Connecting the Dots for Student Success The Impact of Connect on Course Preparation, Delivery & Student Success McGraw-Hill Connect® Canadian Effectiveness Study 2016 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................3 Impact on Student Engagement ............................................................................................................................................................................................4 Impact on Student Preparedness ............................................................................................................................................................................................6 Impact on Effective Study Time ............................................................................................................................................................................................8 Comprehension ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Exam Confidence and Results ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Class and Lecture Preparation ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 What is McGraw-Hill Connect®? ......................................................................................................................................................................16 The Learning Science Behind Connect® ......................................................................................................................................................................18 Conclusion – Connecting the Dots ......................................................................................................................................................................22 Resources ......................................................................................................................................................................23 Book your personalized demo of Connect today. BOOK NOW 4 Introduction Starting at the university level in Canada, studies In January, the Canadian 2016 SmartBook® Student Survey sampled 2,100 Canadian students in post-secondary education have shown that the dropout rate of students leaving who had completed a credit course using SmartBook® for their or switching institutions in their first year of post- text resource. This student survey reaffirms the advantages of secondary education is 20.2 per cent. Connect with SmartBook® on student outcomes and retention, while highlighting learning technology preference. As a learning science company, McGraw Hill Education acknowledges that this is a problem that needs to be addressed. McGraw-Hill Connect Success Stories are comprised of the It is important that education providers have confidence in the experiences of Canadian Professors using Connect with digital technologies they introduce and use to SmartBook® as their course text resource. Each success story achieve successful experiences for themselves differs in subject and title of the text utilized. and their students. The instructor’s interviews offer insight into 2,100 Canadian the advantages of utilizing adaptive learning McGraw-Hill Connect® is a proven digital students in science technology in the classroom. teaching and learning environment that integrates assignments, grading and course post-secondary The aim of our survey and success stories was content to make the entire course experience education were to learn more about how digital technologies seamless while delivering better outcomes and adaptive learning are impacting education for students and educators. Students are surveyed. today. We wanted to get feedback directly more engaged with course content, can better from the people using SmartBook® in order prioritize their time, and come to class ready to truly understand the advantages a digital to participate. teaching and learning environment can provide to teachers and students. The McGraw-Hill Connect® Canadian Effectiveness Study 2016 is comprised of the Canadian 2016 SmartBook® Student Survey, In the following pages you will find the data we’ve uncovered McGraw-Hill Connect Success Stories and instructor experience through our research. We invite you to take a look and see what testimonials. you can learn about digital educational technologies, adaptive learning and the future of education. 3 Impact on Student Engagement One of the main indicators of whether a student will be successful is their level of engagement in the learning process. Students who are engaged with the material are better prepared to have meaningful discussions during class time, improving the learning environment for both instructors and students alike. Based on the data we have uncovered, we have not only found that students are more engaged when using Connect with SmartBook but instructors are seeing a noticeable improvement in class engagement as well. SmartBook is a more engaging study experience Canadian Students agree that courses are more engaging and interesting with SmartBook: 81% 50% agree 31% agree strongly 4 “What I like most about SmartBook is that it engages students to read the text prior to coming to class, which allows for a much higher level of discussion about the topic during class time. Also, a much higher percentage of students actually do the Connect homework assignments.” – Liz McLean, Instructor of Canadian Organizational Behaviour, St. Lawrence College “We chose SmartBook for its adaptive learning modules – these modules helped level the playing field when it came to base knowledge. This allowed for classes which were far more engaging for the learners and myself. I see less use of mobile devices – more engaged students – better discussion in class.” - Rod Hayward, Professor of Introduction to Business, University of Fraser Valley Impact on Class Preparedness Requiring students to be prepared for lectures leads to more meaningful learning and challenging discussions during in-class time. As we’ve learned through our research, over 85 per cent of students said SmartBook helped them better prepare for class than other eBooks and over 75 per cent of students felt more prepared for class when using SmartBook over a traditional print textbook. In addition to increased student preparation, instructors also found that using SmartBook yielded better results on exams and quiz- zes as well as improving overall class retention rates. By providing benefits for both students and teachers when it comes to being prepared for class, SmartBook is helping to create a situation where everybody wins. SmartBook is helping “Most students are completing to create a situation the SmartBook questions be- fore class, and many are coming where everybody wins better prepared and ready to tackle more challenging prob- lems. These resources make it easy for students to prepare and for instructors to credit them for preparing,” “I am finding that students are more prepared for in-class quizzes - Fred Phillips, and exams than without the online practice. Especially the Gen- Professor of Intro to Financial eral Ledger questions that are available. They are a great way for Accounting, University of Sas- students to see how systems work in the real world.” katchewan – Brandy Mackintosh, Assistant Professor of Intro to Financial Accounting, University of Saskatchewan SmartBook helped me % % be better prepared for class 86 77 g compared to other eBooks. g compared to a printed textbook. Spotlight on... Shannon Cox Douglas College, AB – Intro to Marketing Shannon Cox is a Marketing Instruc- less time to apply concepts in more class content even during the second tor at Douglas College where she has engaging activities. half of the semester. The second half taught for the past nine years. Before of term often sees students bailing be- working at Douglas College, she In her experience, Shannon found cause of the number of assignments. taught marketing, management, and that students tended to only complete Keeping up with readings as they go organizational behaviour courses at required activities because they are through this introductory course is a SAIT and University of Calgary for over-loaded with work and school – large key to their success,” said Cox. over 11 years. they only do what gets them points towards grades. “I see SmartBook as a preparatory Prior to using Connect with Smart- exercise for class discussion. Requir- Book, Shannon found her students “The benefit of SmartBook as ing students to complete the material were not reading the textbook in required course work is that the stu- in advance has allowed me to increase advance of class. Her class discussions dents do the required preparation and the level of difficulty or ‘ramp up’ the were centered on core concepts and are ready to go beyond basic concepts discussion as students have the basic definitions and it was difficult to delve when they arrive at class. material now to go above and beyond into examples and applications of what we could before.”