New York, August 5, 2020 -- iClicker, a Macmillan Learning Company, announced today a new partnership with Perusall, the interactive, digital content company to address two of the most pressing concerns for higher education in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: student engagement and affordability.  According to an Inside Higher Education study , higher education faculty are most concerned with ensuring student engagement in virtual learning environments, and the potential for online classes to have an inequitable impact on underrepresented students. The study revealed 87% of respondents are concerned over the impact of virtual classes on students from low-income backgrounds and 77% view the ability to maintain student engagement when teaching online as ‘somewhat challenging’ to ‘very challenging’.  Instructors can use iClicker to take attendance, facilitate active learning and complete in-class quizzes using mobile devices or iClicker remotes. iClicker was developed by teaching professors and is currently used at more than 1,200 institutions by more than 5,000 instructors and more than 10M students.  “Student engagement is in both iClicker and Perusall’s DNA, as both were created by educators who are recognized as leaders in researching and using active learning and peer instruction methodologies. This new partnership will help make iClicker’s polling, quizzing and assignments even more accessible with Perusall’s content engagement platform and will ultimately support deeper learning, wherever it happens,” said Steven Ray, Vice President of Macmillan Learning Institutional Solutions. The iClicker and Perusall partnership will make it even easier to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and deep content engagement in virtual environments, at an affordable price. There is early proof that the partnership can help foster deep connections with content and peers in an online learning environment. Last spring, amid the outbreak of COVID-19 that demanded a quick pivot to teaching virtually, University of Louisville Psychology Professor Edna Ross, PhD, used Perusall and iClicker to deliver the same active, peer-to-peer learning methodologies she has become known for delivering in her face-to-face classes. “Before iClicker, it was very difficult to get input from all of my students and before Perusall it was a struggle to get students to read the material,” explains Ross. “Once class moved online due to COVID-19, students in my class quickly found a rhythm of beginning discussions with Perusall asynchronously and then responding with iClicker questions  during synchronous sessions to dive deeper into opinions in class. Using both together really impacted learning and engagement for the entire class.”  The partnership will enable Perusall customers to purchase access to iClicker’s student mobile app at a discounted price, delivering course content and engagement capabilities to support deep learning in both synchronous and asynchronous learning methodologies common in online courses. “We are excited to partner with iClicker to combine our affordable, digital learning solutions to help students engage more fully with the course content and one another. With so many courses needing to move online this fall, this is important now more than ever,” said Brian Lukoff, Perusall co-founder and CEO. Click here for more information on how iClicker and Perusall are being used at University of Louisville. 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 or join our Macmillan Community . About Perusall Perusall is a free social learning platform that delivers reading and video assignments to students before they come to class.  The platform incorporates content delivery with collaborative annotation tools to ensure students read more, come to class prepared, and are more engaged in the learning experience, enabling instructors to teach more effectively. Automated reports document where students struggle the most to understand course content, allowing instructors to specifically address these issues in class. More than 500,000 students at over 2,000 educational institutions in 75+ countries use Perusall. To learn more visit www.perusall.com .   ... View more

Minneapolis & New York, November 13, 2019 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing company, announced today during the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Annual Conference that student final exam scores were more than half-letter grade higher when instructors assigned pre-class activities in Achieve, the company’s new digital learning platform. The company partnered with instructors at 38 two- and four-year institutions to research the efficacy of Achieve, evaluating 2,251 students during the spring 2019 semester. The results revealed today represent one finding from a multi-year efficacy study; other efficacy results are expected to be published later this year. The Achieve platform launches in January 2020 and will be widely available in Fall. “Macmillan Learning is deeply committed to using evidence-based research to build products that help more students to succeed. To best accomplish this, the company took the unusual step of embedding efficacy research for Achieve into the process of designing, developing and improving the new platform,” said Adam Black, PhD, Macmillan Learning’s Chief Learning Officer. Key Findings Use of pre-class activities in Achieve positively influenced summative assessment scores in Achieve and also final exam scores—even when controlling for students’ prior academic performance, baseline level of motivation to succeed in the course, and instructor characteristics. Among the findings: Students who completed  pre-class activities earned, on average, 8.7 percentage points higher on assessments. There were statistically significant differences (p<0.001) in the average assessment scores for students using pre-class assignments in Achieve compared to those who did not.  Students who completed pre-class activities had final exam scores that were 6.8 percentage points higher than students who didn’t. These values were also statistically significant (p<0.001) The more pre-class activities that a student engaged in, the higher their assessment scores and final exam scores were. These values were also statistically significant (correlation = 0.71, p<0.001) The study found that instructors also had strong perceptions of how pre-class activities in Achieve supported their students. They reported that pre-class activities helped their students to stay on track with assigned reading, understand the concepts that would be covered in class, and gain a basic understanding of concepts. Students reported high perceptions of pre-class activities in Achieve as well.  Like their instructors, students agreed that the pre-class work helped them keep up with their reading, come to class prepared to participate, and support their comprehension.   “We’re particularly excited to provide instructors with deeper insights into how particular student subgroups benefit from using it – for example, those less motivated or academically prepared to succeed. These kinds of insights are only possible because of our partnerships with instructors and students and the rigorous research practices we employ, which include two levels of Institutional Review Board approval for every study of Achieve,” said Kara McWilliams PhD., Macmillan Learning’s VP of Impact Research and the study’s Primary Investigator.  About The Research Because the study was conducted with students, Macmillan Learning's processes, data handling, and researcher credentials were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Boards (IRB) at each institution and a third party. IRB review ensures that the study is rigorous and ethical. Forty instructors elected to participate in the study and their students were offered the opportunity to opt-in, and 74% of students chose to participate.  Groups were compared on three dependent variables: scores on assessments in Achieve, scores on final exams given in the course where Achieve was used, and student’s likelihood to recommend a course using Achieve to a friend. The effect of using pre-class activities in Achieve on the dependent variables was also evaluated. Analyses indicated that students’ high school grade point average and that their baseline levels of motivation were related to the dependent variables, so they were controlled for as covariates.  And, students were grouped within instructors so hierarchical linear regression was used to investigate the within and between group differences, where required.  This research has been reviewed by Macmillan Learning’s Impact Research Advisory Council (IRAC), which is comprised of experts in educational technology, methodology, and psychometrics.  “Having had the privilege of participating in Macmillan’s peer review process for The Flipped Effect, I have had a chance to see first-hand how seriously they are taking this critical part of their process. This company is collaborating with serious academics to make sure that the claims they make about their product are true. Their commitment is a model for the sector," said Michael Feldstein, IRAC member and Executive Director, Empirical Educator Project. The research presented today is part of a larger body of research conducted by Macmillan Learning’s Learning Science team that began in 2017 and helped guide development of the Achieve platform.  The team has been studying its efficacy overall, and among subgroups of students to evaluate whether the tool supports all students - like those more and less academically prepared to succeed, more and less motivated to succeed, first generation students, and those with competing demands like jobs and families, among other important cohorts.  Macmillan Learning also presented during the conference “The formative evaluation of Achieve: a novel approach to rapid-cycle evaluation of digital learning tools early in development.” They shared an entirely new research process to test and improve learning products outside of live courses during early development. These methods can be used by other organizations to improve products, to begin to understand chosen implementation patterns, and to glean exploratory evidence of learner effectiveness. About Achieve Achieve is an evolutionary digital learning platform that includes learning materials with a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools. It offers the best features of each of Macmillan Learning’s digital solutions in one platform that is intuitive to use, accessible for students of all abilities, and is flexible for students and instructors. Achieve was developed in partnership with students and instructors with the goal of supporting students of all levels motivation and preparedness and helping to engage students in and out of class so that they have better outcomes. To that end, instructors facilitate can learn in the way that best suits their class, whether it’s traditional, online, blended, or fully “flipped” classrooms.   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 see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community. ... View more

