New York, Sept. 27, 2023 --  The fifth Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Symposium on Rhetoric & Composition will take place in-person on October 5-6, 2023, at Jackson State University (JSU). Select sessions will be streamed virtually. The symposium, which focuses on excellence in English composition and rhetoric, acts as a think tank where every two years writing instructors from historically Black colleges and universities gather to discuss strategies that support student engagement, scholarship, and success.  This year’s symposium will offer sessions and workshops that delve into the theoretical and practical applications of antiracism, including the role of higher education in Black activism, language and social justice in first-year writing classes, and how antiracist practices differ at HBCUs. To support ongoing scholarship, Bedford / St. Martin’s, a Macmillan Learning imprint, has partnered with Rhetoric, Composition and English departments to offer this conference at no cost to instructors and administrators from HBCUs and HBCU allies. “HBCUs and predominantly Black colleges have produced many of the most impactful voices in our country,” said Leasa Burton, Vice President of Humanities for Macmillan Learning. “By supporting this conference, we hope to continue supporting this tradition by contributing to inspiring conversations about language and literature.” “For hundreds of years, HBCUs have been instrumental in promoting academic excellence, while also mobilizing activism to give voice to scholarship,” said Dr. Wonderful Faison, director of the Richard Wright Center for Writing, Rhetoric, and Research at JSU. “Now more than ever, it’s important that scholars at HBCUs continue to provide access and support to teaching innovations for Black and other traditionally marginalized students.”  Dr. Staci Maree Perryman-Clark, Professor of English and Director of the Institute for Intercultural and Anthropological Studies at Western Michigan University will offer this year’s keynote presentation: “The Work of Writing Never Ends: Using Students’ Right to Their Own Language to Bridge Writing Across the Curriculum and Diversity and Inclusion Professional Development Opportunities.” Bedford/St. Martin's initiated the symposium partnership in 2014 to facilitate collaboration among HBCU scholars. Through expert presentations and thought provoking panels, the conference offers innovative teaching strategies from influential writing and English instructors from HBCUs and MSIs to help make their classes even more meaningful for students. Previous hosts include Florida A&M University (FAMU), Morehouse College, Howard University, and North Carolina A&T University. Sessions for the fifth HBCU Symposium include*: Toward a New Theory of African American Language Depicting the Marginalized People and Places of Los Angeles: A Photovoice Project The Tensions of Mothering, Teaching, and Advocacy: Black Males and Their Mother Rarely Seen, Barely Heard: White Proximity, Misplaced Antiracism, and Rurality Preparing our Guardians of History and Speakers of Truth: Rhetoric and Public Speaking at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Rhetorical Stance and HBCUs: Our Superhero Origin Stories Silencing Black Voices in Africa and the African Diaspora “The Resurrection and Representation of Emmett Till” as a First-Year Writing Course Are PWI-centric Approaches to Addressing Racism Within “Artificially Intelligent” Writing Programs Doing Any Good? Social Issues in Eng 101 (Workshop) Language and Social Justice in First-Year Composition at Morehouse College Select sessions will be filmed and live streamed by students in JSU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies as a part of their practicum courses and will be made available after the symposium ends. To learn more about or register for the symposium, click here.  *Speakers and sessions are as of September 26, 2023, and are subject to change. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community. About Jackson State University  Jackson State University, founded in 1877, is a historically black, high research activity university located in Jackson, the capital city of Mississippi. Jackson State's nurturing academic environment challenges individuals to change lives through teaching, research and service. Officially designated as Mississippi's Urban University, Jackson State continues to enhance the state, nation and world through comprehensive economic development, healthcare, technological and educational initiatives. The only public university in metropolitan Jackson, Jackson State is located near downtown, with four satellite locations throughout the area. For more information, visit www.jsums.edu. ... View more

New York, NY September 19, 2023 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and services company and Packback, an education technology company announced today a partnership that pairs Packback's AI-powered technology with the hundreds of course materials found within Macmillan Learning’s Achieve digital learning platform. Both companies are committed to helping instructors develop student critical thinking skills, which are more important than ever before in a world where generative AI is increasingly becoming mainstream. Together, Macmillan Learning's digital learning solutions and Packback's AI-powered discussion platform provide a new way to foster critical thinking and enhance student engagement and collaboration. Instructor feedback suggests that the two products, when combined, led to improved student outcomes, students more engaged around the text and assessments. “This collaboration reflects Macmillan Learning and Packback's dedication to improving the learning experience. Together the platforms will ignite the spark of curiosity that drives true academic growth and encourages students to take a more active role in their own learning journey,” said Susan Winslow, CEO of Macmillan Learning. “Packback isn't just a platform; it's a catalyst for critical thinking and a force for academic achievement. Together with Macmillan Learning, we’ll help students to truly engage with the high quality, vetted course material and demonstrate mastery by producing their own work in their own voice. This  not only helps students build foundational, but also much-needed AI collaboration skills that will be a bridge to their success from the classroom to their careers," said Kelsey Behringer, CEO of Packback. Achieve & Packback Achieve is Macmillan Learning’s digital learning platform designed to support student success; the company’s IRB-approved and replicable research has demonstrated its efficacy in helping students learn and score better on exams. The educational technology offers powerful assessment tools and multimodal content to support students of all levels of preparation in an intuitive and user-friendly system.  Achieve was designed with features that support active learning, metacognition and evidence-based teaching practices. Some of the features include Goal Setting and Reflection Surveys, which support students’ metacognition with a series of actionable surveys that help students set goals for themselves and reflect on their learning throughout the semester; adaptive quizzing to personalize the learning experience for each student, where questions get more challenging as the student progresses; and a wealth of interactive content including graphs, videos, simulations, and animations that help students learn in a more engaging way. Packback Questions is an inquiry-driven discussion platform that encourages students to achieve higher levels of critical thinking to discover real-life applications of course material via discussion questions in and out of class. The platform supports active learning by providing each student a space to develop their ideas, interact with their peers, and practice writing. Additionally, the tech uses AI to act as a “digital TA” to help manage the discussion communities and evaluate the quality of student contributions, ensuring that discussions remain focused, relevant, and productive. The AI helps to drive instant feedback, and proactive coaching that helps students make thoughtful, research-supported claims. The Packback platform uses a proprietary combination of AI models to provide feedback on the student’s grammar, assign students a “curiosity score”, advise when their posts may be violating academic guidelines before they even press submit, and more. Both companies are committed to empowering educators with the best content and learning methods and have developed their technologies using learning science and with ongoing input from instructors and students.  