McGraw Hill Intros Social Media-Style Study App

McGraw Hill has launched a new mobile study app, SHARPEN, to help students who have been turning to social media to find studying help. In a recent Morning Consult survey McGraw Hill conducted of 500 undergraduate students, 74% said they had changed the way they study due to the pandemic, citing stress and overwhelm as factors.

The study found that 78% of students use social media to find additional content for their classes, and 74% said they would "study more if their course materials matched the style and convenience of resources they access via social media." Results also found that 88% of students recognize the shortcomings of social media as source material, and they do not trust it.

With this in mind, McGraw Hill said its SHARPEN app assists learning with trusted content through continuous content feed, short videos, swipeable study tools and a personalized activity dashboard.

SHARPEN is free to students and is currently available in the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Mac. The company said an Android version is coming soon, and people can sign up to be notified when it's available. For more information, visit the McGraw Hill site.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • robot hand holding stacks of coins

    Designing AI Systems for Financial Aid

    Financial aid offices have been slow to adopt AI, risking technological stagnation at a critical early student touchpoint. Systematic AI integration can improve student experiences and strengthen institutional positioning.

  • Jason Palm

    AI, Identity, and Speed: Cybersecurity Priorities for Higher Ed

    Fortinet Security Operations Specialist Jason Palm explains how AI is raising new security challenges for higher education, requiring stronger governance, identity protection, threat detection, automation, and incident readiness.

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Report: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to Veeam's new Data & AI Trust Gap report.

  • VSLive! session

    VSLive! San Diego 2026 Puts AI at the Core of the Campus IT Stack

    For higher education IT teams working through AI pilots, ERP integrations, student-facing apps, analytics projects, and mounting security concerns, Visual Studio Live! San Diego 2026 offers a look at the development practices that are shaping the campus technology landscape.