New York, June 22, 2020 --  Bedford/St. Martin’s, a Macmillan Learning imprint, today announced its 2020 Bedford New Scholars Advisory Board. The board of 10 graduate students is meeting virtually this week to offer the company’s editorial team counsel regarding how course materials are being used and trends that will influence how composition courses are taught. Many Scholars have gone on to take leadership roles in writing programs in colleges and universities across the country.  During the week’s meetings and throughout the year, the Bedford New Scholars will offer their perspectives on topics ranging from challenges in the classroom, to diversity and inclusion to pedagogy. The Advisory Board began in 2008 as an additional way for Bedford/St. Martin’s to understand teaching challenges and new research and practice in the field from promising graduate students. The Scholars do this in a variety of ways, including participating in market research and focus groups that inform product development.  “The Scholars offer the Bedford team tremendous insight into how our resources can best support student writers in their composition courses, which have long been acknowledged as a stepping stone to overall student success both in college and after graduation,” said Leasa Burton, Vice President of Humanities at Macmillan Learning. “They are thoughtful, creative problem-solvers, and often we’re able to incorporate their suggestions into future product development and new editions.” Throughout the program, the Scholars also gain insight into the publishing process and provide feedback on the direction of new materials and projects (both print and digital) in Bedford/St. Martin’s pipeline. They also foster lasting professional connections with other rising scholars and teachers in writing studies, including guest scholars who lead workshops during this week’s board meetings. The many former Bedford New Scholars continue to contribute to the discipline through research, and to the teaching community by creating assignments that engage students in writing and address teaching challenges for Composition instructors.   Bedford/St. Martin’s has long been connected to the Composition community with its widely used A Writer's Reference and The Bedford Reader. The company continues to invest in composition materials and will launch its new digital learning platform with writing tools, Achieve , this fall. Bedford/St. Martin’s also recently published several new titles including The Writer’s Loop and The Hub in addition to maintaining support for instructor and student favorites like The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing  and Everything's an Argument . This year’s Bedford New Scholars: Sidney Blaylock is pursuing his PhD in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition at Middle Tennessee State University. He teaches Expository Writing and Research and Argumentation. His research interests include multimodality, rhetorical analysis, new media, cultural rhetorics, digital rhetorics, film, and afrofuturism. Allison Dziuba is a PhD candidate in English at the University of California, Irvine. She teaches courses in the lower-division writing sequence and the Summer Bridge writing lab, a pre-college course for incoming UCI first-years. She is currently the Campus Writing & Communication Fellow at UCI and has served as the editorial assistant for College Composition and Communication and Rhetoric Society Quarterly . Allison's research interests include college students' self-sponsored literacy practices and extracurricular rhetorical education, and intersectional feminist approaches to rhetorical studies. Michael S. Garcia is pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing at Florida International University. At FIU, he has taught Writing and Rhetoric, Writing in Action, Essay Writing, and Creative Writing: Forms and Practices. He has also taught 11th and 12th grade English at a Title I high school. Michael has published short stories, essays, web articles, and poetry. Sarah Heidebrink-Bruno is pursuing her PhD in English, with a concentration in literature and social justice pedagogies, at Lehigh University. She teaches a range of composition and rhetoric courses in addition to interdisciplinary courses in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Africana Studies. She previously taught online courses in English and WGSS, with a focus on pop culture themes, including modern relationships. Her research interests include restorative justice practices, women's literature of the 1960s-present, feminist theory and praxis, and writing center tutors' instruction. Corinne Jones is completing her PhD in Texts and Technology with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Central Florida. She currently teaches Composition II (Writing about Writing and Research Writing); in Fall 2020, she anticipates teaching Business and Technical Communication. She also works as a legal writing adjunct at Barry University (Law School). Her research interests include digital rhetoric; circulation studies; digital, qualitative, mixed methods and methodologies; and feminist and queer studies. Sierra Mendez is pursuing her PhD in Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Texas at Austin. She currently teaches a custom course entitled "Rhetoric of Texas" and serves as Assistant Director for the D.R.W.'s Digital Writing and Research Lab. Her research interests concern border, material, visual, and memory rhetorics: specifically, the historical and ongoing constitution of Mexicanx bodies via narratives held both tenuously and powerfully across San Antonio’s urban space. Christopher Peace is pursuing a PhD in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Kansas. He currently teaches Composition 102 and plans to teach a 203 course on Digital Storytelling in Fall 2020. His research interests include rhetorical genre studies, (African-derived) religious rhetorics, writing ecologies, spatial rhetorics, digital storytelling / mythmaking, and ecocomposition. He also serves as a professional tutor for the KU Gear Up program and is an affiliate of the Project on the History of Black Writing. Kalyn Prince is pursuing her PhD in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Writing Studies at the University of Oklahoma. She serves as the Senior Assistant Director of First-Year Composition, teaches first-year writing, and has also co-taught a composition theory survey course for graduate students in the OU English Department. Her research interests include public argumentation, nostalgia as ethos, and rhetorical analysis. Joshua Scheidler is pursuing his MA in English with an emphasis on Medieval Language and Literature at Western Michigan University. He teaches WMU's first-year writing course, Thought and Writing, as a graduate teaching assistant. His research interests include ethics and politics in medieval literature, first-year writing pedagogy, rhetorical analysis, and new materialist environmental rhetoric. Benesemon Simmons is pursuing a PhD in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric at Syracuse University. She teaches WRT 105 and WRT 205 and serves as a writing consultant. Her research interests include Black Feminist Pedagogy, Critical Race Theory, and Activist Rhetoric. 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

Springfield, MO. February 18, 2020 --  Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning Company that provides research-based program benchmarking and assessments to help colleges identify areas of improvement, announced today it is accepting applications for its annual Assessment and Impact Awards for Residence Life. The award was created in 2019 to highlight colleges and universities that are successfully using data to deliver high quality housing experiences.  A 2013-14 study of more than 330,000 undergraduate students revealed that the housing experience can have a significant impact on student outcomes. Macmillan Learning partnered with The Association of College and University Housing Officers ( ACUHO -I) to better understand student experience, satisfaction and learning in the residence halls - and recognize housing programs that effectively use data to improve the residential experience.  College and university housing departments can self-nominate by completing an online submission form by March 31, 2020. All submissions will be reviewed by the Skyfactor Benchworks Analytics and Research Team who will also analyze multiple years of data from the ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment to identify best results or significant improvements in areas like student staff and diverse interactions. Following the quantitative analysis and review of applications, finalists will be interviewed.  Winners will be notified in late May and publicly announced at a special luncheon during the  June 2020 ACUHO-I Conference in Portland, Oregon. “Residence life is such an integral part of the college experience so we are excited to continue recognizing housing and residence life programs that are leading the way in using insights from assessments to improve students’ on-campus experiences,” said Craig Bleyer, General Manager of Skyfactor.  Benchworks assessments are the most widely used programs in higher education housing, and have been available for nearly 20 years. The ACUHO-I/Benchworks Residents Assessment is used by nearly 300 institutions each year, and is one of more than 50 different assessments from Benchworks on topics important to college success, including housing, orientation, and student affairs and service. The survey includes questions about student satisfaction with facilities, programs, dining, safety, room assignment, and roommates, as well as learning related to personal interactions, diversity, sense of community, academic success, transferable skills, sustainability, and healthy habits. The inaugural winners of the Housing and Residence Life were John Carroll University in Ohio, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Southwest Oregon Community College. About Skyfactor  Formerly known as EBI, 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 provides 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 see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community . ... View more

New York, January 13, 2020 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing company, published research today that demonstrated a positive relationship between use of Achieve , the company’s new digital learning platform, and final exam scores. Research from the ACT , College Board and others have found that a student’s performance on college entrance exams and highschool GPA can predict their future success in two- and four-year institutions. Using these predictors of post-secondary success, the findings from this efficacy study suggest that use of Achieve 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. Less academically prepared students (as determined by ACT or SAT scores and high school grade point average) who engaged in at least 80% of assigned activities in Achieve elevated their final exam grade nearly a full letter grade and closed the gap in their average performance and the performance of their more academically prepared peers by about half. The findings build on recently announced data presented at the Academic Evaluation Association (AEA) annual meeting in November demonstrating that students performed better on final exams when they used Achieve’s pre-class activities, regardless of their motivation or academic preparedness levels coming into the class.  “The benefits of a post-secondary certificate or degree are well known, yet we still see students entering college less prepared to succeed. The instructors we partner with are always exploring new ways to fill the skills gaps of less academically prepared students while keeping their more prepared students challenged. While there’s no silver bullet, we believe in providing instructors with insights into the differential efficacy of our solutions, and are pleased that we can offer them evidence that Achieve will support their efforts to help all their students succeed,” said Kara McWilliams PhD., VP of Impact Research, Macmillan Learning, and the study’s Primary Investigator. The company partnered with instructors at 38 two- and four-year institutions to research the efficacy of Achieve, evaluating 2,251 students during the spring 2019 semester. The results revealed today represent one finding from a multi-year efficacy study, with other results being published following data collection and peer-review. Macmillan Learning’s Achieve platform launches this month and will be widely available in Fall. Key Findings Use of Achieve is positively related to student’s final exam scores , regardless of their level of academic preparedness coming into college p<.0001. For every ten percent increase in a student’s engagement in assigned activities, they can expect a 5.7 percentage point increase on their final exam score The magnitude of Achieve’s influence on final exam scores was greater for students less academically prepared to succeed r(657) = .58, p<.0001 but was significantly positive for their more academically prepared peers also r(961) = .42, p<.0001. Among students taking STEM courses, the magnitude of the relationship was greatest among less academically prepared females (r(205) = .57, p<.0001, but was also significant among their male counterparts r(237) = .41, p<.0001 and more academically prepared female r(416) = .33, p<.0001 and male r(281) = .39, p<.0001 STEM students. Students who complete at least 80% of their assigned activities in Achieve, earn nearly a letter grade higher , on average, than students who complete less than 80%. The gap in performance on final exams closes by about half between less and more academically prepared students, when students less prepared to succeed complete at least 80% of their assigned activities in Achieve.  About The Research This study investigated the differential efficacy of Achieve among students less and more academically prepared to succeed. Macmillan Learning collected students’ self-reported highschool GPA as well as ACT or SAT scores, if one or both had been taken. Using those scores, students were then categorized as less or more academically prepared, and outcomes were evaluated among each group. Achieve efficacy research began while the tool was in beta testing so that feedback from instructors and students as well as student outcomes could be used to evolve the product, and to provide instructors with a transparent body of timely evidence of effectiveness. This study complied with the American Psychological Association ethical standards for research.  It was approved by a third-party Institutional Review Board (IRB) and then approved at individual institutions where required.  IRB approval enabled researchers to compare course results with detailed information about each student, including their academic background. It also enabled the collection of student records including final exam scores and course grades. Forty instructors elected to participate in the study and their students were offered the opportunity to opt-in, and 74% of students chose to participate.  This research has been reviewed by Macmillan Learning’s Impact Research Advisory Council (IRAC), which is comprised of experts in educational technology, methodology, and psychometrics.  The findings released today are part of a larger body of research conducted by Macmillan Learning’s Learning Science team that began in 2017 and helped guide development of the Achieve platform.  The team has been studying its efficacy overall, and among subgroups of students to evaluate whether the tool supports all students - like those more and less academically prepared to succeed, more and less motivated to succeed, first generation students, and those with competing demands like jobs and families, among other important cohorts.  Academic preparedness was measured by both college readiness status as determined by performance on the ACT or SAT, and high school grade point average. Find the full “Achieving Student Success” research report here. About Achieve Achieve is an evolutionary digital learning platform that includes learning materials with a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools. It offers the best features of each of Macmillan Learning’s digital solutions in one platform that is intuitive to use and is flexible for students and instructors. Achieve was developed using published foundations of learning science and in partnership with students and instructors with the goal of supporting students of all levels motivation and preparedness and helping to engage students in and out of class so that they have better outcomes. To that end, instructors facilitate can learn in the way that best suits their class, whether it’s traditional, online, blended, or fully “flipped” classrooms.  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 see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community . ... View more