How the Partnership Works Achieve encourages mastery of content through active practice with content and tasks aligned to course outcomes. Packback’s pedagogy stems from Self-Determination Theory, emphasizing autonomy and purpose to fuel intrinsic motivation. With this new partnership, instructors can bundle Macmillan Learning’s content, assessment and other digital tools with Packback’s inquiry-driven discussion platform to further increase active learning and engagement while helping students achieve higher levels of critical thinking and metacognition. Combining the two technologies helps make the student experience more cohesive and rigorous: Achieve content becomes more relevant to students’ lives through high-quality prompts that tie the two together, giving students the opportunity to receive more efficient feedback on written responses. When aligned to Achieve courses, the prompts help students think more deeply about the content. For example, students taking an Introduction to Psychology course using one of Macmillan Learning’s market-leading titles could be assigned course materials and assessments via the Achieve platform and then be asked to respond to a prompt either provided by Packback or to create one of their own. Prompts could include questions like: Why would NASA suggest the strategy “follow the water” when searching for life on other planets and What kind of conversation would cells have if they communicated like humans? The pairing is now available via the Macmillan Learning student store or Inclusive Access agreements. The companies will together host a series of webinars to highlight the impact of AI on pedagogy and course materials. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  About Packback Packback is an education technology company located in Chicago, Illinois. Packback's mission is to harness the power of AI to help educators implement high quality pedagogy at scale. Packback's AI-enabled platform helps students build and master foundational skills such as critical thinking, writing, and research. Packback's proprietary AI and machine learning technology provides inquiry-based online discussion and long-form writing support to over 8,000 instructors and over 1.5 million students, and is being used in thousands of K-12 and higher education courses.   ... View more

Company is one of only two in the education sector to earn 100 on the 2023 Disability Equality Index New York, NY July 11, 2023 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and services company announced today it was named a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index®, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. This is the third consecutive year the company has earned the top score of 100, reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion not only for its employees but also for the students who rely on their course materials and educational technology.  Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and is represented by over one billion people globally. The Disability Equality Index is a benchmarking tool developed by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN to allow companies to demonstrate their commitment to disability inclusion and equality. The 2023 DEI measured companies' inclusion efforts spanning categories that included: culture & leadership, employment practices like benefits, and recruitment, community engagement, and supplier diversity. “As an employer and educational publisher it’s critical that we do more than just recognize and celebrate diversity. Learning materials are a reflection of the voices that are included in the process of creating and revising them, and we take care to ensure that every student can recognize themselves in them,” said Kristin Peikert, Head of People and Culture at Macmillan Learning. “Our different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives can only foster innovation if there’s a seat at the table for those voices to be heard.”   Course Material Accessibility Macmillan Learning views accessibility for its educational technology and course materials through two different lenses. In the first, the company works towards creating equitable student learning experiences and in the next, it aims to meet or exceed industry-accepted standards. To that end, in 2023, Macmillan Learning launched a new set of guiding principles for accessibility. The principles were developed collaboratively within the company to guide the company on its accessibility journey for both its customer-facing products and our internal tools. The company’s accessibility work has earned it “Gold Standard” recognition from ASPIRE and earned Accessible Books Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing award in 2020. Additionally, the company’s e-books for the fifth consecutive year were recognized as Global Certified Accessible by Benetech. This means that Macmillan Learning provides “born accessible” digital learning options that ensure that all students have the same access to information. The company continues to add new features each year to make its products both more accessible as well as improve on its overall design. This year, a number of new features were added to the company’s Writing Tools to make highlighting and feedback more accessible to students with disabilities. “While we’re pleased to have been recognized as a top-scoring company, we understand the journey we’re on to support inclusion is ongoing, and seek to discover even more ways to help our employees feel included,” Peikert added. To enhance awareness of how accessibility impacts learners the company launched accessibility training opportunities for all employees. Additionally, the company’s disability-focused employee resource group, AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities) continues to expand and flourish, with opportunities for both engagement and leadership for company employees.  "These top-scoring companies understand deeply that people with disabilities represent a tremendous source of talent and innovation for their workforce and market share for their brands, and they are trailblazers in our journey towards full disability inclusion in business," said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  About the Disability Equality Index® The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion”. The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.  About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com. About Disability:IN® Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 400 corporations partner with Disability:IN to create long-term business and social impact through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking and reporting tool, the Disability Equality Index (DEI); best-in-class conferences and programs; expert counsel and engagement; and public policy leadership. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN. ... View more

New York, NY, June 26, 2023 – Artificial Intelligence is a topic of critical importance in college classrooms around the world, and its intersection with the Composition classroom is one of the many topics being addressed with promising graduate students this week. Today, Bedford/St. Martin's welcomes ten members to their 2023 Bedford New Scholars Advisory Board, an annual program that unites graduate students who share trends and insights on the various teaching challenges that they face in college composition classrooms. The Bedford New Scholars program was established 15 years ago to gain insights about topics critical to teaching the next generation of rhetoric and composition students. Topics addressed include creating equity in the classroom, how course materials are chosen, and how new pedagogies are being used. The scholars join more than 100 program alumni who have taught or will soon teach these critical classes. Composition courses are some of the most common and important prerequisite and gateway courses students must pass in order to graduate. In these classes, students learn the critical thinking, communication, and research skills that are necessary for their success in upper-level courses. However, a 2019 study by the Gardner Institute found that gateway courses like Composition can stand as “gatekeepers” to degree completion. “Bedford/St. Martin’s has long been connected to the Composition community with its widely used titles like A Writer's Reference and The Bedford Reader. We deepen that connection each year with ongoing investment in the discipline, and the input of the Bedford New Scholars is an important part of that process,” said Leasa Burton, Vice President of Humanities at Macmillan Learning.  The Scholars will gather virtually throughout the week to share their perspectives on topics like AI, ethical argumentation, and creating diverse and equitable learning environments. Further, the scholars will have the opportunity to learn more about the publishing process and see what goes into producing widely-used writing pedagogy books such as A Writer's Reference, The Bedford Reader, The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, The Hub, and Everything’s an Argument, as well as Macmillan Learning’s digital learning platform, Achieve. Throughout the program, the Scholars participate in market research and focus groups that inform product development. This year’s Scholars come from diverse backgrounds and have a range of experiences and perspectives, and the week-long summit offers opportunities for them to connect with each other to foster a more supportive and inclusive academic community. “This year’s scholars are creative and innovative problem-solvers, and we’re looking forward to learning more about how their teaching experiences can inform how we develop our products and services,” Burton added.  The program culminates with each graduate student sharing their “Assignments That Work” on the Macmillan Community. The assignments are complimentary to all within the education community and showcase the Bedford New Scholars pedagogy skills as well as build a valuable community of practice, feedback, and implementation.  This year’s Bedford New Scholars include:  Emily Aguilar is a Master's student in English and a Teaching Associate at California State University, Los Angeles. Her experience teaching first-year writing has amplified her approach to equity-based teaching, especially for ESL students and students with disabilities.  