Making it Click 2010 - pearsoncmg.com

BY MICHELLE D. SPECKLER • Spring 2010

Making it Click 2010Pearson’s myitlab: Where Your Course Lives

Making it Click 2010Pearson’s myitlab: Where Your Course LivesBy Michelle D. Speckler © 2010 Pearson, Inc.

myitlab is a trademark of Pearson, Inc.

myitlab, 75 Arlington Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116 www.myitlab.com

Special thanks to Ralph Argiento, Guilford Technical Community College; Sally Baker, DeVry University–Kansas City;Christie Hovey, Lincoln Land Community College; Mike Jochen, East Stroudsburg University; Rose LaMuraglia, San DiegoCity College; Maurie Lockley, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Mike Puopolo, Bunker Hill Community College;and Gladys Swindler, Fort Hays State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................1

myitlab: Where Your Course Lives ..........................................................................................................................2

Grader: Revolutionizing Project-Based Assessment ..................................................................................................5

Proven-Successful Student Experiences ..................................................................................................................6

Case Studies ......................................................................................................................................................7Bunker Hill Community CollegeDeVry University–Kansas CityEast Stroudsburg UniversityFort Hays State UniversityGuilford Technical Community CollegeLincoln Land Community CollegeSan Diego City CollegeUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro

Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................20

Introduction

A ccording to a recent Wall Street Journal article, today’s graduates are entering the toughest labormarket in at least 25 years. Students will need to

be more prepared, better trained, and more confidentthan ever to successfully stake their claims in this inhos-pitable environment. Once hired, they’ll face the uniquechallenges of an evolving marketplace, including posi-tions in companies that use advanced information tech-nologies (ITs) and promote continuous organizationalchange. Successful graduates must possess more thanthe requisite knowledge to advance; they must also possess the abilities to adapt, evolve, and continue learn-ing in pace with the world.

What can instructors do to help? While policy makersand private foundations pour money into long-term research and initiatives, educators can implement proven,best-practice methodologies and assessments today.

Beyond philosophical trendsetting, today’s best practicesrepresent a paradigm shift such that curricula are learning centered; instructors are guides in the learningprocess; and assessments are no longer one-shot, high-stakes events but drivers of demonstrable knowledgetransfer, such as large-scale projects and presentations.Via interactive, online technology, instructors can pro-vide their students—traditional, returning, on campus,and online—with the IT skills those students will needno matter what their ultimate career paths.

That learning-centered, project-based approach formsthe heart of myitlab, Pearson’s Web-based training andassessment system for Microsoft Office. An onlinelearning program like no other on the market, myitlab is how instructors like you are handling increased enroll-ments, a wider range of students’ experiences, and

decreased resources while saving time and improvingstudent success rates.

Seem impossible? It’s not. Through a variety of pedagogically proven features, myitlab’s integrated system approach has already helped instructors at more than 800 institutions nationwide to in turn help their students.

The myitlab program offers:

• High-fidelity, open simulations that guide students through the software no differently than if it were the actual application

• Skill- and project-based assessment and training, with content that matches Pearson textbooks 1:1

• Effective course and grade management capabilities that enable instructors to quickly and easily manage courses with the same toolused for assessing students.

With myitlab, students learn more than Office. Theylearn how to learn, and they gain confidence in theirabilities to perform outside the classroom. Freed fromthe onus of grading—via the most sophisticated grad-ing engine on the market—instructors can spend class-room time connecting with students and doing whatthey do best: teaching.

Read on to learn how myitlab works and how instruc-tors like you are using it today to empower the mostsuccessful graduates of tomorrow.

1. SJ Meisels et al. “Creating a System of Accountability: The Impact of Institutional Assessment on Elementary Children’s Achievement TestScores,” Education Policy Analysis Archives, 2003, vol. 11, no. 9.

www.myitlab.com • 1

Introduction

Accountability should not be viewed as a test, but as a system. When well-constructed, normative assessments of accountability are linked to well-designed, curriculum-embedded instructional assess-ments, [students] perform better. . . . “Will this be on the test?” ceases to be the question that drives learning. Instead, “What should I learn next?” becomes the focus.1

The myitlab program consists of online, performance-based assessment and outcomes-based training for Microsoft Office applications and computer concepts.

