McGraw-Hill Connect Update Aims to Personalize Learning
McGraw-Hill Education has upgraded its digital teaching and learning platform, McGraw-Hill Connect. The new version includes an updated gradebook as well as features for identifying at-risk students and automating classroom tasks.
The updates in this release were guided by input from researchers, instructors, and students, according to Stephen Laster, chief digital officer for McGraw-Hill Education. The new version aims to help teachers make better use of instruction time and customize the learning process.
"We made significant investments in real-time reporting for quicker insights into emerging classroom dynamics and process automation that frees professors for higher value teaching activities and adaptive learning technologies that personalize education," said Laster, in a prepared statement.
Additional features of the updated program include:
- Access to LearnSmart Advantage, a portfolio of adaptive learning products;
- Improved search function for locating a Connect class;
- Ability to issue assignment updates for multiple assignments or students;
- A new Section Overview feature, which allows teachers to gain access to important context about a course; and
- Enhanced Share/Copy and e-book annotation capabilities.
"All of us joke about wanting more hours in the day, but with Connect, you actually get them," said Melanie Waters, director of Introductory Spanish at the University of Illinois. "Connect's ability to streamline and automate many of classroom management tasks allows me to have more time for higher-value activities like curriculum development, instruction, and student engagement. By having students complete some of the input activities in Connect, I can use valuable classroom time for more communicative activities, and the result is a more engaged class and stronger learning results."
The upgraded version of Connect is available now. Additional information about Connect is available online.
About the Author
Kanoe Namahoe is online editor for 1105 Media's Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].