Hannah Benefiel is a Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition PhD student at Arizona State University. She serves as the Assistant Director of Writing programs and teaches Professional and Technical Communication, Composition 1&2, and the First Year Composition TA practicum. She writes about eating disorders, food as medicine, embodied technical communication, and religious trauma.  Jacqueline Cano Diaz is pursuing an English MA in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Central Florida, where her thesis work centers on the rhetorical aspects of clothing choice, particularly as a woman of color in academia. She teaches Composition I and Composition II as part of the First Year Composition Program.  Ronada Dominique is pursuing her PhD in English, concentrating on Writing and Rhetoric at George Mason University. She teaches First Year Composition courses and was the Graduate Writing Program Administrator, overseeing PhD mentoring and professional development. She explores the representation of Black scholars in Writing Studies publications and how research impacts the Black experience in higher education classrooms.  Samira Grayson is pursuing her PhD in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition at Middle Tennessee State University. She has taught Expository Writing and Research and Argumentation, and currently serves as the University Writing Center’s program coordinator. Her research interests include writing center and writing program administration, spatial rhetorics and place-based pedagogy, feminist historiography and research methods, and notions of authorship in collaborative writing.  Hannah Hopkins is pursuing a PhD in Rhetoric & Writing at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is an Assistant Director of the Digital Writing and Research Lab and an Assistant Instructor for the Center for Teaching and Learning. With a focus on digital rhetoric, she teaches a variety of courses in writing and pedagogy. Her research generally investigates storytelling with and about data. Amanda E. Scott is pursuing a PhD in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at Western Michigan University, where she currently serves as an Assistant Director of First-Year Writing. She's taught a variety of undergraduate writing and editing courses as well as graduate-level courses in publishing. Her research often explores the intersections between inclusive writing practices, ethical design, and social inequities. Christopher Luis Shosted is currently enrolled at Lehigh University where he studies the intersection of rhetoric and literary studies. He teaches courses and served as the assistant in the First-Year Writing Program at Lehigh. His research areas focus on applications of classical rhetoric to modern situations and the assessment of student writing along large and small scales.  Kristen Wheaton is pursuing her PhD in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Writing Studies at the University of Oklahoma. She is currently Senior Assistant Director and an instructor of First-Year Composition and is one of only three instructors leading the co-requisite course first introduced in Fall of 2022. In addition to her teaching role, Her research interests include resistance rhetorics, genre theory, ethos, and rhetorics of difference. Ashleah Wimberly is pursuing their PhD in Rhetoric and Composition at Florida State University. They teach a variety of courses, including first and second year composition and upper-level courses in FSU's Editing, Writing, & Media program. As a mentor and an assistant to the Composition Program, they have overseen the mentoring and training of graduate instructors and helped design and implement assessment protocols. Many Scholars have gone on to take leadership roles in writing programs in colleges and universities across the country (read more about three of them here). Or learn more about this year’s Bedford New Scholars. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ... View more

New York, NY, May 31, 2023 -- Students that live on campus are more likely to engage in academic activities relative to their off-campus peers regardless of important factors like race, parental education, and finances. That’s according to the latest research from The Association of College and University Housing Officers - International.  While student success is more likely to occur because of residence life, there are steps that some colleges take to better support students’ sense of belonging and enrich their academic experience. To recognize the impact that data-driven programs have in supporting on-campus living, Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning company, has named the 2023 Assessment and Impact Awards for Housing and Residence Life.  “By harnessing the power of data, colleges gain invaluable insights into students' needs, preferences, and challenges, which helps to create tailored experiences that truly make a difference for students -- especially those in their first year of college. For the fifth year, we’re proud to recognize colleges that are using surveys and data to create a transformative experience for students that helps them feel supported and engaged in campus life,” said Steven Ray, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions for Macmillan Learning.  The return of students to campus following the pandemic has led many of this year’s nominees to redesign their programming and update their facilities to build even stronger student communities. Proximity to other students can help create connections between students as well as between students and staff that help to build the foundation for future interactions, create more inclusive experiences and enhance learning outcomes. Research from Skyfactor announced in May 2023 found that higher levels of program participation in residence life were associated with greater perceived gains in six areas of skill needed in a community setting, particularly skills related to interacting with diverse others as well as respecting and trusting others and feeling accepted by them. The results come from a national dataset constructed from the 2021-2022 administration of Skyfactor’s ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment of over 150,000 college students from nearly 200 colleges and universities in the United States. The 2023 Assessment & Impact Awards in Housing and Residence Life winners are: Lafayette College was recognized for significant improvement in survey scores related to student staff and creating a sense of community. Using student feedback, Lafayette’s Resident Life department has implemented new programs to increase student connections and foster a student-forward housing experience through personal interactions. University of Akron was recognized for significant improvement in survey scores related to diverse interactions. Using student feedback, the University Housing department has helped ensure that inclusion is an everyday experience. To do this they bolstered resident assistance (RA) training and created diverse activities that matter to its students.  The University of Texas at Dallas was recognized for high performance on survey scores related to satisfaction with facilities. With its goal to better serve student needs, UTD’s Housing department increased its reactivity to students’ needs, upgraded communal spaces, and expedited repairs to reduce inconvenience to residents. The 2023 winners were selected this spring through the company’s data-driven analysis of nominees and the 17 finalists. Macmillan Learning’s Analytics & Research Team analyzed multiple years of data from the ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment to identify programs with both consistently high scores and those that have seen significant improvements in their survey scores. The team then interviewed staff from these campuses to learn about the efforts and initiatives in place at each program. Each finalist was given a blind review by an external team of experts to determine final scores. The Assessment and Impact Awards for Residence Life recognizes colleges that demonstrate intentionality in using insights from data to improve their residence life programs. Skyfactor Benchworks recognized three housing programs in 2022, ten housing programs during the pandemic (seven in 2021, three in 2020) as well as four housing programs in 2019.  Skyfactor also has an Assessment and Impact Award for nursing education programs; winners will be announced this summer. The self-nominations for next year’s housing and residence life awards will launch in early 2024. About Skyfactor Benchworks Benchworks provides research-based program assessments and benchmarking for a variety of Student Affairs programs, as well as Business Education, Engineering, Nursing, Teacher Education. With robust analytics Benchworks empowers programs to identify areas of improvement for maximum impact on program success. Benchworks assessments are rooted in research and mapped to accreditation and professional standards. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ... View more