Course management tools, advanced reporting functions,a clean user interface, and a solid technical architectureare housed together to save you time on your most important tasks: preparation, teaching, and assessment.

myitlab Is Reliable The last things you need are concerns about the func-tionality and reliability of your teaching tools. Rest easy:myitlab is hosted and backed by a Pearson Educationservice-level agreement that means it’s online and oper-ating around the clock and 99.97 percent of the time.

According to a January 2010 tally, since fall 2007 therehave been 18 million myitlab log-in sessions, 50,000myitlab courses created, and 15 million grades posted to myitlab Gradebooks. Today, an average of 90,000 myitlab exams are delivered every week. Instructorsacross the United States are discovering the tools, resources, and system approach they’ve always wantedin one package. “myitlab is a great product,” says SallyBaker, chair of the Computer Information Systems(CIS) department at DeVry University–Kansas City. “I can’t imagine switching. What could attain this levelof achievement at this point?”

The myitlab Integrated Systemmyitlab focuses on student success and effective use ofinstructor time. Only myitlab offers instructors and theirstudents (1) an unparalleled simulation of Microsoft Office, (2) skill- and project-based assessment andtraining with content that matches Pearson textbooksone to one, and (3) a complete learning managementsystem that means ease of use with any delivery method:traditional lecture, hybrid, or fully online.

Unparalleled Simulation of Microsoft OfficeThe myitlab simulation is a rich, robust replication of theMicrosoft Office environment: it looks, feels, and actslike the actual program. While working in the simulation,a student may use the entire spectrum of actual programfeatures and options without penalty until performingan action that changes the document. This promotes exploration of the program and results in greater under-standing of and familiarity with the software.

Skill- and Project-Based Assessment and TrainingInstructors can choose between skill- or project-basedassessment and training scenarios for homework, selfstudy, quizzes, pre- and posttests, and exams. Whetherutilizing help tools while completing a training or work-ing without help features on an assessment, myitlab’s realistic, open simulation enables a student to completean activity both the way the activity is taught in the text-book and any other way the actual application accepts.

Training supported by screen hints and multimedia demonstrations. While a student is completing a trainingassignment, every question comprises one or moresteps; each step has a hint related to it, and students are offered the opportunity to complete activities ontheir own. Students may also request audio-enabledShow Me demonstrations of unfamiliar activities.

Outcomes-based training. myitlab’s outcomes-basedtraining is self-paced and adaptable to each student’sskill level. Students prove their skills, ask for hints, or learn from multimedia Show Me demonstrations.

2 • www.myitlab.com

Making it Click 2010

myitlab: Where Your Course Lives

I am extremely confident about the reliabilityof myitlab. I know that when students callme with problems, the problems are not withthe program. I know they’ve done somethingwrong on their end. This product works.

—Maurie LockleyUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro

1:1 Content Relationship myitlab’s systems approach means that instructors cantrain their students on the exact same projects, activities,skills, and exercises found in the textbooks of three series: Exploring, GO!, and Skills for Success. Instruc-tors also have in-program access to thousands of testbank questions in the forms of two assessment scenariosand one training scenario for each skill. The scenarioscan be immediately and automatically graded, completewith feedback and detailed reports.

Students benefit from consistent learning experiencesboth in and outside the classroom. They learn in con-text, gaining valuable hands-on experience via the sameopportunities and options they’ll find in the workplace.

Grader. Assign a project from the GO! or Exploring series end-of-chapter content or instructor resources for your students to complete live in Access, Excel, PowerPoint, or Word. Results are automatically gradedand recorded in the Gradebook and a variety of detailed reports are available to both you and your students. See page 5 for more information about Grader.