New York, January 21, 2020 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing company, announced today that it earned 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI ). The Human Rights Campaign is the nation's largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ equality. The Index is part of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and is the nation’s premier benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Macmillan Learning joins the ranks of more than 680 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year. “Macmillan Learning is proud to be a ‘best place to work for LGBTQ equality’. We know that it is simply the right thing to do. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce is central to who we are and we know that it’s critical that students see themselves in their learning materials,” said Kristin Peikert, Vice President of Human Resources, Macmillan Learning. Diversity and inclusion are core values of Macmillan Learning. The company states clearly that they aim to have a broad representation of backgrounds, genders, races, sexual orientations, physical abilities, and backgrounds in the content they produce, the authors they work with, and the employees they hire and develop. To accomplish this, the company’s Human Resource team works with  their Diversity and Inclusion council to raise awareness, plan events, and recruit in support of a workforce where employees feel they belong and are treated with respect and fairness.  Employees from across the company actively seek out new ways to cultivate a culture that welcomes differences. Some of the many highlights from this past year include adding transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits, partnering with a new stock photography vendor to have access to more diverse photos, implementing gender neutral pronouns in the employee handbook., and offering several “fireside chats”, talks at each of their offices across the US meant to highlight diverse authors including LGBTQ expert Jessica Soukup.  The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under five broad categories:  non-discrimination policies, employment benefits, demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, public commitment to LGBTQ equality, and responsible citizenship. Macmillan Learning successfully satisfied all of CEI’s criteria, providing them with this award. The results of this year’s CEI showcase how over 1000 U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S. and advancing the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad. The full report is available at www.hrc.org/ce i. To learn more about diversity, belonging and inclusion at Macmillan Learning, click here . For more information about working at Macmillan Learning, visit the careers page on our website. About The Human Rights Campaign Foundation The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. 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 see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community .  ### ... View more

New York, May 5, 2020 --  Macmillan Learning announced that digital learning platform Achieve is the first product exclusively designed for higher education to earn the “Research-Based Design” product certification by Digital Promise. Achieve includes learning materials with a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools, and it will be available in the U.S. and Canada in Fall 2020. In an effort to provide educators with evidence they can use to make informed decisions and support the success of students, Digital Promise established a rigorous program to evaluate edtech tools and determine, based on expert review, whether the tool can be certified as designed and developed based on educational research. The product certifications help 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. “Understanding how people learn most effectively and allowing those principles to form the foundation of edtech development is key to student success. I’m proud that Achieve is the first higher education learning tool to earn this rigorous certification, and that we can provide another strong piece of evidence that educators can use when making decisions about what tools will benefit the students in their class,” said Susan Winslow, General Manager, Macmillan Learning.  “Digital Promise’s product certifications are designed to help schools and families in choosing research-based products, while recognizing product developers who incorporate valid research into their designs,” said Vic Vuchic, Chief Innovation Officer of Digital Promise. “We hope product certifications send a strong signal for both product developers and consumers in the marketplace.”   Achieve was developed using published foundations of learning science and in partnership with students and instructors to support students of all levels of motivation and preparedness. It offers the best features of each of Macmillan Learning’s digital solutions in one platform, and engages students both in and out of class so that they have better outcomes. Achieve enables the facilitation of learning in the way that most enhances an instructor’s class, whether it’s traditional, online, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom. 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, October 17, 2019 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned educational publisher, announced textbooks written by acclaimed economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers will be available for the Fall 2020 semester. The Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics titles treat every decision a person makes as an economic decision, replacing hypothetical “widgets” in economics textbooks with true-to-life examples of decisions students make so that every student can recognize situations they themselves have been in (like why they can’t find parking or how to negotiate for a better raise) and situations they will encounter (like how economic forces impact their wages and rent.)  “Economics doesn’t have to be as complicated as many textbooks make it out to be, and many of us are making economic decisions every day whether we know it or not. In writing Principles of Economics , we focused on honing students intuition so that they see themselves as economic actors, and can apply the lessons they’re learning throughout their lives,” said Betsey Setevson. “Our goal is to reach every student.” “If you’ve ever had the pleasure of reading one of those popular economics books that takes readers on a joyous romp through our field, you quickly understand why millions of people spend their weekends reading them. Podcast rankings and best-seller lists reveal a latent demand for an approach that supplies some of the same magic. We aim to bring that sense of delight and discovery to your introductory economics class,” said Justin Wolfers. Beginning with the first chapter, students will use four economic principles (cost-benefit, opportunity cost, marginal and interdependence principles) to frame how they make decisions. The tangible, practical examples span from household dynamics to local or national policy to demonstrate how economic concepts play out in real life. Some examples of economic decisions they will explore are: Should you stream one more episode? How can a nonprofit use market forces to better feed America’s hungry? What city should you move to after graduation? How can the Federal Reserve Board’s decision to raise interest rates lead a mother in China to feed her children chicken instead of pork?   “This is one of the most important titles that Macmillan Learning has published. The fundamentals and practical examples that Stevenson & Wolfers deliver make economics more accessible to a wider range of students, whether or not they’re majoring in Economics. We’re also very proud to support Betsey Stevenson’s voice in what’s historically been a male-dominated field,” said Susan Winslow, General Manager of Macmillan Learning.   Economists in recent years have transformed the field so that it has greater relevance and a closer relationship to actual human behavior, with a focus on practical problems. The new Principles of Economics titles by Stevenson & Wolfers reflect that changing landscape and were created to highlight for students how economics can be useful in the ordinary business of life.   The books also offer a deeper and more intuitive treatment of traditional topics (demand, supply, and equilibrium) that provide a solid foundation for economic thinking that students can apply right away as they learn to analyze markets, examine policies, strategize about pricing and other decisions, and interpret economic indicators. Students will also learn how businesses, workers, and ideas compete across a range of market structures, how microfoundations underpin macroeconomic theory, how modern economists use models to understand the business cycle, and the implications for macroeconomic policy decisions. About the Authors  Betsey Stevenson advised President Obama on social policy, labor market, and trade issues as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2013 to 2015. She is currently a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan and she serves on the Executive Committee of the American Economic Association and other boards. She is an expert on the impact of the economy on happiness, on public policies impact on the labor market, and the economic forces shaping the modern family, among other topics.   Justin Wolfers is a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan. He is an expert in unemployment and inflation, the power of prediction markets, the economic forces shaping the modern family, discrimination, and happiness. He has been an editor of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, a board member on the Committee on the Status of Women in Economics, a member of the Panel of Advisors of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, among many other board and advisory positions.  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 , see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , or join our Macmillan Community . ... View more

2018 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author James Forman Jr. will open the summit with a special presentation Atlanta, September 23, 2019— The Third HBCU Rhetoric & Composition Symposium, a national summit focusing on excellence in English composition and rhetoric, will be held at Morehouse College from September 26-28. This year’s symposium “Re-imagining the African American Canon for Teaching Composition at HBCUs” is sponsored by Bedford/St. Martin’s, an imprint of Macmillan Learning, and Morehouse College. The annual summit is a think tank for English professors and other educators that attracts some of the greatest minds in literature and composition from historically black colleges nationwide and other universities that serves large populations of students of color.  “We are honored to host the third annual HBCU Composition Summit on the campus of Morehouse College,” said Morehouse President David A. Thomas. “Some of the world’s most eloquent and profound writers were educated at HBCUs, from Toni Morrison and Alice Walker to Langston Hughes and Martin Luther King Jr. Focusing on excellence in writing is a campus-wide priority at Morehouse across all academic divisions. This conference aligns with that important goal.” “Bedford/St. Martin’s is proud to support what we know will be a vibrant exchange among scholars and writers from HBCUs and predominantly Black colleges,” said Leasa Burton, Vice President of Humanities for Macmillan Learning. “We recognize the need for diverse voices and have long partnered with educators to support connections across campuses and communities. We hope that this year’s program will inspire the next generation of African American teachers and writers.” Highlights of the 2019 symposia include: Presentation and book signing by 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winning Author James Forman Jr .(Locking Up Our Own, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Macmillan) will open the symposium with a special presentation A private tour and overview of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection, along with a discussion on how to use it to teach composition A full day of panels on topics that vary from strategies of teaching writing to “Reimagining the Role of Black Fiction, to “Writing in the Discipline and Teaching Black Excellence,” among others    Leah Creque, Ph.D.,   Professor of English and Honors Program Director, issued the invitation for the symposium to be hosted at Morehouse College during her tenure as chair of the Department of English. Dr. Nathaniel Norment, Director of the Writing Center and The Black Ink Project serves as the conference co-chair. Programming was chosen following a call for papers, roundtables, and workshops by a collaborative group of external reviewers led by Dr. Jason DePolo, North Carolina A&T and Dr. David Green, Howard University. *Sessions include: Sept 26:  Presentation: James Forman Jr., Pulitzer Prize Winning Author of Locking Up Our Own Welcome remarks: Loretta Parham, Director of the AUC Robert Woodruff Library Panel: Using the King Collection to Teach Composition Tour of the Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, Morehouse College Keynote Address: Black Writers: Why We Write, Dr. Daniel Black Sept. 27: Panel: Role of the Writing Center at North Carolina A&T State University. Panel: Baldwin, Giovanni, and Hughes: Teaching Writing at HBCUs Panel: Then and Now: Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum at HBCU Panel: Writing for Success Panel: Hurston in the Contemporary Writing Classroom: Reimagining the Role of Black Fiction at HBCUs Panel: Culturally Relevant Content and Assessing African American Students’ Writing Panel: Where da Ladiez At?!: Rethinking Labor, Love, and Language Through Traditional and Contemporary Texts in the HBCU Composition Classroom. Panel: When Harlem was in Vogue: Harlem’s Icons at HBCUs Panel: Interrogating “The New Writing Center” at HBCUs Panel: #NotYaClassicCompCourse: Reciprocal Learning Possibilities for Redefining the HBCU Composition Classroom. Panel: Constructivist Paradigms and Digital Writing in a Socially Mediated World Panel: Writing in the Discipline and Teaching Black Excellence Strategies and Best Practices for Teaching Writing to African American Students Panel: Creating and Providing Agency and Identity through the Teaching of Writing Panel: Perspectives on Teaching in First Year Writing Programs at HBCUs Keynote Address: Dr. Jackie Royster, “What is the Concept? Teaching Writing at HBCUs” Sept. 28, 2019: Curriculum Working Group Session Publication Working Group Session  Follow #HBCUComp19 on Twitter.    *Speakers and sessions are as of September 19, 2019 and are subject to change. About Morehouse College Morehouse College is the nation’s largest liberal arts institution for men. Founded in 1867, the College enrolls approximately 2,200 students and is the nation’s top producer of black men who go on to receive doctorates. Morehouse is also the top producer of Rhodes Scholars among HBCUs, with five Morehouse Men receiving the honor. Historically, Morehouse has conferred more bachelor’s degrees on black men than any other institution in the world. Prominent alumni include: Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General; Shelton “Spike” Lee, award-winning American filmmaker; Maynard H. Jackson, the first African American mayor of Atlanta; and Jeh Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Morehouse currently has more than 17,000 alumni in 40 states and 14 countries. For more information visit  www.morehouse.edu . ... View more