Company seeks 20 instructors teaching Introduction to Psychology and 20 teaching Introduction to Biology from minority serving institutions  New York, March 27, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and service company, is seeking instructors teaching Introduction to Psychology or Introduction to Biology this fall to participate in research on closing equity gaps through evidence-based teaching practices. The study is part of Macmillan Learning’s ongoing research about how digital learning platforms and courseware like Achieve can help to close equity gaps in course completion for historically and presently underserved students, and students experiencing poverty. It is being conducted in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The research will focus on four specific evidence-based teaching practices: active learning, outcomes-driven instruction, formative assessment with feedback and metacognition; and, importantly, how resources and tools can be incorporated into courseware, like the company’s digital learning platform Achieve, to support underserved students and promote student success. The research builds upon the company’s prior study in fall 2022 on evidence-based teaching practices, which included more than 1,000 student participants from more than a dozen institutions.  “Underrepresented students often face unique challenges in the classroom, including a lack of access to resources and support, as well as systemic barriers that may impede their success. We want to understand how incorporating evidence-based teaching practices within courseware can help create a more equitable and effective learning environment. While the problem we’re looking to solve is bigger than just courseware, we believe courseware has the potential to make a difference and are eager to partner with institutions to explore the possibility," said Marcy Baughman, Executive Director, Learning Science & Insights. Research for Introduction to Psychology will be done using the best-selling Achieve for Psychology in Everyday Life, 6e, written by David G. Myers and Nathan C. DeWall. Research for the Introduction to Biology courses will be done using Biology for a Changing World, 4e. Students participating in the research will receive their course materials at no cost to them, and participation in the research study is voluntary.   Results from the fall 2022 study are expected later this spring. Once the full set of results are available, Macmillan Learning will make its findings publicly available and create an implementation guide with examples of evidence-based practices that can be used in courseware like Achieve. In concurrence, the company is also researching the impact of students’ sense of belonging and metacognition. That study seeks to understand the impact of using resources embedded within a digital courseware platform to improve students’ sense of belonging and metacognition skills; it will also examine whether improved sense of belonging and metacognition skills are related to other student outcomes such as course retention, content knowledge and exam scores. The first study took place Spring 2023 and the next will take place in Fall 2023. Benefits of Participating: In addition to helping build the body of research about evidence-based teaching practices, both instructors and the students taking their course will benefit from the study. Instructors will receive a stipend, professional development and recognition as participants of the study. Students who opt in to the study will receive free access to online courseware within Achieve as well as gift cards for providing feedback about their experience.  Instructors from 2- or 4-year institutions teaching Introduction to Biology or Introduction to Psychology serving predominantly Black, Latino, Indigenous and/or lower-income students can register their interest in participating in the study here.  Applications are open through April 15, 2023. About Achieve Achieve is Macmillan Learning’s digital learning platform, which was developed with the goal of supporting students of all levels of motivation and preparedness and to engage them in and out of class to improve their outcomes. Because it was based in learning science, Achieve was the first product exclusively designed for higher education to earn the “Research-Based Design” product certification by Digital Promise. The product certification helps ensure instructors and institutions that the products they select were designed using research-based learning science principles and developed using best practices before using them with their students. Previous efficacy research on Achieve found that it can help bridge the performance gap often seen among students entering college. That is, the more that less academically prepared students use Achieve, the closer they can come to meeting the performance of their more academically prepared peers.  Studies conducted over four recent semesters (Fall 2019 to Spring 2021) with 4,400 students in introductory courses from six different disciplines demonstrate that past academic performance and college readiness have the greatest impact on students’ exam scores -- more than any other student characteristics. Achieve was able to support student success no matter a student’s past academic performance, college readiness, student characteristics, and course exam difficulty. The more students use Achieve, the better they do in their courses. For example, students with higher grades on their Achieve assignments could expect to perform 9 points higher on their courses exams. Also, students that used Achieve less than what was typically seen with their classmates, performed 4% to 8% lower on their exams. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ... View more

While most were happy with their work, finding it meaningful and interesting, many student affairs professionals do not see a future in their current role New York, November 17, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and service company announced today the results of a study designed to better understand the student affairs employee experience. Several themes emerged, including that not only are student affairs professionals looking to leave their roles, but that many are also looking to leave higher education altogether. Reasons for dissatisfaction include low pay and an ever-increasing workload. The survey of 324 student affairs professionals from 38 states and Canada conducted by Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning company, in partnership with The Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) found that 37% of student affairs professionals are actively looking for a new job. Ten percent of those surveyed were solely looking for a new role inside higher education, 19% were solely searching for roles outside of higher education, and 8% were searching both. “We knew going in that there may be an impact similar to other industries experiencing the great resignation, but the data was still very surprising,” said Macmillan Learning Sr. Director of Analytics and Research, Dr. Sherry Woosley. “Notably, it’s not the work sending them out the door; rather it’s the ‘business’ of higher education.” Student Affairs Professionals Like Their Work The majority of those surveyed had generally good feelings about the work they were doing, the people they work with and the positive impact that they believe it will have. Some of the key data include:  63% believe their job provides work that is meaningful 55% believe their work contributes to a bigger purpose 67% believe their team members treat each other with respect Balancing work and personal values has been increasingly out of sorts since the pandemic, with student affairs professionals wanting to do good, and enjoying the work they do, but at the same time  being inundated by an increasing amount of work. “I thoroughly enjoy when our leadership team tackles a mountain of a challenge and comes out the other side in one piece. We may have some stressful situations that come our way but this group is seriously amazing when working together,” noted one respondent. Career Growth, Pay and Work-Life Balance is Lacking The “business” of higher education appears to be the key factor in dissatisfaction, with limited career opportunities, low pay, and poor work-life balance being cited. With many budgets decreasing alongside lower student enrollment, respondents noted that there was a lot of uncertainty about what the future may hold.  One of the top reasons that respondents were dissatisfied with their role was the lack of opportunities or career paths. In fact, only 13% of respondents were highly satisfied with job opportunities across their institution. Thirty percent would not recommend their institution as a great place to work. Further, only 31% say their supervisor is mentoring them. “Staff would likely stay if they had career advancement opportunities,” noted Dr. Jason Wallace, Assistant Professor for Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration at the University of Southern Mississippi and Chair of the Research & Assessment Committee for SACSA. “Unlike faculty, who have a career pathway, many of them don’t have a track.”  