A Complete Learning Management SystemInstructors need never leave the program. Everythingthey need to prepare and teach a course and to assessstudents—including PowerPoint slides, videos, objective-based test banks, assignment tags/scoring checklists,capstone exercises, and scripted lectures—is in there.From one convenient location, instructors can coordi-nate content, train faculty, and provide students with the kinds of resources they need to succeed.

Powerful administration. Powerful program administra-tion features let you create and manage course templatesand course sections as well as manage all of your users,including students, teaching assistants, and adjuncts.

Customization options. Instructors can personalize theircourses by adding outside links, original material, andother projects to the program.

Robust scheduling options.You decide how many attemptsto allow a student before a question is deemed incor-rect, how many times the student can attempt a trainingor exam, and the point value allotted to each question.

Built-in communication. Communicate via e-mail withjust one student, or with a specific section, or with yourentire course roster with just one click.

Full-functioning Gradebook. myitlab’s Gradebook enablesyou to manage all of your course grades in one place,import/export from learning management systems,modify student grades, and calculate final grades.

Advanced reporting. myitlab’s advanced reporting capa-bilities, including detailed student click-stream data, letyou see exactly what actions your students completedclick by click—for true, defensible grading. Activity reports are available for single or multiple students, assignments, and sections. Instructors can run frequen-cy analysis reports, produce study plan reports, and create certificates of completion. All reports can be customized, exported, and saved for future access.

myitlab: Where Your Course Lives


My students are using their books more nowthan they ever did before myitlab. Once weshowed them the 1:1 correlation, it clicked for them.

—Sally BakerDeVry University–Kansas City

myitlab and Workforce DevelopmentOne of 2010’s most pressing issues within botheducation and the United States at large is work-force development. Two-year colleges are facingrecord numbers of students—and straining underalready tight budgets and space limitations. Onlinecourses are fast filling colleges’ needs for delivery,because such courses are unencumbered by brick-and-mortar restrictions.

“myitlab enables us to increase our number of sections and keep pace with enrollments,” says Christie Hovey, professor at Lincoln Land Community College. “In the large, mostly ruralterritory we cover, gas prices and the economy are real issues. We’re able to offer nontraditionaland returning students the options and supportthey need to persevere when things get tight.”



myitlab’s First Priority“Students don’t normally enjoy CIS 101,” says GladysSwindler, assistant professor at Fort Hays State Univer-sity. “But with myitlab, they embrace the course as a way of taking responsibility for their learning.”

Every aspect of the myitlab program—from develop-ment to design—is geared toward maximum conven-ience for the students who use it. From pedagogicaltools like prescriptive modules that create productivelearning paths and that increase self-esteem to techno-logical features that enhance visual contrast and read-ability and make the application universally workable,myitlab knows what it takes to reach students.

Customized study plans. myitlab offers instructors the opportunity to combine exams and training intocomplete, customized study plans. You select the pathand how your students will proceed.

myitlab Is Supported Whether you need sales support, technical support, orproduct training, Pearson’s myitlab team of sales repre-sentatives, CIS specialists, customer experience team,and tech support personnel is there to help you.

Faculty Advocate ProgramBuilt upon the proven effectiveness of peer-to-peer advising, myitlab’s Faculty Advocate program offers access to a nationwide network of faculty advocates—college instructors experienced in using myitlab—whoadvise and counsel faculty currently using myitlab, aswell as those considering it. Faculty advocates providephone coaching and support, and they staff online train-ings, conduct campus trainings and demonstrations, andpresent myitlab at conferences and workshops. “TheFaculty Advocate program enables me to learn andshare with other faculty and know that I’m not alone,”says Christie Hovey, professor at Lincoln Land Com-munity College. “I don’t get the same thing from othertextbook vendors; most don’t even come to my school.”

TrainingPearson provides a variety of training options to helpyou master the many facets of myitlab and how to incorporate them into your course.

Live, online trainings delivered via WebEx. WebEx train-ings are weekly online trainings conducted by facultyadvocates. Pearson offers training sessions to accom-modate the breadth of myitlab instructor knowledge.

Self-paced video training. A variety of self-paced videotrainings are available around the clock via the myitlabWeb site. Videos offer step-by-step training in key tasks; they detail the program’s features; and they giveinstructions on program functionality.