Today Macmillan Learning announced that the STEM Education Summit  will focus this year on the future of work. The meeting -- held annually with us and Scientific American, the longest-running magazine in the US -- was established to help find solutions to best educate and empower the next generation of STEM students; for the seventh year, the event will bring together thought leaders from the education, business, policy, and technology communities to explore how to best do that.  T he STEM Education Summit will be held on Sept. 26 at the Central Library in Austin, Texas. The event is free to the public via livestream . “As we enter what many are calling the fourth industrial revolution, this year’s focus on the future of work couldn't be more timely. We believe that the STEM Summit is a great way to bring together education’s evangelists to discuss how to prepare students for their best future,” said Susan Winslow, General Manager, Macmillan Learning. Sessions include*:  The Merger of Education and Work Brandon Busteed , President, Kaplan University Partners Access, Equity, & Engagement: Equipping Students to Thrive After Graduation Panel features Dr. Danette Howard , SVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Lumina Foundation, Dr. Allen Delong , Senior Associate Dean, Center for Purposeful Work, Bates College and Scott Carlson , Senior Writer, The Chronicle Gigged Sarah Kessler , Author & Editor-in-Chief, Quartz Magazine Developing a STEM Workforce at Scale: The Power of a Coalition Supporting Education Janet Auer , Global Advisor Education Programs, Chevron and Susanne Thompson , SVP, Corporate Education Partnerships, Discovery Education The Entrepreneurial Future of Education Fireside chat between Susan Winslow and Dr. Robert Lue , Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University. Computer Science Education for All Matt Dawson, Engineering Education Program Manager, Google Teaching AI Lightning talk by Michelle Zimmerman , Director of Teaching and Learning Sciences,  Renton Prep Big Data, Wellness and Disease Dr. Lee Hood , SVP and Chief Science Officer, Providence St. Joseph Health; Chief Strategy Officer, Co-founder and Professor, ISB Diverse Pathways to Career Success Dr. David Soo , Chief of Staff, Jobs for the Future and Jennifer Stredler , VP of Workforce Development, Salesforce Foundation, Caitlyn Brazill , EVP, Development & Communications, Per Scholas Student Perspectives on STEM & Work Tricia Berry , Director, Texas Girls Collaborative Project, The University of Texas at Austin along with three students from Cockrell School of Engineering Reflections from a former Google Science Fair Winner Kenneth Shinozuka, Current Harvard College Student Ethics in Tech: Casey Fiesler , Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder  In addition to presentations and panels, the conference will include a demo from Komal Dadlani, CEO and Founder, Lab4U on a mobile technology she believes is poised to help democratize science. Follow #STEMSummit2019 on Twitter and on @MacmillanLearn. Media interested in attending should email marisa.bluestone@macmillan.com .    *Speakers and sessions are as of September 6, 2019 and are subject to change.   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 empathetic, 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 see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community . ... View more

This week Macmillan Learning announced the availability of their new, first-edition textbooks and courseware for the 2019 - 2020 academic year. As part of the company’s ongoing investment in authors and engaging content, Macmillan Learning launched new course materials and software for humanities, social sciences and STEM courses. The new course materials add new perspective and diversity to the hundreds of already published digital and print works from the company.  "Because we’re a family-owned company we’re able to focus our attention and investments on the classroom, not the boardroom, and giving instructors the new voices and perspectives they’re asking for,” said Susan Winslow, General Manager of Macmillan Learning. “We take a holistic approach to creating learning materials, meaning we’re working closely with authors, faculty and students to offer affordable learning materials that meet students exactly where they are and, importantly, inspire them to keep learning.” The new titles are available in digital formats (LaunchPad, SaplingPlus, e-books) as well as various forms of print (hardback, paperback and loose-leaf) and can be either rented or purchased. The first edition projects include:   Peter Adams authored The Hub: A Place for Reading and Writing, which is the first and only hybrid digital and print course materials developed specifically for corequisite and Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) first-year writing courses. David Anderson authored Survey of Economics , which answers the question “why should I care about economics.” Susan Burns authored Psychology of Sex and Gender , which provides a the foundational understandings of the topics of sex and gender alongside cutting-edge research to encourage students to question perceptions of gender in the world around them. Robert Crosnoe authored Families Now Diversity, Demography, and Development, which offers a modern, integrative approach to understanding families, reflecting the dynamic changes occurring in family life and institutions in the U.S. Lauren Ingraham and Jeanne Law Bohannon authored The Writers Loop , a practical approach to writing, based on the habits of strong writers, who pause often, reflect, and loop backwards and forwards as they revise on their way to a final draft. Stephen Rubb and Scott Sumner authored Economic Principles: A Business Perspective , which covers the fundamentals of economics in the context of today’s globalized business world. It can be purchased with a focus on Microeconomic Principles, Macroeconomic Principles, or both together. Interactive General Chemistry was built from the ground up as a digital learning program to help effectively and efficiently tackle chemistry concepts and problem solving, using multimedia-rich learning resources. Todd Taylor authored Becoming a College Writer , a unique multimedia text that offers brief, modular chapters derived from 100 interviews with students who recently finished first-year writing. Judy Yung authored Chinese Exclusion Act and Angel Island , which offers original documents and provides context that together offers a broader and more inclusive vision of U.S. immigration history. All of these course materials can be paired with iClicker to facilitate classroom attendance, active learning activities, or to compl et e in-class quizzes and surveys with mobile devices. Prices begin at $9.99 and all of these eBook titles are born-accessible , designed for  users of all abilities. Prior to developing these new titles, Macmillan Learning editors and authors worked closely with college instructors and students throughout the US through research councils and other outreach efforts. Additional titles for college students in STEM, Humanities and Social Sciences for the 2020-2021 academic year are currently in development. In addition to these new titles in higher education, first edition textbooks for Advanced Placement (AP) High School programs in Government and Physics are also newly available for the coming academic year. ... View more

Finding the right course materials can be critical to helping students on their learning journey. That’s why we really enjoyed learning that The Open Syllabus Project found, a fter reviewing more than six million syllabi,  that Macmillan Learning course materials were assigned by the most college instructors for courses in English Literature, History and Psychology.   The Open Syllabus Project found that A Writer's Reference from Bedford/St. Martin’s was the second most assigned title from every course material being used across college campuses today, appearing in more than 7,500 course syllabi. It also beat out classics like  Canterbury Tales  to become the most assigned text in English Literature .  Other top titles are The American Promise: A History of the United States by James L. Roark published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, which was the most assigned title in History appearing in more than 4,000 course syllabi; and Psychology by David G. Myers from Worth Publishers, which was the most assigned title in Psychology appearing in more than 2,000 course syllabi.    Some of the other course materials from Macmillan Learning and our imprints (including imprints Bedford/St. Martin’s, W.H. Freeman, and Worth Publishers) that were among the top 10 most assigned materials in their respective subjects include:     Astronomy Discovering the Universe , Neil F. Comins  Universe , William J. Kaufmann   Biology: Molecular Cell Biology , Harvey F. Lodish   Chemistry: Quantitative Chemical Analysis , Daniel C. Harris   Economics: Macroeconomics , N. Gregory Mankiw   English Literature: A Writer's Reference,  Diana Hacker  A Pocket Style Manual,  Diana Hacker    Geography: World Regional Geography: Global Patterns, Local Lives , Alex Pulsipher, Lydia Mihelic Pulsipher    History: The American Promise: A History of the United State s, James L. Roark  A Pocket Guide to Writing in History , Mary Lynn Rampolla     Mathematics: Introduction to the Practice of Statistics , George P. McCabe, David S. Moore    Media/Communications: A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking , Dan O.'Hair, Hannah Rubenstein, Robert A. Stewart A Speaker's Guidebook: Text and Reference , Dan O.'Hair, Hannah Rubenstein, Robert A. Stewart    Psychology: Psychology , David G. Myers  Exploring Psychology , David G. Myers    We don’t plan on resting on our laurels, and will continue to invest in new and diverse voices and content. New course materials for use in the upcoming academic year will be announced soon, and we’re very much looking forward to issuing these future classics.   The Open Syllabus Project uses machine learning to analyze millions of syllabi to understand the college teaching, publishing, and intellectual traditions around the world. They are based at the American Assembly, non-profit organization affiliated with Columbia University. ... View more

New York, NY; July 1, 2019 -- Macmillan Learning released under a creative commons license four new research reports that provide guidelines for designing next-generation learning experiences. These “Learning Science Foundations” build on the company’s previously published core  principles for learning design and learning models ( active , problem , and project ) and together make up the blueprints of experiences that drive better student outcomes. While these foundations underpin the design of Macmillan Learning’s next-generation of products, they are shared freely with the education community that’s helped create them and provide educators and instructional designers with guidelines on how to apply the best of learning science to build research-based educational experiences that benefit students anywhere. The four new papers provide a glimpse of the “learning engineering” behind Macmillan Learning’s emerging technologies, and cover   Learning Objectives , Assessmen t Strategies, and Analytics for Instructors and Students . The collection is being released together because of their deeply interrelated nature -- the learning objectives drive assessment, and analytics enable insight into performance on those assessments and against those objectives. Although concise, they are based on a rigorous, expert-reviewed synthesis of “what works” from educational research and cognitive science and provide references to all the supporting primary literature. “The next generation of learning technology has the ability to provide highly personalized learning experiences and powerful insights, but both are only as good as the underlying content, data, and pedagogical models they support,” said Dr. Adam Black, Chief Strategy & Learning Officer at Macmillan Learning. “We’ve been fortunate to work with a remarkable panel of leading researchers, practitioners, and students to develop these principles.” By releasing the research to the education community, Macmillan Learning hopes to advance the scholarship on how learning works and open our own research up to constructive critique and ongoing improvement. The four foundations released today are based on Macmillan Learning’s   Six Key Principles for Learning Experience Design , previously released research which shared the company’s approach to learning and the principles that inform how the company’s dig@ital products are designed. Building upon these learning experience design insights, the blueprints released today provide best practices for: Devising Effective Learning Objectives and the wealth of benefits for instructors and students Impactful Assessment Practice and how to assess student progress and when to intervene Empowering Analytics for Instructors and combining behavioral insights with academic performance to give powerful insights for efficient and personalized teaching Empowering Analytics for Students and how insights can be empathetically shared students to motivate them and indeed help them to become more effective learners   The Learning Science Foundations are developed through a comprehensive and rigorous research and refinement process, including critiques by Macmillan Learning’s Learning Research Advisory Council and our Student Codesign Group . ... View more