Financial reasons are another key factor in student affairs professionals seeking new employment with pay, raises, cost of living as reasons cited for dissatisfaction. Only 17% felt like they had a competitive salary and almost 40% were dissatisfied with pay. “I can go corporate and get paid 30K more and I don't have to work nights and weekends,” one respondent said. Another reason for dissatisfaction was the lack of work-life balance, with only 30% of respondents citing a reasonable workload, and even fewer (27%) reporting a good work-life balance. In the comments, respondents noted that after the pandemic, they were expected to do more work with less support. One respondent noted: “Though I like my work, I have too much on my plate. If things are not reallocated or there are not additional hires, I will need to move on for better work-life balance.” “With the complex work of student development and success, there is always more we can do. When we lose focus on or fail to establish strategic priorities, we can easily strain our staffing structures, which often produces diminishing returns across the board," said Dr. Thomas Bruick, Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for College Student Personnel Administration at University of Central Arkansas and Vice President for Scholarship & Research for SACSA.  Workers are Being Encouraged to Leave Higher Education A study on job embeddedness demonstrated that “an employee’s decision to voluntarily leave an organization is influenced by the attitudes and behaviors of their co-workers.” A recent LinkedIn News Poll of more than 25,000 people found that 59% said that a colleague's resignation led them to consider leaving their job as well. This “departure contagion” appears to also be impacting the higher education industry, with 45% of respondents noting they have been negatively impacted by the departure of close colleagues. It’s not just colleagues impacting administrators decisions to leave higher education. Half of the respondents were being actively encouraged to change jobs. One noted, “The only thing keeping my chin above water is great coworkers who are leaving higher education, and they’re encouraging me to do the same.” Another said, “I went to lunch with a colleague who recently put in her notice to leave our institution and we discussed the benefits of employment outside of education.” The research team expects to yield additional insights from the survey as they continue to analyze the data. For more information about Benchworks’ market-leading assessments and benchmarking, visit the Skyfactor website. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ... View more

Dominican University New York, King University and Thomas Jefferson University recognized for commitment to improving nursing education  New York, NY. October 21, 2022 --  Nursing shortages and burnout remain an ongoing problem for the healthcare community, with 80 percent of nurses saying their units are inadequately staffed. To help solve for the shortages Nurse.org's State of Nursing Report recommends, among other solutions, ongoing investment in nursing education. For the fourth year, Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning brand, is awarding the Assessment and Impact Awards for Nursing Education to recognize and celebrate the innovative ways that nursing schools are creating positive education experiences within their programs. Skyfactor Benchworks, which provides research-based program benchmarking and assessments, established the Assessment and Impact Awards for Nursing Education to highlight nursing schools that are successfully using data to improve their programs. Many of the top nursing programs use assessments to drive decisions that help students learn and prepare for their nursing careers. The data helps nursing education programs prepare nursing graduates to understand how to help care for patients as well as work collaboratively and effectively with other health professionals. Skyfactor Benchworks recognized three such programs during this year’s American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) conference in October 2022.  This year’s winners focused on retaining students and developing more practice-ready nursing professionals by fostering connections between students and faculty, using technology to stay in touch with students, and integrating active learning, among other activities. The three programs that have been awarded the Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing are: Dominican University New York, Thomas Jefferson University and King University. Dominican University New York was recognized for significant improvements in student satisfaction with the quality of nursing instruction, facilities and administration. Despite restrictions brought on by the pandemic, the university’s faculty worked to maintain one-on-one connections with students; they also purchased a mobile simulation lab to both provide instruction for students and to take into the community to care for underserved populations. King University was recognized for high performance related to student satisfaction with the quality of nursing instruction. The program focused on student success during college and post graduation by implementing more active learning strategies, providing better feedback to students, and creating a post-graduate mentorship program to support students’ career development, among other improvements. Thomas Jefferson University was recognized for significant improvement to students’ overall satisfaction with the program. After data identified faculty responsiveness and the need for more student feedback as areas of concern for students, the nursing program implemented a range of new initiatives, including faculty training, updated grading rubrics, revising course evaluations, and use of technology to better engage students with faculty.  “Nurses provide hands-on care, support and treatment for people when they’re at their most vulnerable, and successful nursing education creates nurses who are ready for that incredible challenge. Our team is pleased to recognize Dominican University New York, King University and Thomas Jefferson University as being best-in-class in listening to the needs of nursing students and teaching them how to deliver safe, quality patient care,” said Steven Ray, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, Macmillan Learning.  The three winners were selected using a multi-step evaluation process that included an analysis of multi-year assessment data by the Benchworks Analytics and Research Team.  The programs selected had the best results or best increases in performance as determined by survey scores. Skyfactor Benchworks assessments are the most widely used programs in nursing education and have been available for nearly 25 years. The various Benchworks Nursing assessments are used by more than 250 nursing programs each year and are one of more than 50 different assessments from Benchworks on topics important to college success, including housing, orientation, and student affairs and service. The surveys include questions regarding student happiness, safety, diversity and inclusion, facilities, costs, sense of community, and time management, among others. Past winners of the Assessment and Impact Awards for Nursing Education include Bloomfield College, Colorado Technical University,  Montclair State University, Rowan University, The University of Scranton, Seton Hall University, University of South Florida, Southern Utah University, and Texas Christian University.  To learn more about this year’s winners, click here. To learn more about the power of benchmarking for nursing programs, visit Skyfactor Benchworks’ website.  About Skyfactor Benchworks  Skyfactor Benchworks is a Macmillan Learning company that provides research-based program assessments and benchmarking for a variety of Student Affairs programs, as well as Business Education, Engineering, Nursing, and Teacher Education. The robust analytics Benchworks empowers programs to identify areas of improvement for maximum impact on program success. Benchworks assessments are rooted in research and mapped to accreditation and professional standards. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best authors, researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. Visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community. ... View more

Student engagement and academic integrity among themes from Macmillan Learning’s new series New York, NY September 26, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and services company announced today the launch of a professional development series for the education community focused on critical challenges for students and instructors. Each month this fall, the series will focus on a new theme beginning with student engagement in September followed by academic integrity in October, DE&I in November, and the value of higher education in December. The “Engage Students to Achieve More” series offers insights into the landscape of the four challenges and will include both hands-on and thought leadership webinars, as well as activities, whitepapers, posts on the company’s Learning Stories blog and opportunities to engage with peers across the country. Participants will learn from administrators, instructors, textbook authors, and instructional designers who will share best practices and strategies on how to create effective learning experiences for students. Participating high school and college educators and administrators will be awarded a digital certification of completion by attending and completing a short assessment. September: Student Engagement Two student engagement-centered webinars begin the series and are designed to explain why engagement is essential to students’ success as well as share models for incorporating active learning pedagogies in the classroom. Read about active learning strategies for instructors here, check out the webinar about how to use classroom management tools like iClicker to build connections with students, and register for the upcoming webinar here. Promoting Critical Thinking Through Active Learning: September 29 at 2 pm ET.  