Printable documentation. myitlab’s online archive of step-by-step instructions and downloadable guides is your always-available resource for questions about getting started and managing a myitlab course.

Responsive customer service. Faculty users of myitlab canbe confident that they’ll receive top-notch customerservice for both their own technical questions and thoseof their students. Technical support is available aroundthe clock via e-mail, chat, and the online knowledge baseof frequently asked questions. Support also is availablevia Pearson’s toll-free technical support phone lines.

Increased Student Success• Since the University of North Carolina at

Greensboro adopted myitlab, the drop/failure/withdrawal rate in the sophomore-level advanced Access and Excel course hasdropped from about 50 percent to less than20 percent; mean scores are in the mid 80s.

• myitlab helped increase the retention ratefor San Diego Community College’s Principles of Information Systems course to more than 90 percent.

• After adopting myitlab, Guilford TechnicalCommunity College’s introductory CIScourse retention rates went from 48 percentto 70 percent.

• After adoption of myitlab at East Strouds-burg University, the percentage of Asearned leaped from 5 percent to 45 per-cent, and the percentage of Ds earneddropped from 12 percent to 5 percent.

• Since DeVry’s systemwide adoption of myitlab, withdrawal rates have dropped to less than 25 percent from an average of about 36 percent.

Grader: Revolutionizing Project-Based Assessment


B y fully embracing the concepts of applied learning,largely accepted as the most effective way to teachand learn skill-based topics, Pearson’s myitlab set

itself apart from every other program on the market.Now, myitlab takes this core premise—the means forstudents to practice concepts and skills in a real-worldcontext—to the next level. Introducing Grader.

Grader enables instructors to assign projects in whichstudents piece together actual Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint documents into a real-world project, inthe live application—thereby both practicing their newskills in a fully contextual situation and proving compre-hensive skill-set knowledge. Then the real magic begins.Grader not only offers a vast bank of projects to assign,but the ability to automatically assess the Office applica-tion files and offer detailed feedback on the results.Grades are instantly recorded in myitlab’s Gradebook,where detailed reports are available to both instructorsand students.

Today, after fall 2009 testing in more than 250 schools,by more than 30,000 students, and via 200,000 projectssubmitted (including 35,000 Access projects—a feat the competition still can’t figure out), Grader is built intoevery myitlab adoption.

With a submission success rate of 99 percent and an average grade-processing time of less than five secondsper project submission, Grader ensures consistent grading in less time.

How Grader WorksUsing myitlab’s Grader is easy. From the program’scontent library, select a project that fits your studentsand curriculum. Students download the assignment instructions and selected starting data files, which theymanipulate in the application based upon instructions.Once the project is complete, students upload the file tomyitlab’s built-in Grader. Grader’s engine deconstructsthe file and provides reports and scores based upon acomprehensive analysis of each step the student took.

Instructors from 2009 pilot tests are unanimously enthusiastic about myitlab’s Grader and the many waysit raises the bar for teaching Microsoft Office skills, andimproves the student learning experience.

1. Grader is an integrated part of the myitlab system.There is nothing additional to install. Students work inthe real Office applications and myitlab’s Grader seam-lessly works to assess and grade the actual documents.

2. Grader offers more content and more projects than otherproducts on the market. More than 80 projects, includingprojects for Access, and more are coming.

3. Grader’s sophisticated grading engine enables reports that are as basic or as detailed as you need them to be.

• Scorecard Data: A breakdown of points earnedfor each step versus how many were available.

• Summary Report: A breakdown of partial credit scoring components.

• Marked-up Report: A step-by-step detail of whatthe student did and didn’t do correctly, renderedon the project file itself. The student receives detailed comments for every action performed.

4. Grader alleviates the struggle to get assignments back on time. Students receive detailed grades within secondsof uploading their files. Instructors may offer studentsmultiple attempts to submit work or only one. Eitherway, the immediate feedback enables students to learnfrom their mistakes before bad habits form.