June 18, 2019 -- Bedford/St. Martin’s, an imprint of Macmillan Learning, today announced the 10 new graduate students chosen to become part of the 2019   Bedford New Scholars program, an advisory board of graduate students for English Composition. The Bedford New Scholars are a critical part of the broader education community that teaches Composition courses to students, helping them develop the skills and abilities that will lay the foundation for every other course they take. A recent study by the Association of American Colleges & Universities found that many of the skills taught in Composition, including written communication, decision making, and analytical reasoning, were cited by more than three quarters of hiring managers and company executives as a top skill for college graduates. While Bedford/St. Martin’s has long been connected to the Composition community, the Advisory Board began in 2008 as an additional way for Bedford/St. Martin’s to understand teaching challenges and new research and practice in the field from promising graduate students. The dozens of previous Bedford New Scholars have given the editorial team feedback on the direction of new projects, ultimately contributing to the creation of some of the company’s new course and teaching materials for composition courses. They also contribute to the teaching community at large by creating assignments that engage students in writing and address teaching challenges for Composition instructors. “Bedford/St. Martin’s has long understood that Composition is a critical part of the holistic development of students’ writing skills and workplace success,” said Edwin Hill, Vice President of Humanities, Macmillan Learning. “Our continued investment in this space and partnership with this community underscores the importance of this coursework to a student’s future and we look forward to learning from the Scholars.” The Bedford New Scholars meet throughout the year at the company’s offices, at conferences, and at focus groups and are included in market research that informs product development. Throughout the program, the Scholars also gain insight into the publishing process, provide feedback on the direction of new books and projects in Bedford/St. Martin’s pipeline and foster lasting professional connections with other rising scholars and teachers in writing studies. The 2019 Bedford New Scholars are: Shannon Butts, a PhD candidate in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Writing Studies at The University of Florida. Butts teaches courses on digital rhetoric, remix writing, augmented reality, multimodal composition, public writing, professional communication, technofeminism, and first-year writing. Joshua Chase, a PhD candidate in the Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture program at Michigan Technological University. Chase serves as the composition program coordinator and teaches courses in composition, literature, and technical writing. Nina Feng, a PhD candidate in English with an emphasis in Writing and Rhetoric Studies at the University of Utah. Feng teaches Intermediate Writing, Writing in the Social Sciences, and Write4U, a course for transfer students. Misty Fuller, a PhD candidate in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition at Louisiana State University. Fuller currently teaches first-year composition courses and was previously nominated for the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and served as a member of reader and assignment committees for first-year writing courses at the University of North Florida. Leah Beth Johnston, a PhD candidate in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Arkansas. Johnston’s research focuses on first-year composition administration and marginal rhetorics, and her dissertation is a book that explores the intersection of the two.     Caitlin Martin, a PhD candidate studying composition and rhetoric at Miami University, where she also serves as a graduate assistant director of the Howe Center for Writing Excellence. Martin has taught courses in composition theory and business writing in addition to face-to-face and online first-year composition and advanced writing courses. Marissa McKinley, an Assistant Teaching Professor of English at Quinnipiac University who earned her PhD in English with a concentration in Composition and TESOL at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). McKinley will teach classes in First-Year Writing and Research Writing and will assist with the revision of the writing program. Salena Parker, a PhD candidate in Rhetoric with a concentration in World Literature at Texas Woman's University. Parker teaches Composition I and II and serves as an English professor at Collin College. She previously taught College Readiness Writing, Introduction to Humanities, and ESL abroad. Karen Tellez-Trujillo, a PhD candidate in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Professional Communication at New Mexico State University. Tellez-Trujillo teaches Rhetoric and Composition, Business and Professional Communication, Technical and Scientific Communication, and the Rhetoric of the Horror Story and also serves as a Writing Program Coordinator and Writing Program Mentor. Carrie Wilson, an MA candidate in English at Appalachian State University. Wilson has taught Introduction to Writing Across the Curriculum and Expository Writing. Find more information about the Bedford New Scholars   here. About Macmillan Learning   Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that is empathetic, 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 see us on   Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn   or join our   Macmillan Community. ... 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New York, NY; June 17, 2019 -- Today Skyfactor Benchworks announced the winners of its first, annual Assessment and Impact Awards. The award was created to highlight colleges that are successfully using data to improve their housing programs, helping to retain students. Housing is an important part of the overall college experience, with national housing data over the last decade revealing that 52% of students living on-campus felt that their housing experience significantly contributed to their academic performance. It is one of the most important attributes predicting student success and retention, which is why Macmillan Learning partnered with The Association of College and University Housing Officers (ACUHO-I) to better understand student experience, satisfaction and learning in the residence halls. The four institutions selected to be the inaugural Assessment and Impact Award for Housing and Residence Life winners were: John Carroll University in Ohio, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Southwest Oregon Community College. The winners were selected using a multi-step evaluation process that included an analysis of multi-year assessment data that identified programs that either had the best results or best increases in performance in areas like student staffing and diverse interactions as well as interviews and with housing and residence life leaders by members of the Benchworks Analytics and Research Team. “Housing and residence life is such an integral part of the college experience, and our research shows that it significantly impacts how students feel about attending college. The award recognizes colleges that are successfully using assessment data to improve their students’ experience with housing and their overall success,” said Craig Bleyer, General Manager of Skyfactor. The Benchworks assessments are the most widely used programs in higher education housing, and have been available for nearly 20 years. The ACUHO-I/Benchworks Residents Assessment is used by nearly 300 institutions each year, and is one of more than 50 different assessments from Benchworks on topics important to college success, including housing, orientation, and student affairs and service. The survey includes questions about student happiness, safety, diversity and inclusion, facilities, costs, sense of community, and time management, among others. Assessment and Impact Award for Housing and Residence Life winners will be acknowledged during a luncheon at the upcoming ACUHO-I conference being held in Toronto, Ontario later this week. To learn more about how housing facilities relate to student perceptions, view this free webinar. ... View more

S pringfield, MO. October 21, 2019 --  Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning Company that provides research-based program benchmarking and assessments to help colleges identify areas of improvement, announced today the winners of its first, annual Assessment and Impact Awards for Nursing Education. The award was created to highlight schools of nursing that are successfully using data to improve their programs, helping to retain students and developing more practice-ready nursing professionals. Increasing the pipeline of practice-ready nurses is critical as the threat of a substantial nursing shortage persists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of Registered Nurses (RN) positions is expected to grow 15%, from 2.9 million in 2016 to 3.4 million in 2026. The Bureau also projects that an additional 203,700 new RNs will be needed each year through 2026 to fill newly created positions and to replace retiring nurses. In addition to first-time pass rates on the national board exam, employer, student and alumni satisfaction are key indicators for quality nursing programs, which is why Macmillan Learning has partnered with the Association of American Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for two decades to offer benchmarking assessments that empower nursing administrators to better understand the program components that most significantly impact these important stakeholders.  The four institutions selected to be the inaugural Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing were: Bloomfield College, Colorado Technical University, Rowan University and Seton Hall University. The winners were selected using Benchworks multi-step evaluation process that included an analysis of multi-year assessment data that identified programs that either had the best results or best increases in performance in areas like course interactions and quality of instruction, as well as interviews and with nursing program administrators by members of the Benchworks Analytics and Research Team.  “With such a sustained demand for practice-ready nurses, the work that nursing programs are doing is critical. As the preferred program assessment solution for nursing education for more than 20 years, we’ve been fortunate to amass keen insights into the characteristics that improve student satisfaction and experience. The award recognizes colleges that are successfully using assessment data to improve programs benefit both students and local employers,” said Craig Bleyer, General Manager of Skyfactor.  The Benchworks assessments are the most widely used programs in nursing education, and have been available for 20 years. The various Benchworks Nursing assessments are used by more than 250 nursing programs each year, and is one of more than 50 different assessments from Benchworks on topics important to college success, including housing, orientation, and student affairs and service. The survey includes questions about student happiness, safety, diversity and inclusion, facilities, costs, sense of community, and time management, among others.  Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing winners were acknowledged during a luncheon at AACN’s Academic Nursing Leadership Conference held in Washington, DC, last weekend.  To learn more about how assessment and benchmarking can help guide program initiatives, join this free webinar, “Seeing the Possibilities: How Benchmarking Can Improve Our Work”.  About Skyfactor  Formerly known as EBI, 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 provides 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, see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or join our Macmillan Community. ... View more

Macmillan Learning announced today, April 15, that we became the first education solutions company to become Global Certified Accessible™, providing “born accessible” digital learning (ebook) options for students with disabilities. Books that are born accessible are developed to ensure that all students, no matter their ability, have the same access to information. This is increasingly important for students and instructors as more than   one out of every ten students   who attends college has a disability. Benetech, a nonprofit that empowers communities with software for social good, established the Global Certified Accessible program to become the publishing industry’s first-ever program focusing on accessibility certification. The program evaluates whether ebooks are designed to be accessible for learners with reading barriers such as blindness, low vision, dyslexia, or a physical disability. “In this digital age there’s no reason that students with disabilities shouldn’t have the same access to learning materials as their peers,” said Susan Winslow, General Manager of Macmillan Learning. “Through working with Benetech, we saw how our internal processes could be improved to make materials even more accessible and made all the necessary changes. While we’re very proud of being the first to have the designation - we’re more proud that we now better serve all learners.” Over the past few years digital experiences have become richer - with dynamic content and features that make learning more interactive. While Macmillan Learning has had processes in place to support learners with disabilities for some time, the company worked alongside Benetech to ensure that the best possible support for access to these digital features were built in. To become Global Certified Accessible Benetech evaluated Macmillan Learning’s workflow for creating accessible books, as well as many samples of content across the disciplines they publish in, and certified conformance to the accessible EPUB creation guidelines, which are based on   WCAG 2.0 AA+ standards   put in place by the international standards organizations and the publishing community. Using a collaborative process, Benetech evaluated and provided feedback on more than a hundred accessibility features. The certification applies to all books created using Macmillan Learning’s updated process, which includes all ebooks with a 2019 copyright. “As teachers, school districts and post-secondary institutions select course materials, they need to know that the ebooks they choose will be accessible for all students,” said Brad Turner, VP and GM, Global Education and Literacy at Benetech. “Now that Macmillan Learning is a Global Certified Accessible publisher, schools can select Macmillan’s certified materials, knowing that every student will be able to read and learn from the textbook in a way that works for them, laying the foundation for a classroom that is inclusive of all learners.” Macmillan Learning’s certified materials will be available through our regular channel partners as well as a new retail store hosted by VitalSourceⓇ. This also includes a catalog of more than 200 titles from our backlist which, while not “born accessible,” include detailed   accessibility information   on the VitalSource platform through their accessibility badging initiative. “We are excited about the leadership Macmillan Learning is providing around accessibility support and transparency in their content,” said Rick Johnson, VP of Product Strategy at VitalSource. “Our industry leading efforts with transparency showcases the accessibility features they have included in their content and will help all learners understand how that content can best support their individual needs.” For many years, Macmillan Learning has offered accessible materials such as instructor and student resources (e.g., lecture slides, quizzes, PDFs, etc.), and ebooks at no additional cost to Disability Services for qualified instructors and students with disabilities and for instructors supporting students with disabilities. About Macmillan Learning   Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that is empathetic, 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 see us on   Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn   or join our   Macmillan Community. ... View more

