White Paper. Rich Digital Primary Source Sets and Intuitive Courseware Increase Student Engagement and Outcomes in U.S. History

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1 White Paper Rich Digital Primary Source Sets and Intuitive Courseware Increase Student Engagement and Outcomes in U.S. History ENGAGED WITH YOU cengage.com

2 White Paper: Rich Digital Primary Source Sets and Intuitive Courseware Increase Student Engagement and Outcomes in U.S. History About MindTap for U.S. History MindTap for U.S. History is a personalized teaching and learning solution that focuses on primary sources reflecting social, economic, political, and Americana themes. Integrated readings and interactive assignments guide students in learning, applying, thinking critically, and writing about historical content. In addition, instructors can personalize the experience by customizing Cengage Learning content and learning tools, including adding their own content via apps that integrate into the MindTap framework with Learning Management Systems. Abstract In the fall of 2014, MarketingWorks and SEG Measurement, two independent research firms, conducted a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of MindTap for U.S. History, a new personalized teaching and learning tool that utilizes primary sources to engage students with relevant assignments that guide them to analyze, apply, and improve thinking, while giving instructors the power to measure skills and outcomes with ease. Findings confirmed an increase in student engagement and learning, resulting in better academic outcomes and that MindTap is an effective tool to increase the academic success of students in the classroom. Results indicated that all students improved, but students who were at risk of failing benefited the most. Introduction Students taking U.S. History courses in today s higher education environment are often not engaged in the course and often apathetic to history in general. That sent Cengage Learning down a path to reinvent the courseware being used to teach and learn the U.S. History Survey. After working with 35 professors and 2,500 students participating in the course, Cengage Learning launched MindTap for U.S. History, a learning solution that focuses on primary sources reflecting social, economic, political, and cultural themes, with integrated readings and interactive 2 ENGAGED WITH YOU cengage.com

3 assignments that guide students in learning, applying, thinking critically, and writing about historical content. The courseware also gives instructors the power to easily measure skills and outcomes. MindTap for U.S. History Elevates Thinking Students who experience MindTap for U.S. History learn not only by achieving the content objectives, but also by gaining critical reading, thinking, writing, and study skills. The learning path for U.S. History is organized through a taxonomy of learning whereby the student is guided along a spectrum of skills through our Engage, Learn, Apply, and Study model. Starting from lower to higher order, progressing from knowledge to interpretation to problem solving to evaluation. MindTap is contributing to student retention. Students are sticking with it, and they are telling their friends to take the course with MindTap. They re saying it may mean a little more work, but you ll make higher grades, have a better experience, and it s a cheaper textbook. These are incentives for students. We have walking commercials with these students! Christopher Jones History Instructor, Liberty University Picturing Narrative Content History Engage Infographic Learn Apply Source Study Activities Integrated Assessments Primary Activities Study Guides Study Tools About the Study A total of nine instructors teaching History courses to 808 postsecondary students participated in the research. The goal of the study was to compare final grades achieved in courses taught by the same instructors under two different conditions: courses taught with MindTap and courses taught without MindTap. Feedback about the product was also received from the nine instructors in mid-semester interviews and from eleven students in two focus telephone groups, as well as pre- and post-surveys from the 808 student participants. cengage.com ENGAGED WITH YOU 3

4 MindTap is contributing to increased student engagement. There is more discussion in class, both positive and negative. The majority of students are spending more time studying. Louis Williams History Instructor, Saint Louis Community College Student Grades Increase Significantly with MindTap Students in History classes using MindTap for U.S. History achieved higher grades than students in classes with the same instructors using a textbook without MindTap. In fact, students using MindTap for U.S. History received 32% more A s and more than 35% less D s and F s (Figure 1). Figure 1. Percent of Letter Grades Increase Using MindTap A B C D F This resulted in a 13% percent improvement in Grade Point Average (GPA) for students using MindTap from their peers not using it, as shown in Figure 2. This difference is statistically significant, t(602) = 3.09, p <.001. The effect size for this difference is.22, indicating that students in the treatment group using MindTap performed nearly a quarter of a standard deviation better than students in the control group not using MindTap. This level of growth is consistent with a student moving from the 50th to the 59th percentile. 4 ENGAGED WITH YOU cengage.com