My students are receiving much more detailedinformation about what they’ve done rightand what they’ve done wrong than I could offer them in the same amount of time.

—Mike PuopoloBunker Hill Community College

Grader: Revolutionizing Project-Based Assessment



Bunker Hill Community Collegeof students responded that myitlab is some-what or very important to their success in the course.

of students surveyed rated the quality of the Word application content in myitlab as very good or excellent.

of students surveyed rated the quality of the Excel application content in myitlab as very good or excellent.

of students surveyed rated the quality of thePowerPoint application content in myitlab as very good or excellent.

of students surveyed rate the myitlab simula-tion environment as very good or excellent.

Fort Hays Community CollegeI learned how to build a spreadsheet and showed my dadhow to work it. Now, he uses spreadsheets on our farm for everything.

The software is fun to use ‘cause I’m in control of it. I can go back over things if I forget or did not get it the first time.

Pretty cool way to learn. You don’t think you are learninganything and then suddenly you realize you did learn something after all—cool.

Oklahoma State UniversityExcerpted from an e-mail from a student who finished most of the myitlabmodules in the first three weeks of class.

Before enrolling in MSIS 2103, I had never used Excel orAccess—I could manage Microsoft Word, but was no whiz.When I started doing the myitlab assignments, I realizedhow simple the programs were. I found the assignments interesting, and, in fact, all of my labs are completed becauseI was eager to figure them out.

This weekend, I was helping my mother-in-law prepare her taxes. We were going to write down all of the information

on a spreadsheet by hand, but I suggested using MicrosoftExcel and boy did it make the process run more smoothly!

So, I guess the point of this email is to tell you that I have already found the class to be extremely helpful. If I had torecommend any class as a general education class, MSIS2103 would be it. I am able to navigate Microsoft Officewith extreme proficiency—something I never would havebeen able to do a month ago.

San Diego Community College myitlab was a great experience. It has all the resources that a student could possibly need.

I use Word and Excel a lot in my job. myitlab taught me things that save me time at work. Thank you!

The part of the class that I liked the most was myitlab. I do things that I learned in class all the time.

I loved the simulator I thought it was really fun and really helpful. I give it a 10.

I learned much more about Word and Excel than I thoughtwas possible—and everything about Access, since I had never used it before. I thought I was proficient in Word and Excel, but, boy, was I wrong! I already use or plan to use all of the programs outside of school, so knowing more about them is very helpful.

The part of the class that I liked and enjoyed the most was doing the myitlab exercises.

University of North CarolinaThis class was by far my favorite class this year and I would love to take it again!

I liked using myitlab. I learned more than I would have if we only read the book without using the program.

It’s been 20 years since I’ve taken a computer course. Thanks to the trainings in myitlab and the instructor’s patience, I have completed the course with some very important skills.

Proven-Successful Student Experiences

65%

81%

76%

74%

69%

Case Studies


Bunker Hill Community CollegeBunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is a multi-campus institution comprising two main campuses andfive satellite campuses in and around the Greater Bostonmetropolitan area. Founded in 1973, BHCC enrollsmore than 8,900 students in day, evening, weekend,Web-based, and distance-learning courses and pro-grams. Through more than 65 associate degree and certificate programs, the college prepares students for both immediate employment and transfer to four-year universities.

As early adopters of technology-based learning systems,Mike Puopolo, professor and chairperson of Bunker HillCommunity College’s (BHCC’s) Computer Informa-tion Technology (CIT) department, and his colleagueswere familiar with the benefits of delivering learning viaonline and multimedia venues. But by spring 2006, theywere looking for a learning management system that wasmore comprehensive than the one they were then using.

In March 2006, Puopolo began working with a Pearsonteam on customizing the entire course series—fromcontent to delivery. “All of BHCC’s myitlab coursesshare a common portal, navigation theme, and user in-terface,” says Puopolo. “Students log in once and neverhave to go anywhere else. Customized course content,plus all of the resources they could ever need—podcasts,sound bites, demo documents—is available through myitlab in one centralized location. We even integratedYouTube into it.”

