for their midterms? Just in time to relieve some exam stress, learn how you can assign any of these resources in your own courses.   LearningCurve LearningCurve is an adaptive self-study program for students that quickly adapts to what students know and helps them practice what they don’t yet understand. Students complete the adaptive quizzes by answering questions until they reach the target score. Along the way, students receive clear feedback based on their correct and incorrect answers--offering an easy way for students to review and assess their understanding of key concepts. As students answer questions correctly, the questions get harder. If they get stuck, students can choose to read the e-book, see a hint (which reduces the point value of the question), or they can give up and move to the next question.  You can view LearningCurve results by class, topic, or by individual student. Learn more about LearningCurve.   Multi-Take Assessments Unpenalized (practice) and multi-take grading policies are included in Achieve’s built-in assessment grading settings.  The unpenalized setting allows students unlimited attempts to complete each question with no penalty for wrong answers. They can use resources like the e-book (if available) to help them answer questions, and they can see the solution for each question after they complete it or give up. The multi-take setting allows students to take the assessment up to five times. Students will see the solutions for the questions after each take, and the gradebook will record each student’s highest score. Learn more about assessment grading settings.   Diagnostics Diagnostics are available in Achieve courses for English and General Chemistry. Students start by taking a practice test, which identifies topics for additional growth. Students then receive personalized study plans that provide instructional resources that target their identified growth areas.  Grades for study plan assignments are based on how much of the study plan a student completes by the assigned due date or the end of the term. You can view Diagnostics results by class, topic, or by individual student.  Learn more about Diagnostics.   iClicker Study Tools Included with most Achieve courses, iClicker creates study resources for your students as you engage them with in-class activities. Study Tools are automatically available in the iClicker student mobile or web app; all you have to do is use iClicker’s setting to share polling images with your classes.   Students can bookmark polling questions you’ve already asked in class to create interactive flashcards and practice tests. Although you won’t be able to view or grade Study Tools results, this level of privacy for students helps them feel comfortable quizzing themselves as many times as they wish.  Learn more about how students use iClicker’s Study Tools. ... View more

Student engagement isn't just a buzz phrase or hot topic of the moment. It's something that we — as educators, students, and life-long learners — all have a great deal of experience with both as practitioners of new engagement ideas from the front of the classroom and as beneficiaries of well-executed strategies as learners ourselves (and maybe some not so well-executed ones!). But why does student engagement really matter? What influence does it have on the connection between students and course content? Our senior leadership team and product designers don't just consider student engagement as we create products, we're passionate about the way we engage students. Listen to Macmillan Learning CEO Susan Winslow and Executive Director of Product, Ryan Moore, share their first-hand experiences with meaningful student engagement and the ways in which those experiences have impacted the work we do at Macmillan Learning.            Hear from Susan Winslow, CEO, talk about what student engagement has meant to her and why creating engaging experiences is so important to the work we do at Macmillan Learning. Listen to Ryan Moore, Executive Director of Product, talk about his experience creating an engaging course for students and how he brings that knowledge to his work every day at Macmillan Learning. ... View more