This panel discusses the many benefits of bringing active learning into the classroom, including the ability to help students build and reinforce critical thinking skills. Participants will learn the differences between active and passive learning and the links between active learning, creativity, and critical thinking as well as get ideas for active learning strategies. It features Macmillan Learning’s Connections author and instructor A.J. Metz; University of Arizona Associate Dean for Academics John Pollard; University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire physics instructor Matt Evans; and Harvard University Senior Student & Alumni Affairs Advisor Jamie Shushan. October: Academic Integrity This month’s webinars showcase different methods instructors can use to make academic integrity an intrinsic part of their course design and the role that promoting integrity may have on reducing cheating. Read more about academic integrity in October on the Learning Stories blog and register for the webinars here. Digital Tools in the Post-Covid Age: Using "Read and Practice" to Foster Mental and Emotional Health Among College Students: October 13 at 11 am ET. Dr. Vaughn Scribner, Associate Professor at the University of Central Arkansas explains how, during the pandemic, courseware helped him to empathize with students and support students’ mental well-being. Learn more about how instructors can integrate these findings in today’s classroom. Emphasizing Academic Integrity in Every Classroom: October 19 at noon ET.  This panel discusses the state of academic integrity and offers strategies to mitigate cheating by fostering strong academic integrity. Participants will learn about why promoting integrity may be better than monitoring to mitigate cheating. It features Kansas State Director of the Honor and Integrity System Camilla Roberts; University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Associate Director Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Cindy Albert; and Texas A&M University Chief of Staff in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President Tim Powers.  November: Diversity Equity & Inclusion The three webinars in November explore how to achieve more equitable outcomes in education and offer ideas for building strong pedagogical practices to support institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion. Read more about equitable learning in November on the Learning Stories blog and register for the webinars here. Teaching in Stereo: Strategies for Class Participation: November 1 at 1 pm ET. Author and Educator Derek Bruff discusses how instructors can take a more inclusive, accessible approach to students’ class participation. The webinar will showcase some principles and practices that can transform classes into learning communities. How WE Achieve: Using Goal Setting and Reflection Surveys to Connect with Students: November 7 at noon ET. University of Memphis Psychology Instructor Mollie Anderson will provide insight into how to use surveys to boost student metacognitive and study skills and provide deep insight into individual students’ needs, which helps her to intervene when students need her support the most. The hands-on webinar will demonstrate how to use Achieve’s Goal Setting and Reflection surveys in class to create closer connections with students than ever. Addressing and Preventing Bias in Educational Technology: November 17 at 1 pm ET. Macmillan Learning leaders, Drs. Marcy Baughman and Phoenix Harvey have an important conversation about how instructors and their partners in education can work together to identify, prevent, and address bias and provide more equitable learning experiences to students. December: Value of Education Several factors are leading to increasing numbers of students choosing jobs or trade schools over a traditional college education. There is value in diverse higher and continuing education experiences. December’s webinars will discuss the research and what educators can do to demonstrate the value of continuing their education. Read more about why relevance is important in education on the Learning Stories blog and register for the webinars here. Meeting Students Where They Are: Using Technology to Make Learning Accessible and Engaging: December 5 at 11 am ET. This webinar featuring Tyler DeWitt, creator of one of the most popular channels on YouTube and video author of Macmillan Learning's Interactive General Chemistry, will focus on how we can use technology to make education more engaging and accessible--which allows us to connect with students wherever their learning is happening.  Reconsidering the Value of Education: December 12 at noon ET. Join Becoming a Learner author Matt Sanders as he discusses what an education offers students, the decisions that students have to weigh when considering whether to go to college, and what the higher education community can do to show the value of students’ investment in their education. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community. ... View more

New York, NY July 20, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and services company announced today it earned 100% for the second consecutive year on the Disability Equality Index®, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. It is only one of two education publishing companies to earn that distinction. The score reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion not only for its employees but also for the students who rely on their course materials and educational technology.  The Disability Equality Index, a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN, is a benchmarking tool that allows companies to demonstrate their commitment to disability inclusion and equality. It is modeled off the Corporate Equality Index that highlights LGBTQ-inclusive workplace policies, an index that listed Macmillan Learning as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” for the third consecutive year this January. “It has been a long-time top priority at Macmillan Learning to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment for all of our employees,” said Kristin Peikert, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Macmillan Learning. “Participating in the Disability Equality Index this year demonstrates that ongoing commitment to our employees as we continue efforts to improve disability inclusion in the workplace.” This year, those efforts included the launch of an Employee Resource Group (ERG) called AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities), which regularly provides feedback and suggestions to company leadership for improving company culture and best practices. To enhance awareness of how accessibility impacts learners as well as what we can do to help, AVID launched accessibility training opportunities for all employees on topics like use of color and explaining the new standards that will impact the company’s accessibility work. The group is one of several ERGs that have formed over the last few years and it is thriving. “The work they are doing makes an impact at all levels of the company,” Peikert added. Macmillan Learning views accessibility for its educational technology and course materials through two different lenses. In the first, the company works towards creating equitable student learning experiences and in the next, it aims to meet or exceed industry-accepted standards. The company’s accessibility work has earned it “Gold Standard” recognition from ASPIRE and earned Accessible Books Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing award in 2020. The company’s e-books for the fourth consecutive year were recognized as Global Certified Accessible by Benetech. This means that Macmillan Learning provides “born accessible” digital learning options that ensure that all students have the same access to information.  The company continues to add new features each year to make its products both more accessible as well as improve on its overall design. One such feature extends image descriptions which could previously only be accessed with a screen reader to all users. These descriptions offer readers with vision impairments and readers with learning disabilities a better sense of the images that they may have otherwise struggled with. They are also a great example of how an action taken to improve accessibility can create a better, more informative experience for all users.  "There is no single best way to practice disability inclusion, however, the companies taking the DEI share the desire to create a workplace that fosters the concept of bringing your whole self to the office," said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. "We look forward to working with all of the participants to help identify meaningful ways to build upon their current practices as we continue on the disability inclusion journey together." About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community. About the Disability Equality Index® The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.” The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the  inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org. About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com. About Disability:IN® Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 400 corporations partner with Disability:IN to create long-term business and social impact through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking and reporting tool, the Disability Equality Index (DEI); best-in-class conferences and programs; expert counsel and engagement; and public policy leadership. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN.   ... View more