The myitlab application provides Puopolo and the otherCIT instructors with the full learning system they’dbeen seeking. “We love the Gradebook, the discussionfeatures, the textbook-based training, the pre- andposttests—all of it; myitlab has enabled us to streamlineour teaching and present more material in a more coherent fashion,” he says.

After examining the changing learning habits of themore and more technologically savvy students entering

his classroom, Puopolo decided to tailor his course offerings with those students in mind. “We’re piloting acustomized eBook in six sections of the course,” he says.“It reduced the price of the textbook, and the studentsseem to prefer it. If end-of-semester surveys indicate,we’ll move all 40-plus sections to eBooks this spring.”

myitlab’s customized eBooks enable Puopolo’s studentsto do universal searches of the book for individualterms—and thereby facilitate their test taking. Otherbenefits include the integration of multimedia directlyinto the eBook.

Puopolo was one of the first to volunteer for the testingof myitlab’s Grader. “It’s a great addition for instructorsand students,” he says. “It gives me a definite advantagein terms of being able to assign projects. My studentsare receiving much more detailed information aboutwhat they’ve done right and what they’ve done wrongthan I could offer them in the same amount of time.”

Puopolo specifically appreciates Grader’s underlyingpedagogy. “It dovetails with task-based testing,” he says.“Students work on the same document, correcting andresubmitting until they’ve mastered a skill. By seeingwhat they’ve done wrong and correcting it themselves,the learning is reinforced. Results go directly into theGradebook, where they can then see immediately theirwork’s impact on their grade.”

myitlab enables us to handle the increasedscale without losing integrity. All instructors,whether full-time or adjuncts, whether on-site or online—are presented with a fullypopulated course

—Mike PuopoloBunker Hill Community College

Case Studies

BHCC’s enrollments are up 25 percent from last year.The result is an exponential increase in the number ofsections and the times they are offered. “Our presidentis committed to not turning away students,” says Puopolo. “Some departments are even running mid-night courses. myitlab enables us to handle the increasedscale without losing integrity. All instructors, whetherfull-time or adjuncts, whether on-site or online—arepresented with a fully populated course, including assessments, PowerPoints, demos, multimedia features,and all the assignments. We train adjuncts to deliver thiscourse in a quality fashion in about six hours.”

Many of Puopolo’s newest students are returning forworkforce retraining and were priced out of four-yearschools. “myitlab offers these students the kinds of real,on-the-ground skills they’ll need regardless of careerpath,” he says. “You need these skills everywhere.”

BHCC is part of the National Science Foundation’sBoston-area Advanced Technological Education Con-sortium—a consortium of colleges and universities promoting workforce development in information tech-nology in the Boston region. Fulfilling the consortium’smission required commissioning a cross-industry work-force study in 2006. “We learned that small and largecompanies alike assume that graduates have the requi-site technical skills to succeed,” says Puopolo. “Whatthey look for above and beyond that are soft-side skills:the abilities to work in teams, to creatively problemsolve, to write clearly, and to communicate verbally.Pearson’s vast wealth of content meant that we could respond to what we learned by further customizing myitlab with Pearson’s Self-Assessment Library1, there-by creating our ideal learning management system.”

Puopolo’s myitlab course folder also includes (1) a customized Pearson text entitled Professionalism: RealSkills for Workplace Success, (2) a group running caseculminating in two formal presentations of the collabo-rative work done by each group, and (3) links to onlinemeetings and collaborative workplace tools, such as Office Live.

Off campus, BHCC leverages myitlab to further itscommitment to providing computer and informationtechnology training for community-based organiza-tions in its service area. The college is able to provideelsewhere the same myitlab courses offered on its main and satellite campuses: on-site at organizations, includ-ing Action for Boston Community Development, Jewish Vocational Services, the New England Center forHomeless Veterans, and the Urban League of EasternMassachusetts. During the past two years, this kind of community outreach has benefited more than 300students, who receive full college credit for courses taken in their own community settings.