New Orleans, October 16, 2019 -- The EconEd Conference, held annually by education publisher Macmillan Learning, doubles down its focus this year on knowledge sharing of best practices for teaching economics. #EconEd19 will be held this week, on Oct. 18-19 in New Orleans, and is free to instructors and the economics community via livestream, with no registration required. The conference is held annually to offer professional development and community building for economics instructors. Among the highlights this year are presentations from acclaimed economic instructors Betsey Stevenon and Justin Wolfers, and a session with Loonshot: How to Nurture Crazy Ideas Author Safi Bahcall.  “We encounter economics all around us, in nearly every decision we make, and the speakers lined up for EconEd share Macmillan Learning’s goal of making economics more relatable and applicable to students’ everyday life experiences. From sessions on economics of ‘free’ goods like social media to the economics of environmental sustainability -- an issue aligned to Macmillan’s own mission of sustainability -- we hope to learn more about how instructors are motivating students’ creativity and curiosity about economics,” said Charles Linsmeier, Senior Vice President of Content Strategy, Macmillan Learning. Friday Sessions are from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT and include*: Students Aren't Like Us, So How Can We Reach Them Betsey Stevenson, University of Michigan  Learning Science and Insights: How Data and Insights Can Support You Marcy Baughman, Macmillan Learning Economics of Sustainability  Madhavi Venkatesan, Northeastern University Triangulated Teaching & Learning Dave Anderson, Centre College Access and Success: The Case for Reaching All Students in Economics Panel Economics of a Free Good Alex Tabarrok, George Mason University Economics (In)Action: Revamping a Survey of Economics Course Sarah Jenyk, Youngstown State University Loonshot: How to Nurture Crazy Ideas Safi Bahcall, St. Martin’s Press  Saturday Sessions are from 8:30 a.m. to noon CT and include*: Micro-Insertion: A Small Unit of Ethics Instruction Scott Houser, Colorado School of Mines Turning the Dreaded “Must Take Class” into the “Best Class Ever”: Bringing Economic Concepts to Life! Eric Chiang, Florida Atlantic University Knot Tying 101 Irene Foster and Students, George Washington University Econofact & The Principles Course Michael Klein, Tufts University  One Step At A Time: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Applied Economics Research Karen Bernhardt-Walther, York University  Team-Based Learning Pedagogy in College Economics Classes Phil Ruder, Pacific University Make America Think Again Reggie Gray, Dallas County Community College Teaching Business Cycles to Principles Students. Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan Follow #EconEd19 on Twitter and on @MacmillanLearn. Media interested in attending should email marisa.bluestone@macmillan.com.   *Speakers and sessions are as of October 15, 2019 and are subject to change.   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 empathetic, 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 see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community. ... View more

July 25, 2017.  Raleigh, NC.    Today Macmillan Learning, a premier educational content and digital solutions company, and VitalSource Technologies LLC®, the world leader in building, enhancing and delivering digital course materials, announced a new collaboration to provide students with greater access and an improved learning experience with Macmillan Learning’s digital products. “At Macmillan Learning, we are working every day to create innovative solutions,” said Chief Operations Officer Ken Brooks. “Working with the VitalSource is enabling us to immediately broaden our reach. We will be able to provide more accessible digital solutions for all learners, as well as new solutions for the K12 market.” Using VitalSource’s LearnKit application program interfaces (APIs), Macmillan Learning will offer content at a broader scale with mobile, responsive and accessible options for all learners, while maintaining the flexibility to meet the needs of today’s faculty and administrators. “Macmillan has a long history of creating and curating great content and platforms,” said VitalSource Chief Operating Officer Pep Carrera. “While they have done a fantastic job with their digital offerings, this collaboration allows them to accelerate their efforts, while banking on VitalSource’s nearly 20 years of experience optimizing and delivering digital content to millions of students.” “Customization for our customers is critical in today’s market as educators and learners strive for more personalized pathways,” said Brooks. “With this collaboration, we will be able to take individual slices of content to customize and integrate with pedagogical tools and assessment in new ways.” ## About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. Our legacy of excellence in education continues to inform our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering, interactive tools. Through deep partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. To learn more, please visit our website or see us on Facebook, Twitter, or join our Macmillan Community   About VitalSource  |   www.vitalsource.com VitalSource Technologies LLC, part of Ingram Content Group LLC, is improving the learning experience by making it easier to create and deliver effective and affordable content. The preferred choice among educational institutions and companies for digital learning materials, VitalSource ®  helps over 1,000 educational content providers create and deliver seamless interactive learning experiences through its exclusive Bookshelf ®  platform to millions of learners at 7,000 institutions. Bookshelf users opened more than 20 million digital textbooks last year and read more than 2.4 billion pages.   ... View more

  New York, NY, July 19, 2017 .    Macmillan Learning, a premier educational content and digital solutions company, today announced a new partnership with Follett Higher Education to provide more affordable rental options of popular Macmillan Learning solutions. Beginning this fall, some of Macmillan Learning’s popular textbooks and digital solutions will be available for consignment rental at more than 1,200 nationwide campus stores managed by Follett. This content, which will only be available to students to rent, will deliver significant savings for students compared with most rental pricing currently available or compared to the cost of purchasing a new textbook .  This partnership also enables Follett stores to offer students print plus digital bundles at substantially lower rental prices than previously possible.   Commenting on the partnership, Macmillan Learning CEO, Ken Michaels stated, “Affordability is a significant concern for students. At Macmillan Learning, we are evaluating everything we do to ensure we can provide students with access to the most affordable options for high quality course materials. This partnership with Follett enables us to offer lower priced options for content through all of their campus stores.”   Macmillan Learning's consignment rental program with Follett will not only provide students with direct savings, but also give them an option for continued  access to the digital content after the rental period ends at a substantially reduced price.   “Making college education more affordable and accessible to students by providing the widest range of course material options is our core mission at Follett, which is why we are pleased to offer Macmillan rentals at our campus stores,” said Clay Wahl, President of Follett Higher Education. “This partnership expands the number of physical and digital rental options available through Follett, the best source for students looking for course material solutions that match their individual learning and financial needs.”   “Central to Macmillan’s mission of improving lives through learning is to ensure that students can access the materials that they need to thrive,” said Mr. Michaels. “Until now, students have generally been forced to choose between inexpensive print rentals or grade-enhancing digital bundles. And that’s a shame because student’s success requires  a variety of resources and solutions to maximize learning. We’re pleased to launch this partnership with Follett to combine the cost savings of print rental with the learning outcome advantages of digital study aids and supplements.” Both companies intend to expand this rental-only program and partnership in coming months. To learn more about all of Macmillan Learning’s affordable content and digital solutions, visit macmillanlearning.com . To learn more about Follett, visit http://www.follett.com .   About Macmillan Learning:   Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. Our legacy of excellence in education continues to inform our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering, interactive tools. Through deep partnership with the world’s best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. To learn more, please visit http://www.macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIN or join our Macmillan Community .     About Follett Corporation: For more than 140 years, Follett has been a trusted partner to preK-12 schools, colleges and campus stores, taking care of the critical details that make it easier for schools to run, teachers to teach, students to learn and fans to celebrate. A leading provider of education technology, services and physical and digital content, Follett currently works with 70,000 schools and operates more than 1,250 local campus stores and 1,600 virtual stores. With the 2016 acquisition of Baker & Taylor, LLC, Follett's reach also extends into the public library and global retail markets. Today Follett Corporation is the world's largest single source of course materials, books, entertainment products, digital content and multi-media for libraries, schools and retailers. To learn more visit www.follett.com . ... View more

New York, NY, July 17, 2017   It goes without saying that affordability is a significant concern for students. As such, at Macmillan Learning, we are evaluating everything we do to ensure we can provide students with the most affordable options for course materials. We are pleased to announce a number of new initiatives geared towards offering more affordable and flexible learning solutions for students.   Lower eBook Prices   Beginning in fall 2017, we are reducing the cost of most of our eBook titles. By opting to use an eBook, students will gain immediate access to course materials, which studies have shown enhance outcomes. eBooks represent the most affordable way to access course content. On average, the cost of a Macmillan Learning eBook will now be less than $50, making one of our most affordable options even more affordable.   “Central to Macmillan’s mission of improving lives through learning is to ensure that students can access the materials that they need to thrive,” said CEO, Ken Michaels. “Rather than offer lip-service to calls for more affordable learning materials, we’re proud to take action to provide students with the resources necessary to maximize learning.”   New Student Store   This summer, we are launching a new way to purchase course materials via the Macmillan Learning Student Store. The Student Store will be the 1-stop-shop for all materials, including print and digital purchases, as well as print rentals. Unlike other online retailers, the Macmillan Learning Student Store will offer ALL formats and varieties of content, as well as a robust mix of content combinations. By bundling printed texts, loose-leaf materials, as well as digital learning tools, students will have maximum flexibility to make the choices that make most sense for their learning needs. The Student Store is set to launch in time for the back-to-school season. Visit macmillanlearning.com for more information.   Rental Options   Increasingly students are opting to rent their course materials rather than buy. In fact, many studies indicate that rental is the preferred method of purchase for today’s students. While the rental of learning materials is not a new phenomenon, we are pleased to offer rental directly on the Macmillan Learning Student Store beginning this fall. We will offer rental of standalone course materials, as well as attractively-priced rental packages with our many digital learning solutions.   Students who rent from the Student Store are always guaranteed a new copy of the book with each rental and an unused digital access code.  As such, students can always be certain that the digital supplements and study tools are included with each rental. To learn more about the Macmillan Learning Rental Program, visit macmillanlearning.com. Partnerships   A critical component of offering the highest-quality learning materials at the most attractive prices is partnering with key players in the education industry. We recently announced our partnership with market-leading eBook provider, Vital Source, in which we will offer mobile, responsive, and accessible digital tools for all learners. On Wednesday, July 19th, we announced a partnership with Follett Corporation to offer affordable learning materials at Follett's 1200 campus bookstores. Read more here.   Stay tuned for more partnership announcements! You can follow news about Macmillan Learning here .   About Macmillan Learning:   Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. Our legacy of excellence in education continues to inform our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering, interactive tools. Through deep partnership with the world’s best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. To learn more, please visit http://www.macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIN or join our Macmillan Community . ... View more

