Cengage Debuts Developmental Math Tool with 'Learning Bursts'
Cengage
Learning has launched MindTap Math
Foundations, the
first in a suite of new products
designed to address the lack of college readiness among students in the United States.
The tool
is a developmental math curriculum and platform that breaks lessons
into
15-minute "learning bursts," using interactive video lessons, exercises
and
games. Students can access it by phone, tablet or computer at any time.
Cengage
representatives said they gathered input from nearly 1,000
students while creating the new program, many of whom said lack of time
and the
need to juggle family and job responsibilities were responsible for
their lack
of preparation. Thus MindTap
Math Foundations, which gives
students the ability to work in brief "bursts" of problem-solving and
critical
thinking skill exercises.
"Students
consistently told us that time is their
biggest barrier to completion and they need the ability to work at
their own pace,"
said Cengage Learning Executive Vice President and Chief Product
Officer Jim
Donohue. "We designed MindTap Math Foundations to make it easy for
students to
work through the curriculum and connect with their instructors and
other
students in a way that fits into their daily lives."
More
than 1,000 instructors at 180 higher
education institutions have signed on for a pilot program this spring
to
provide input and feedback. Student analytics and enhanced
communication tools,
like an interactive whiteboard, may help instructors identify at-risk
students
and intervene earlier.
Cengage
representatives said they expect MindTap Math
Foundations to be available for full-scale purchase this summer, in
time for
the fall semester. Students can purchase as much or as little access as
they
need, starting with 10 weeks of access for $55. Students who use the
program
for at least three hours a week will not have to purchase an additional
access
code if they need to retake the course.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.