“myitlab is much more flexible than I previouslythought,” says Puopolo. “We’re still a computer depart-ment and a computer course, but we can now provideour students with all of the 21st-century skills they needto get and keep a good job. It has enabled us to attainour goal of enhancing our students’ skill sets beyondgrade point average to employability and promotability.It’s an excellent product.”

DeVry University–Kansas CityFounded as DeForest Training School in 1931, DeVryUniversity and DeVry Institute of Technology nowcomprise 23 major campuses, 3 subsidiary institutions,and numerous service centers throughout the UnitedStates and Canada. Campuses offer programs from theassociate to the master’s level in professional studies and business administration. As of 2001, 5 of the top 10producers of information technology degree graduatesin the United States were DeVry campuses.

DeVry–Kansas City uses myitlab as an assessment andtest-out tool in its COMP 100 course, a required entry-level course for every incoming DeVry student. “It ensures that all of our students are on the same, levelplaying field,” says Sally Baker, chair of the CIS depart-ment at DeVry’s Kansas City, Missouri, campus. “Wequickly learned that while most students know Micro-soft Word, very few know Microsoft Excel, and that’swhere they get hung up. Instead of penalizing them forit, myitlab provides us with an efficient way to keep thosestudents in class, stimulated, working, and learning.”

myitlab has been such a huge success in Kansas City—as well as on every other DeVry campus on which it



1. Pearson’s Self-Assessment Library is a series of online, interactivesurveys designed to enable students to assess themselves in regard toa wide range of personal skills and abilities, including self-motivation,leadership skills, and team-building skills.


Case Studies

was tested—that DeVry took the program systemwidein fall 2008. “DeVry is now using myitlab in 150 to 200 sections per term,” says Baker. “Alreadythe difference is staggering: the systemwide with-drawal rate has dropped to less than 25 percentfrom an average of about 36 percent. At some locations it had been as high as 60 percent.”

DeVry’s systemwide myitlab rollout included its morethan 90 DeVry University Centers, urban sites that aredesigned specifically for working adults and that aretaught by a combination of adjuncts and full-time facul-ty. “Consistency is especially important at our centers,”says Baker. “myitlab’s Program Administrator featureenables us to fulfill our goal of complete systemwide integrity: no matter who is teaching the course, everystudent receives the same high-quality experience. It also makes it easier for new adjuncts to quickly fit in.They’re grateful to learn that the course sections are set up for them.”

Baker also appreciates the program’s 1:1 alignment withthe textbook. “My students are using their books morenow than they ever did before myitlab,” she says. “Oncewe showed them the 1:1 correlation, it clicked for them.They enjoy the fact that they can go to the book to tryto solve their problems before asking for help. It’s theopposite of what I had expected, but it works. Most stu-dents figure out their questions on their own via eitherthe textbook or the Show Me feature. They gain self-confidence and mastery of the skills, and I gain moretime for those students who really need me.”

Baker says myitlab has made a positive difference in stu-dent success. “My classroom is very quiet now. Before,it was chatter all the time; now they’re focused and in-tent on working. Of a class of 20 students using myitlab,17 pass with a B or higher,” she says. “The three whodon’t pass usually don’t pass because they never showedup. If students show up and try, they not only succeed in my class; they do better in their next class as well.”

myitlab has changed the way Baker teaches. “I don’t lecture anymore,” she says. “I help my students one byone. When they have a problem, I’m there. The myitlabprogram has enabled me to get to know my students ona more individual basis, which is fun. It has also promot-ed relationships among the students: when they’re done,they often talk with and help each other. Such constant

interaction with both me and their peers is important in a first-term class, particularly when the class is self-paced. It helps students feel more comfortable with theschool, less alone. And by helping each other, they gainself-confidence in their knowledge.”

According to Baker’s students, myitlab’s primary bene-fits are its immediate feedback and its Show Me feature.“Students today expect to have resources available tothem in the moment,” she says. “They text; they IM [instant message]; they use Facebook. Everything is in-stantaneous. myitlab taps into that by offering activitiesto listen to, to read, to do, and then offering immediatefeedback on it all. Students immediately discover howmuch they’ve learned, which is usually more than theyexpected to learn. I often hear them saying, ‘Wow, thiswas a really good class,’ or ‘I didn’t know you could dothat in Word.’”

