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Empowering Learning Excellence

Digital tools elevate instruction, boost student engagement and solve many modern instructional challenges.1 But while today’s students are tech-savvy, these “digital natives” still need instructors to guide them on how to sift, sort and synthesize information to avoid overload. 2

Instructor-Fueled Learning

This report demonstrates the success instructors and students achieve when integrating MindTap into their courses.

Using MindTap, instructors are free to teach their own way, crafting learning experiences that reflect their unique passion and priorities. Students can then digitally immerse themselves in instructorcurated content that neatly fits into their lifestyles, driving both engagement and content mastery. Learn about MindTap.

The statistics in this report were compiled by analyzing MindTap studies between 2014–2017.

The winning MindTap recipe targets individual student needs and produces:

Higher Grades

Better Retention and Completion

Greater Confidence

More Student Engagement

It’s the passion and commitment of instructors and students who collaborate to deliver better learning outcomes. MindTap technology effectively empowers their learning excellence. View Methodology.

HIGHER GRADES, BETTER OPPORTUNITIES

Good grades are more than a letter on paper

Grades are a gateway to a better future. But students need to believe good grades are possible, and see evidence along the way, for them to convert those aspirations into achievement.3

Confidence propels learning, and students who frequently use digital are more confident learners. 4 Digital learners are also more likely to expect good grades and course success vs. those who only occasionally, or never use digital. 5

Customization is key to this success. So with MindTap, educators have unique ways to infuse their personal style into course materials, making them more relevant and engaging for students. The result: more effective learning and better performance.

Weak concepts can be further strengthened by using a combination of visual, verbal and active instruction methods. This approach benefits most learners and promotes active cognitive processing and meaningful learning. 6

Knowing this, professors use interactive homework, quizzes and assessments in MindTap to focus students on concepts needing extra attention. They also monitor performance using analytics and intervene where it can make a positive impact. Students are further empowered to track their own progress and engage professors directly with questions.

STUDENTS STAY IN SCHOOL—AND THRIVE

Personalized learning paths are key to reinforcing weaker concepts

Not surprisingly, instructors and students using MindTap enjoyed steep performance improvements — and confident students stay in school.

LEARNERS BUILD CONFIDENCE, AIM HIGHER

Smart use of MindTap can help

Of the many factors influencing confidence, 80% of students said personalized instructor feedback had a direct impact on their course confidence. 7 But with increasing demands, how can educators keep up with the increasing guidance modern students need to excel?

Smart use of MindTap can help. MindTap creates the “personalized and connected learning experiences” recommended by the US Department of Education.8 With MindTap, instructors can nurture students by sharing notes and highlighting ebook text directly within the platform.

Deploying MindTap tools, 71% of students said MindTap increased their confidence in understanding course materials. Academic success has even inspired students to tackle careers they previously thought impossible. That’s the societal value of confident learners.

Conclusion

For this generation of digital natives, guidance is key to student confidence and engagement. MindTap inspires professors to craft unique learning experiences that capture—and hold—student attention. It saves grading and preparation time, freeing instructors to spend more time engaging students.

This personalized attention motivates students to take a more active role in learning, made easier with instant mobile access to their coursework. The Cengage Mobile App makes learning a constant part of students’ lives, improving their course engagement and preparedness

Empowered by MindTap, instructors excite learners in profound ways that change lives for the better— propelling student success.

Methodology

Quantitative and qualitative data from Fall 2014 through Spring 2017 from 100 institutions and over 7,000 students were collected from 18 separate studies. These included course grades, tests and assignment scores as well as learner and instructor surveys and interviews. Most studies also collected data from non-MindTap users, allowing for direct comparisons on the impact of MindTap on academic outcomes.

  1. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, Reimagining the Role of Technology in Higher Education: A Supplement to the National Education Technology Plan, Washington, D.C., 2017.
  2. Mohr, Kathleen A. J. and Mohr, Eric S. “Understanding Generation Z Students to Promote a Contemporary Learning Environment, “Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence: Vol. 1 (2017): Iss. 1, Article 9.
  3. Usher, E. L., and Pajares, F. Sources of self-efficacy in school: critical review of the literature and future directions. Rev. Educ. Res (2008): 78, 751–796
  4. Student Confidence Survey Analysis, Cengage, 2017
  5. Ibid.
  6. Learning Styles as a Myth, Yale Center for Teaching and Learning, http://ctl.yale.edu/LearningStylesMyth
  7. Student Confidence Survey Analysis, July 2017, Cengage
  8. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, Reimagining the Role of Technology in Higher Education: A Supplement to the National Education Technology Plan, Washington, D.C., 2017.
  9. Mantooth, J. D. (2011). The effects of professor humor on college students’ attention and retention (Order No. http://journal.julypress.com/index.php/ijsn Vol. 1, No. 1; 2016
  10. Student Confidence Survey Analysis , July 2017, Cengage
  11. Ibid.
  12. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, Reimagining the Role of Technology in Higher Education: A Supplement to the National Education Technology Plan, Washington, D.C., 2017.

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