Company maximizing powerful opportunity to blend learning research, human-centered design, analytics, and impact research to help educators and learners reach full potential. New York, May 10, 2017 – Macmillan Learning, a leading education solutions company, announced significant investments in expanding their learning research and design capabilities to leverage emerging research and insights to drive future innovation. Chief Executive Officer, Ken Michaels stated, “We know more about how students learn than ever before. We have an unprecedented opportunity to help students to achieve their academic goals by utilizing the science of learning.  And in this rapidly changing education landscape, instructors and administrators are seeking partners able to provide holistic, actionable, data-based insights.” This commitment is embodied in Macmillan’s Learning Science and Insights division. Led by Chief Learning Officer, Dr. Adam Black, the team’s mission is to forge a synthesized, end-to-end approach to the research, design, development, evaluation, instructional support, and continuous improvement of all learning solutions. Macmillan’s Learning Science and Insights division brings together a formidable group of industry-leading researchers, analysts, and faculty advisors with Macmillan’s User Experience Design team. Senior leaders include: Dr. Jeff Bergin, VP of Learning Research and Design;  Dr. Rasil Warnakulasooriya, VP of Analytics and Insights; and Dr. Kara McWilliams, Senior Director of Impact Research. Leveraging the considerable experience of the team, Macmillan’s unusually broad portfolio of learning tools, and the growing body of learning science, is helping Macmillan Learning to redefine a learner-centered strategy. “ A lot is known about how to engage each learner at the right cognitive level, through to coaching them with effective study strategies during a course and through their college career,” described Dr. Black. “Codifying this research into practical design principles, and co-evolving solutions with learners and instructors through user-centered design enables us to develop innovative solutions that are deeply intuitive and engineered to improve learning outcomes.”   Dr. Black went on to describe their process. “Designing data capture and feedback loops into our learning solutions enables us to continuously improve and is already revealing fascinating empirical insights into learners that are driving our future innovations,” he noted. Commenting on the new Learning Science and Insights division , Managing Director Susan Winslow said, “It doesn’t get more exciting than helping learners, instructors, and institutions achieve their best outcomes. We are applying educational research to the design of our products, continuously evaluating the impact of our solutions, and utilizing insights from big and small data, as we prepare to roll out the first solutions informed from this work in 2018. We are passionate about the opportunity to make a significant difference in the teaching and learning process. This is what drives us each and every day.” Macmillan has a rich history of continuous innovation in education tied directly to enhancing the learner’s experience and ultimate success, including the recent acquisition of several educational technology companies. To learn more about Macmillan Learning’s Learning Science and Insights team and the journey we are on, visit macmillanlearning.com # # #   About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. Our legacy of excellence in education continues to inform our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering, interactive tools. Through deep partnership with the world’s best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. To learn more, please visit our website or see us on Facebook , Twitter , or join our Macmillan Community . ... View more

Educational technology has the potential to dramatically improve learner outcomes, but only if instructors are helped to understand what works for their students and classrooms. Measuring the efficacy of ed tech is difficult because of the complexity and variety of educational settings. Arriving at a clear approach begins with collaboration between developers, researchers and the instructors using these technologies.   To work toward making efficacy research results more actionable, the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, in partnership with Jefferson Education Accelerator and Digital Promise, invited 275 researchers, entrepreneurs, district and university leaders, and teachers and professors to the EdTech Efficacy Research Academic Symposium  in Washington D.C. The two-day meeting provided a forum for collaboration and the development of an action plan - to clarify what is meant by the efficacy of ed tech, and to develop more systematic approaches to measuring efficacy within complex and differing educational contexts.   One of the clearest and most widely supported recommendations was that in order to better support instructors, a paradigm shift is needed in research - away from standalone statements of efficacy and toward the development of a body of evidence of a tool’s effectiveness. There was also consensus that building this sort of evidence takes time, and needs to be done collaboratively between researchers and educators. Three key themes are driving the need for a paradigm shift in efficacy research 1.) The Counterfactual model is useful, but may not meet a university or instructor's needs There was a strong message that researchers should resist the race up the ladder of evidence to randomized controlled trials (RCT), and instead rightsize study designs to provide insights that will help instructors.  During a panel discussion, Linda Roberts, Founding Director of the United States Office of Ed Tech suggested that the “Gold Standard” of RCTs cannot be the only model for measuring effectiveness in ed tech, noting that digital tools are often continually evolving.  Susan Fuhrman (Teachers College) echoed these comments by reminding us that RCTs should only be conducted when a product has been in use for at least a year and so aren’t useful for providing insights earlier in product development when significant changes could be made. And Brandon Busteed from Gallup shared from personal experience that many ed tech products won’t survive the (about) seven years it takes to fully communicate the results from an RCT, and that many adoption decisions are already made in absence of evidence. The take-away: Conducting rapid-cycle studies that meet the standards of their design and provide actionable insights in a timely manner would better serve the needs of instructors and learners than would a rigorous RCT. 2.) Context and use cases are significant factors to consider when measuring impact How an ed tech tool is used and in what context are critical to impacting learner outcomes.  There was consensus that systematically examining instructor implementations should be priority, as well as an understanding of the challenges.  Karen Vaites (OpenUp Resources) noted that, in general, edtech companies have a desire to explore context, but many can’t afford to conduct on-the-ground studies in multiple institutions and explore multiple implementation models.  Researchers and educators should work together to identify methods for measuring local impact and aggregating those results across multiple settings.  Results would help instructors to understand whether the edtech will work in a classroom like theirs. And, a meta-analysis of studies would be useful add to a product’s overall efficacy portfolio. The take-away :  A tool’s efficacy research must start with a keen understanding of it’s users and use cases, and meaningful classifications of institutions and implementation models.  Then, a representative sample can be identified to conduct rapid, scalable implementation studies across contexts.   3.) Providing instructors with the right information and at the right time to make informed decisions Instructors often rely on a game of “telephone research” when making ed tech adoption decisions, asking friends and colleagues for advice - in part because research results are often not helpful to them.  In a lightning round presentation, Richard Culatta (ISTE) also reminded us that research results that emerge after adoption decisions have been made are useless.  Instructors can become more informed decision makers if the research community can evolve practices to provide more clear and timely communication about what works, for who, and why.  Linda Roberts suggested that if it takes three to five years to communicate research results, then current research should be focusing on the questions instructors will have three to five years from now!  These themes suggest that research should consider two parallel work streams: one providing immediate insights to instructors about current ed tech, and a second looking three to five years out, to set up studies to answer future questions. The take-away : In the near term, instructors could benefit from intuitive dashboards that provide insights into their learners’ performance.  Rapid evaluations during the development of a product can deliver immediate, actionable results in brief, consumable reports.  Taken together, these artifacts can answer instructor’s immediate questions and build a body of evidence that will help to frame their future questions. A call to action The symposium concluded with a call to collaborative action - as Aubrey Francisco (Digital Promise) commented, “No one stakeholder [is] to blame for evidence not being [the] key driver of ed tech decision making, but it is everyone’s burden”.  Attendees committed to evolving the bridge between research and practice, and to partnering to grow a body of evidence that more effectively answers the questions emerging in schools and universities. A job well done A huge thank you to the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, the Jefferson Education Accelerator, and Digital Promise. And, to each of the Working Groups who spent the past six months tackling these tough topics, conducting important research, and sharing their findings throughout the two-day symposium.  All of the presentations were informative, insightful, and inspiring. For more of my insights from the Symposium follow me on twitter at @karamcwilliams and join the conversation at #ShowTheEvidence.   Also, be sure to stay tuned for my forthcoming blog series “Impacts to Insights” on the Macmillan Community   ... View more

Known by many names—mentor, instructor, professor, or teacher—you’re driven to action by one force: to inspire and educate the future. This is an immense task and, in our Information Age, it is one that is constantly changing. Yet, you persevere. Over the course of my career in education, I’ve encountered many teachers who not only passionately instruct and educate, but strive to adapt to the increasing rate of change in technology and methodology. All of this is done in the name of student success.   In fact, I remember a professor from my undergraduate days whose forward-thinking methods changed my worldview and her class marked a turning point in my maturity. This professor challenged my core beliefs, stretched my awareness, and encouraged me to use critical thinking and argument theory long before these methods were in vogue. Looking back, it’s easy to see that the skills she taught in that class are critical in life. They not only strengthen a person’s approach to complex problems, but can shape the character of who that person will become. With this in mind, I wanted to take the time this Teacher Appreciation Week to express our gratitude and admiration for everything it is that teachers do. The work you do is an invaluable asset on the road to progress.  Make no mistake, you are affecting change and shaping the future of civilization every day, but the good news is that you’re not in it alone. We’re here with you—ready to support your needs, tackle your challenges, and ease your burdens—every step of the way.   All the best, Ken Michaels ... View more