5 Figure 2. Comparison of Grades between MindTap Users and Non-Users MindTap Users Earned Higher Grades Average Grade Treatment (MindTap Users, N=450) Control (Non-users, N=358) Instructors Report Benefits of MindTap Instructors praised the quality and variety of MindTap content, including embedded media, assessments and tracking tools. In particular, they found the Progress Report a useful tool to understand students strengths and weaknesses. Two-thirds of instructors saw MindTap contributing to student engagement, as did students. 32% more A s with MindTap for U.S. History (See Figure 1) Highlights of the findings from instructors include: All nine instructors felt that the embedded media and/or the tutorial resources (videos, graphing, etc.) in MindTap were either extremely valuable or somewhat valuable. All instructors who used the tracking and management functions and generally felt they were helping in keeping tabs on their students. All instructors who used the Progress Report felt that it helped them understand students strengths and weaknesses. Almost all instructors were satisfied with the types of assessments in MindTap. Seven of the nine felt that MindTap offered the tools they needed for the level of integration into their courses that they wanted to achieve. Six of the instructors felt that MindTap was contributing to student engagement, at least to some extent. cengage.com ENGAGED WITH YOU 5

6 Students Want the Benefits of MindTap I am definitely learning more with MindTap, and it has kept me more engaged. It definitely helps me stay focused and on point as to what I need to be learning for the exams. Kelly History Student, Saint Louis Community College The 808 student participants reported on the benefits of MindTap (Figure 3). It provided new and alternative ways to learn the material to suit a wide range of learning styles. The assignments were clearly listed in MindTap. This resulted in most students reporting higher assignment completion rates and higher grades as a result of MindTap. Figure 3. Students Agree on the Benefits of Using MindTap provided a new way to learn the material extended the learning process beyond the classroom I was more able to learn at my own pace helped me complete more assignments I would recommend the Cengage Learning course software to students taking this class has improved my grade in this class A sample of the 808 students participated in an in-depth focus group to better understand how MindTap was supporting their academic success. Students reported overwhelmingly that MindTap increased their engagement by making the course material more interactive and interesting by asking thoughtprovoking questions. When asked if they would choose a course with MindTap in the future, they again chose MindTap. They saw it as a focused, wellorganized resource with many useful tools to keep them on track and engaged with their course work. 6 ENGAGED WITH YOU cengage.com

7 Conclusion In a national, semester-long study, students using MindTap for U.S. History in college-level U.S. History courses achieved significantly higher grades than students who did not use MindTap. In addition, a majority of instructors and students judged MindTap to be effective in helping to increase engagement and learning, resulting in better academic outcomes. MindTap is an effective tool to increase the academic success of students in the digital classroom. You Be Next! Increase engagement and outcomes in your U.S. History Classroom. Contact a Learning Consultant today about using MindTap for U.S. History in your traditional, hybrid. or online learning environment. I definitely think [MindTap] has kept me more engaged. History has been my weakest [subject] and I m definitely not struggling with it as much because of MindTap. Erika History Student, Monroe Community College Switch with Ease When you adopt from Cengage Learning, you have a dedicated team of Digital Course Support professionals, who will provide hands-on, start-to-finish support, making digital course delivery a success for you and your students. cengage.com ENGAGED WITH YOU 7

8 Source Code: M ISBN: Cengage Learning is a leading provider of innovative teaching, learning, and research solutions for academic, professional, and library markets worldwide. The company s products and services are designed to foster academic excellence and professional development, increase engagement, improve learning outcomes, and deliver authoritative information to people whenever and wherever they need it. Through the company s unique position within both the library and academic markets, Cengage Learning is providing integrated learning solutions that bridge from the library to the classroom. Copyright 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.