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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Company’s perfect score earned it designation as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality”  New York, January 27, 2022 – Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and services company, announced today that it received a score of 100 for the third consecutive year on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The Index is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Macmillan Learning is one of only two education companies to earn top marks this year.  “It’s important to Macmillan Learning that we create a diverse workplace where everyone feels valued and appreciated and that encourages belonging and acceptance. Although our work is far from finished, we are proud to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign for our advocacy and support of LGBTQ+ employees,” said Coltrane Stansbury, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Macmillan Learning.  By creating a workforce reflective of diverse learners, Macmillan Learning is able to better create its course materials and educational technology with inclusive design. The company’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion is centered around three core values, which are evident in its products, people and culture:  Products: Macmillan Learning takes bold steps to ensure its products and services consider the backgrounds, needs and challenges of all learners.  People: Macmillan Learning is intentional in its efforts to attract and retain top, diverse talent who bring unique perspectives, varied skills, and diversity of thought. Culture: Macmillan Learning cultivates a culture where everyone is respected and valued for their experiences and contributions. The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: non-discriminatory policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility.  Macmillan Learning’s efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria earned a 100 percent ranking and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. The company was one of only two education companies to earn top marks this year. The results of the 2022 CEI showcase how 1,271 U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ+-friendly workplace policies in the U.S. and helping advance the cause of LGBTQ+ inclusion in workplaces abroad.  Read more about Macmillan Learning’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion here. For more information about work opportunities at Macmillan Learning, visit the company’s careers page.  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