Appointment Signals Accelerated Innovation for Education Company New York, NY & Austin, TX, April 27, 2017 - Macmillan Learning, a leading education solutions company, today announced the appointment of Chelsea Valentine as Chief Technology Officer. Ms. Valentine will play a key role in shaping the company’s technology agenda and future digital vision. She will report directly to Macmillan Learning Chief Executive Officer, Ken Michaels. “We continue to see increased demand for more personalized teaching and learning pathways, data-driven decision making, and open architecture on college campuses,” said Mr. Michaels. “Chelsea brings a unique blend of skillsets and experience to drive innovative, flexible solutions for today’s educational challenges. She has the foundational discipline for the governance and scale necessary in our increasingly digital world.” Ms. Valentine brings over 20 years of experience in technology, publishing, and education. As a published author of over a dozen books on web application development and a former adjunct professor, she brings a unique perspective as both an educator and technology leader. Ms. Valentine joined Macmillan in 2013 to lead product development for Sapling Learning, a division of Macmillan. In 2015, Ms. Valentine took leadership of the technology and engineering vision for the Macmillan team and has since revolutionized the company's architectural approach and roadmap. “Chelsea’s expertise has been a game-changer,” said Managing Director, Susan Winslow. “Her collaboration with our Learning Science and Insights and Product Development teams has been instrumental to the creation of tools that most effectively drive positive student outcomes.” Speaking about the importance of working in education, Ms. Valentine noted, “I have spent my career focused on education. I am thrilled to join this team and honored to support Macmillan Learning’s vision. This company has an impressive history of innovation and educational leadership. There is tremendous room to maximize the opportunities in education with our digital solutions. Most importantly, at Macmillan, our teams are not only working on bleeding-edge innovation every single day, we also all understand that what we do here every day matters.” “Chelsea’s appointment is a key component to our strategy at Macmillan Learning as we continue toward our goals of innovation, operational excellence and improving lives through learning,” said Mr. Michaels. “She will be a key high impact player for our customers moving forward.” Ms. Valentine will be based in the company’s Austin, TX office. # # # About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning improves lives through learning. Our legacy of excellence in education continues to inform our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering, interactive tools. Through deep partnership with the world’s best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. To learn more, please visit our website or see us on Facebook, Twitter, or join our Macmillan Community. Macmillan Learning has offices in Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Hamilton, NJ; Los Altos, CA; Plymouth, MI; New York, NY and Springfield, MO. ... View more

On April 25, Macmillan Publishers CEO John Sargent was honored with the PEN Award for Publishing, for "his fierce advocacy for the right to publish and for serving as a defender of publishers' and authors' intellectual property rights." (via pen.org. Read more .) Other honorees included acclaimed filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, The Women's March, and Stephen Sondheim, who won the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award. “A pillar of the publishing world, John Sargent personally embodies the intellectual rigor, integrity, and public-mindedness that make publishing a noble profession. His leadership in the industry has served editors, writers, and booksellers alike, bolstering the strength of our community for more than three decades.”  —Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director, PEN America via PEN.org For more information, see coverage via Publishers Weekly (below) or at PEN.org. At PEN Gala, Sargent Speaks to the First Amendment By John Maher | Apr 26, 2017 | Publishers Weekly The 2017 PEN Literary Gala, held on April 26 at the Museum of Natural History in New York, saw the publishing and nonprofit worlds come together in support of free speech. PEN president Andrew Solomon said the fundraiser was PEN's most successful to date, with nearly $2 million raised. The publisher honoree was Macmillan CEO John Sargent, who spoke about the importance of the First Amendment to a room filled with authors such as Zadie Smith, Neil Gaiman, and Salman Rushdie. "For those of us who have made a living [in publishing]...defending the First Amendment, our choices are, by necessity, personal," Sargent said, adding that the amendment only referred to Congress's obligation to "make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press," and that it does not even define what free speech is. "There is no guidance, and the obligation to follow the amendment is only moral." In his address, Sargent stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of speech in an industry that is built upon its principles—even when the speech needing protection or publication does not align with publishers' personal politics. The argument touched on an issue that has proven divisive in publishing of late, especially surrounding the now-abandoned book deal between alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and Simon & Schuster, but also applies to Macmillan imprint Henry Holt's decision to continue to publish the works of former Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly after the network let him go in the wake of numerous sexual harassment allegations. Sargent noted historical examples as well, pointing to how "demoralized" he was after Simon & Schuster pulled American Psycho in the 1980s and "the great respect" he felt after Rushdie and his publisher, Viking, "withstood the onslaught" of anger and threats from portions of the Islamic world over the publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. "There are fewer and fewer of us who decide on what to publish, not to publish or, very occasionally, what book to pull," Sargent said. He added that simply deferring to self-publishers and expecting them to publish works rooted in speech or ideology that those in the book industry don't agree with isn't enough—despite his personal political inclinations. "There is a steady drumbeat asserting that lines should be drawn...but unfortunately, the very act of drawing a line and making that decision runs counter to our obligations to defend free speech." Others honored last night included Stephen Sondheim, who actress Meryl Streep presented with the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award; the 2017 Women's March, awarded with the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Award; and the imprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker and writer Oleg Sentsov, who was awarded the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. ... View more

In this article, Dr. Walter Bortz II describes his inspiring visit with Albert Bandura, author of our recent title, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live With Themselves (2016) and his earlier work with Macmillan, Self Efficacy (1997) . At age 91, Dr. Bandura is an inspiration to us all! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dare-to-be-100-a-gem-retrieved-albert-bandura_us_58d18c14e4b0537abd9575ae  ... View more

Macmillan Learning is partnering with media partner, EdSurge, and NY EdTech Meetup to host an edtech job fair! We are thrilled to welcome early stage start up companies and job seekers to our Manhattan headquarters on Thursday, April 27th from 7-10pm. This unique networking event is designed to help qualified individuals find their next job in the education technology industry. So, if you're a former teacher, developer, or passionate marketing or business development leader, this is the event for you! For more details and to register for the event, click here. If you have any questions, email: nikki.jones@macmillan.com . ... View more

What hot topics will have everyone at SXSWedu talking? We have a few predictions on the popular themes and trends that might take shape over the course of the week. Of course, the team here at Macmillan Learning will be hosting several events that you won’t want to miss—but this conference will be full of interesting lectures and discussions that have the power to rock the education world as we now know it. So, without further ado, here are our predictions on what’s likely to set this conference abuzz:   Diversity and equality Not only is this a hot topic in education, but the world at large, so we fully expect to see topics on diversity and equality woven throughout the SXSWedu. From lectures and panels to discussions in networking lounges, this is our chance to open up the dialogue and address the very real concerns we have in terms of making education accessible and equal for all. Harnessing the power of data As education continues to go digital, the amount of online student data will only continue to grow. The challenge facing many educators is what to do with all of that data—what are the best ways to process, analyze, and secure it? We expect to hear personal success stories regarding data from educators and entrepreneurs across the country. The merging of arts and science For years, it’s been STEM on one side of the coin and humanities and liberal arts on the other. As we move forward, however, we’re noticing a trend that weaves arts and science together. This theme will likely present itself throughout SXSWedu this year. Maker culture The maker revolution will be alive and well at SXSWedu. This tech-based branch of DIY culture can help improve classrooms simply with its think outside-of-the-box approach. There will be lots of discussions on maker ideology that can help educators do much more with less. In fact, the Macmillan Learning team hosted a session workshop, Design Your Own Learning App (in Just 2 Hours!) , that provided participants with the tools needed to DIY a learning app catered to their classroom. Virtual reality (VR) in the classroom 2016 was a banner year for VR as several new devices hit the market—from the affordable HTC Vive to the pricey Oculus Rift. 2017, however, will be the year where we find new and inventive ways to apply this technology to the classroom—and SXSWedu will be an open platform for brainstorming ideas with fellow educators. So, whether the above topics turn out to be a hit or not, they are certainly themes worth exploring in the classroom. We’re eager to learn more about these topics so we can continue to provide high-quality educational content for educators. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about where to find us at SXSWedu, send us a note . We hope to see you there! --- Macmillan Learning's legacy of excellence in education informs our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering and interactive teaching tools. Through deep partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire student curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. Learn more by visiting our website. ... View more

It’s the final countdown until SXSWedu ! We’re putting all the final touches on our jammed-packed schedule—and can’t wait to see you at the conference in March.   For those who may not be familiar, the SXSWedu Conference & Festival is a part of the world-renowned SXSW family of conferences and festivals held annually in Austin, TX. SXSW is known for its cutting-edge innovation in the interactive, film, and music industries—and SXSWedu is no different. This education conference was created to foster “innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders across a variety of backgrounds in education.” We’re eager to continue to lend our expertise and developments with a forward-thinking community that’s as passionate about the progress of education as we are. W e have some must-see events you’ll want to check out.  Here’s where you can find us throughout the conference: Design Your Own Learning App (in Just 2 Hours!) Monday, March 6 1:30PM - 3:30PM JW Marriott - Room 203-204 Have you ever wanted to create and design a learning app catered to your specifications? In this one-of-a-kind event, participants will engage in a learner-centered design process to conceptualize, design, and test their own learning app. Our presenters—who are experienced, credentialed learning designers—will take participants through a six-step design process that incorporates the following:   Learning problem exploration and analysis Learning sciences consultation Prototyping User testing This process is based on user-centered design and design-based research methods. Participants will leave this lecture with a deeper understanding of learning design and will be able to adopt or adapt the design model for use in their own settings. Add this session to your schedule today! SXSWedu Startup Showcase Tuesday, March 7 6:00PM - 8:00PM JW Marriott - 3rd Floor Prefunction We’re hosting the SXSWedu Startup Showcase this year. This networking event works to spotlight the education startups participating at the conference. The cocktail-style reception will provide attendees the opportunity to demo products and offer valuable, real-time feedback in a fun and casual atmosphere. #TAPSXSWEDU 5th Annual Ed Tech Cocktail Party Contact us for details We're especially excited about our #TAPSXSWEDU Ed Tech cocktail party on Tuesday night! This is our fifth annual Ed Tech happy hour that will tap into the innovative spirit of SXSWedu . Edtech startups, entrepreneurs, and business investors will all get together to enjoy food, drink, music, and conversation. This is an exclusive, invite-only event, so if you’d like to learn more, please contact us directly for details. SXSW Job Market Exhibitor Saturday, March 11 – Sunday, March 12 10:00AM – 5:00PM Austin Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 1, Stand #418 You can find us at stand #418 at the Job Market on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll be more than happy to share information on careers at Macmillan Learning, as well as details on the recruiting process and the education industry. We’re looking forward to connecting with you at SXSWedu ! If you have any questions between now and then, feel free to send us a note . See you in Austin!   --- About Macmillan Learning: Macmillan Learning's legacy of excellence in education informs our approach to developing world-class content with pioneering and interactive teaching tools. Through deep partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire student curiosity and measure progress. Our commitment to teaching and discovery upholds our mission to improve lives through learning. Learn more by visiting our website . ... View more