 Living on a college campus can have a profound impact on student persistence and engagement. The latest research from The Association of College and University Housing Officers - International found that students who live on campus are more likely to engage in academic activities, which positively impacts retention rates, academic engagement, and feelings of belonging. To recognize the impact that data-driven programs have to support on-campus living, Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning company, has named the 2022 Assessment and Impact Award for Housing and Residence Life.  “In-person events and gatherings have been quite limited for the past few years, resulting in an atypical college experience for many students. But housing has helped lessen the impact by connecting students to educationally beneficial activities, amenities, and people. Some colleges are upping the ante even more by using surveys and data to enhance these experiences, and each year we recognize those who excel at doing that,” said Steven Ray, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions for Macmillan Learning.  The impact of the pandemic on student experiences has been a focus for many schools over the past few years, with many schools focusing on the role played by residence life. Several studies have documented the connection it plays in building community and ensuring students' success in college; research from Skyfactor found that the students who reported that their housing experience helped them make connections with other students in their courses were more likely to report that their housing experience contributed to their overall learning.  Now in its fourth year, the Assessment and Impact Award for Residence Life recognizes colleges that demonstrate intentionality in using insights from data to improve their residence life programs. Skyfactor Benchworks recognized ten housing programs during the pandemic, including seven housing programs in 2021, three in 2020, as well as four housing programs in 2019.  This year’s winners are: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville - Improvement - Satisfaction with Community Environment University of South Alabama - Improvement - Satisfaction with Dining Services St. Catherine University - High Performance - Satisfaction with Community Environment The winners were selected this spring through the company’s data-driven process. Macmillan Learning’s Analytics & Research Team analyzed multiple years of data from the ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment to identify programs with both consistently high scores and significant improvements in survey scores. The team then interviewed staff from these campuses to learn about the efforts and initiatives in place at each program. Each finalist was given a blind review by an external team of experts to determine final scores. Skyfactor also has an Assessment and Impact Award for nursing education programs, with the call for these nominations open until July 15. The self-nominations for next year’s housing and residence life awards will launch in early 2023. About Skyfactor Benchworks Benchworks provides research-based program assessments and benchmarking for a variety of Student Affairs programs, as well as Business Education, Engineering, Nursing, Teacher Education. The robust analytics Benchworks empowers programs to identify areas of improvement for maximum impact on program success. Benchworks assessments are rooted in research and mapped to accreditation and professional standards. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ... View more

New York, June 1, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and service company announced today it is seeking instructors teaching Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Sociology classes to participate in research on closing equity gaps. The company is initially seeking about 20 instructors from 2- or 4-year institutions serving predominantly Black, Latino, Indigenous and/or lower-income students for the upcoming fall semester. Research beginning in the Fall 2022 semester will study evidence-based teaching practices, including the impact of outcomes-driven instruction, active learning inside and outside the classroom, and formative assessment and feedback. Notably, the research will examine the relationship between these practices and student course performance. In spring 2023, Macmillan Learning will study students' sense of belonging and metacognition. These studies will be replicated in the following academic year. Earlier this year, the company announced it will research how digital learning platforms and courseware like Achieve can help to close equity gaps in course completion for historically and presently underserved students, and students experiencing poverty. The new research will seek to discover how resources and tools that can be incorporated into courseware, like the company’s new digital learning platform Achieve, can support underserved students and promote student success. In particular, it will focus on three areas: learning what in-program courseware resources most effectively support student metacognition and sense of belonging;  if the inclusion of evidence-based teaching practices in Achieve has a positive relationship with learning outcomes; and  how to best develop culturally responsive content for all students.  Research for Introduction to Psychology will be done using the best-selling Achieve for Psychology in Everyday Life, 6e, written by David G. Myers and Nathan C. DeWall. Research for the Introduction to Sociology courses will be done using Achieve for OpenStax Sociology, 3e. Students participating in the research will receive their course materials at no cost to them, and participation in the research study is voluntary.   Once completed, Macmillan Learning will make its findings publicly available and create an implementation guide with examples of evidence-based practices that can be used in courseware like Achieve. Instructors from 2- or 4-year institutions teaching Introduction to Sociology or Introduction to Psychology serving predominantly Black, Latino, Indigenous and/or lower-income students can register their interest in participating in the study here. About Achieve Achieve is Macmillan Learning’s recently launched digital learning platform. It was developed using learning science and in partnership with students and instructors with the goal of supporting students of all levels of motivation and preparedness and to engage them in and out of class to improve their outcomes. Because it was based in learning science, Achieve was the first product exclusively designed for higher education to earn the “Research-Based Design” product certification by Digital Promise. The product certification helps ensure instructors and institutions that the products they select were designed using research-based learning science principles and developed using best practices before using them with their students. Previous efficacy research on Achieve found that it can help bridge the performance gap often seen among students entering college. That is, the more that less academically prepared students use Achieve, the closer they can come to meeting the performance of their more academically prepared peers. This is because Achieve was co-designed with active learning in mind by more than 7,000 students and 100 leading educators and learning scientists, both working at Macmillan Learning and advising as members of independent review boards. Achieve can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support student engagement.  About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ... View more

Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Continues Company’s Equity Research with Digital Learning platform Achieve  New York, April 19, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and service company announced today a new partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research and test equity-centered enhancements for digital courseware, such as Achieve.  The research will focus on how a courseware platform such as Achieve can help to close equity gaps in course completion  for historically and presently underserved students who are taking Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Sociology classes. The grant is part of the foundation’s postsecondary success strategy to eliminate race, ethnicity, and income as predictors of student success. The Introduction to Psychology and Sociology courses were selected for research because they are considered “gateway courses” -- foundational, credit-bearing, lower-division courses that act as gatekeepers to degree completion. Research from The Gardner Institute found that 15% - 60% of students in gateway courses withdraw or earn a D or F grade. The poor outcomes in gateway courses often lead to significant drop-out rates between the first and second years of college, particularly among Black, Latin, Indigenous students, and students from low-income backgrounds.  “It concerns us greatly that race, ethnicity, and income can be indicators of students’ success. We designed Achieve to help level the playing field so that all students feel like they belong and can succeed in the college classroom. The research we’re undertaking now in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation should offer new insight into how we can do that even better for marginalized psychology and sociology students,” said Susan Winslow, CEO, Macmillan Learning.  About the Research Building on Macmillan Learning’s ongoing research within Achieve on student success, this new research project will undertake additional rigorous product and implementation research and offer insight into resources and tools that can be incorporated into a courseware platform such as Achieve to specifically support underserved students. The research is expected to provide insight on how to develop highly effective courseware that promotes student success through their college experience. In particular, it will focus on three areas: learning what in-program courseware resources most effectively support student metacognition and sense of belonging;  if the inclusion of evidence-based teaching practices in Achieve has a positive relationship with learning outcomes for BLI-LI students; and  how to best develop culturally responsive content for all students.  Research for Introduction to Psychology will be done using the best-selling Achieve for Psychology in Everyday Life, 6e, written by David G. Myers and Nathan C. DeWall. Research for the Introduction to Sociology courses will be done using Achieve for OpenStax Sociology, 3e. Participation is estimated at 40 instructors and 2,000 students at institutions in the US that primarily serve marginalized students. “Students in marginalized communities often have an unequal access to opportunities, which may lead to challenges in successfully navigating their education. I’m looking forward to participating in this research, and seeing firsthand the impact that digital learning platforms can have on metacognition and sense of belonging for Latina/o/x students," said Nancy Acevedo, Associate Professor at California State University, San Bernardino and Chicana/o/x Dream author. Achieve is Macmillan Learning’s recently launched digital learning platform. It was developed using learning science and in partnership with students and instructors with the goal of supporting students of all levels of motivation and preparedness and to engage them in and out of class to improve their outcomes. Because it was based in learning science, Achieve was the first product exclusively designed for higher education to earn the “Research-Based Design” product certification by Digital Promise. The product certification helps ensure instructors and institutions that the products they select were designed using research-based learning science principles and developed using best practices before using them with their students. Previous efficacy research on Achieve found that it can help bridge the performance gap often seen among students entering college. That is, the more that less academically prepared students use Achieve, the closer they can come to meeting the performance of their more academically prepared peers. This is because Achieve was co-designed with active learning in mind by more than 7,000 students and 100 leading educators and learning scientists, both working at Macmillan Learning and advising as members of independent review boards. Achieve can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support student engagement.  When conducting research, Macmillan Learning adheres to American Psychological Association ethical standards. All research conducted by the company’s Learning Science & Insights team is approved by a third-party Institutional Review Board (IRB) and then approved at individual institutions where required. Having IRB approval enables the company’s researchers to compare course results with detailed information about each student, a critical aspect of understanding the courseware’s impact on marginalized students. Once completed, Macmillan Learning will make its findings publicly available and create an implementation guide with examples of evidence-based practices that can be used in courseware like Achieve. Instructors from 2- or 4-year institutions serving predominantly Black, Latino, Indigenous and/or lower-income students can register their interest in participating in the study here. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.    ... View more

New York, March 14, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a division of the family-owned global media company Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, announced that Susan Winslow has been promoted to the role of Chief Executive Officer. In this new role, she will oversee the company’s short and long-term global growth, and continue leading the company’s digital transformation in support of all students, no matter their background or abilities.  Winslow, who has served as the company’s President for the past 14 months, has been with Macmillan Learning since 2007. She previously acted as General Manager and has been a part of the company’s senior leadership team since 2015. A long champion of digital learning and equity in education, under her leadership, Macmillan Learning has grown market share for the past five years, developed, tested, and launched the company’s innovative digital platform, Achieve, and doubled the size of its AP High School business. “There are few things more powerful than an education. Susan deeply understands this and has made it her mission to lead Macmillan Learning to enable this opportunity for all students,” said Stefan von Holtzbrinck, Chief Executive Officer of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. “Susan is an authentic leader who has the respect and admiration of the company’s employees, authors, and customers,” said Holtzbrinck Publishing Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Filmon Zerai. “As President, she successfully navigated the company through a rapidly-changing market at one of the most pivotal moments within the education industry, all while also launching a new digital learning platform and expanding internationally. Even with all this change, her focus remained steadfastly on supporting students and their learning.” Winslow has more than 30 years experience working in educational publishing across all areas of the business, and is one of only a few women leading educational services and publishing companies. Under her leadership as General Manager and President, Macmillan Learning gained market share consistently, enabled a smooth transition to digital native course materials and expanded the company’s roster of award-winning authors. She also led the effort to extend Macmillan Learning’s footprint beyond North America in 2021. Winslow has long been a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion and is a passionate supporter of STEM education.   “We have the opportunity to do something meaningful. To change lives by helping students feel like they belong, and that they deserve to be in the classroom; to help them achieve their goals. My north star for Macmillan Learning is to continue producing technology and course materials that fully engage students, providing them a doorway to what’s possible,” said Susan Winslow, CEO, Macmillan Learning. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ### ... View more

New York, Feb 22, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and services company, announced the winners for the 2022 “Black History, Black Stories” contest. Now in its second year, the contest was created to elevate Black voices in education and in recognition of the fight for social justice.  This fall, students and instructors submitted either a short essay and a picture or a brief video that answered how they were drawing inspiration from Black history, events, movements, or leaders. The submissions were judged by a cross-section of ten Macmillan Learning employees who support the creation of course materials for college students, including the company’s vast portfolio of History titles. This year’s student winner was Prisca Morisma from Florida Gulf Coast University. Morisma created a video about how Black Americans helped develop the country’s foundations and are creating a better tomorrow. Said one judge of Morisma’s video: “She draws on celebratory, impactful Black history and individuals, but also impresses upon us her own unique and beautiful voice while embracing themes ranging from struggle to joy.” This year’s instructor winner was Carolyn Carr, from Westchester Community College who wrote an essay about how George Floyd and the social activism surrounding his death inspired her to create a new, asynchronous African American history class: Topics in Modern African American History, "The Origins of Black Lives Matter - a history of Black social activism." Said one judge of Carr’s submission, “It is moving to see educators creating spaces for both themselves and their classes to process, grow, and learn together in a classroom setting.” All winners and their submissions are featured on the Macmillan Learning History Community Site and win prize money, with $1,000 going to the top student and instructor winners, $500 to second place winners and $250 for third place.  About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.  ... View more