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 complete 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, after 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 States, 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, Assessment 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. ... 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

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

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