Productivity

Students in MindTap Courses Can Now Use Microsoft Office Tools

• By Michael Hart
• 05/24/16

Students using Cengage Learning's digital learning platform, MindTap, will now be able to access Microsoft Office while working on their courses in the platform.

To begin with, students working in business statistics and computer courses, in which business software is most important, will be able to use Microsoft Office and save their work automatically to the cloud-based Office Online. They will be able to use Microsoft Excel Online while working on problem sets in their MindTap business statistics courses.

Meanwhile, instructors can monitor student progress any time and reinforce Excel skills and statistic methods.

MindTap offers more than 650 courses spanning the STEM disciplines. It integrates reading, homework, quizzing and multi-media assets into a single course experience for the user. MindTap also allows instructors to bring in content and applications from any source to give students real-world context, with the ultimate hope that it will motivate and keep students interested in STEM subjects.

As a result of the partnership, students and teachers will also be able to use Microsoft’s SAM text-to-voice technology, OfficeMix, which allows the quick upload of PowerPoint presentations, and OneNote, a digital note-taking application.

"This integration will allow students to develop the key business skills needed to be competitive in today's workforce, using the actual software that they will be using once on the job," said Cengage Learning Chief Product Officer Jim Donohue. "This live access is above and beyond what can be done with a standard simulation."

Anthony Salcito, Microsoft's vice president of worldwide education, said, "We know having a rich set of tools to create and collaborate is critical both in school and in the workplace."