Perhaps equally as important as what the product doesis the support that comes with it. “One of the things I like about myitlab is the team behind it,” says Baker.“Every time there’s an upgrade, I’m given a heads-up—but I don’t have to do anything. Everything goessmoothly, and I don’t have to give it a second thought.

“I have a personal relationship with my Pearson team,”says Baker. “If I have a question, I can call any of themand I know they’ll call right back. I never feel like I’mout there hanging. I know exactly what’s going on. It’sgreat. I feel more like a partner than a client. I wouldnever, ever even consider another product.”

East Stroudsburg UniversityEast Stroudsburg University is one of the 14 institutionsin the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.Founded in 1893 as a normal school to prepare teach-ers, the institution changed its name in 1927 to EastStroudsburg State Teachers College and again in 1960to East Stroudsburg State College, reflecting the addi-tion of liberal arts and science curricula. In 1983, theschool achieved university status and today offers an array of undergraduate and graduate degrees to morethan 7,500 students a year.

Mike Jochen, assistant professor of computer science atEast Stroudsburg University is not averse to using tech-nology to make his and his students’ lives easier. “Beforeusing online courseware, I was using course manage-


ment systems to help with time management, to coordi-nate assignments, and to find grades,” he says. “I likedthe convenience—how easy it was to post files for mystudents and in general keep in touch with them regard-ing due dates and the like.”

When Jochen’s Pearson representative told him aboutmyitlab, the program piqued his interest. “It seemed tobe a win-win proposition in terms of taking the monoto-ny out of grading while decreasing the haphazard natureof hand grading,” he says. “Invariably, after grading ahundred papers, an instructor can become inconsistent.I was interested in a product that would provide fair,consistent, defensible grading. myitlab offered all thatplus immediate, individual feedback delivered directly in the assignment.”

After a pilot text in summer 2008, Jochen became con-vinced of myitlab’s utility and fully adopted the programin fall 2008. “I appreciate the freedom it gives me,” hesays. “It’s another tool for my pedagogical tool kit and a great way to streamline the more mundane aspects ofteaching.”

One of the first things Jochen implemented was the ability to create course sections for use by six facultymembers, who are free to tailor specific aspects of thecourses and make them their own. Course sections employ the full breadth of myitlab offerings and areused in both on-site and online classes. “We use myitlabfor everything: homework exercises, knowledge-orientedquizzes, and skill-oriented exams,” he says.

myitlab works for Jochen, but perhaps more important,it works for his students. “My students are happy with

myitlab,” he says. “They especially appreciate the ShowMe feature. They like having several options at their fingertips, in the moment that they get stuck. They alsolike the convenience of the myitlab interface. It’s a one-stop shop for the whole course, offering an assignmentcalendar, a way to communicate with the instructor andreceive course announcements, and a place to do thework. All of the content associated with the course isavailable to students whenever they need it. They can sit through the lecture if they missed it or watch it or the slides again as a refresher. As much help as a studentneeds, myitlab has it.”

myitlab is used primarily in large, introductory coursesbecause it comprises a wide range of content. myitlab’sflexibility means all skill levels can be addressed withoutsacrificing the more advanced or the novice students.“myitlab enables students to move ahead if they arecomputer savvy and well versed in the program. Theyspend time only on those skills they have yet to master,”says Jochen. “Students who need more time are giventhe appropriate resources and can work at the pace thatsuits them. They can go slower, repeat assignments, goback and improve old scores, and truly master a skill before moving ahead.”

myitlab’s real-world simulations help students learn instead of just memorize. “The program’s visual, hands-on approach helps students comprehend the skills on a deeper level,” says Jochen. “Students are walkedthrough the exercises, given hints, and offered repeatquestions. They can focus on a skill until the skill is nolonger a remote concept but something they feel fullycomfortable with.”

In addition to teaching students Microsoft Office, myitlab teaches students how to learn. “myitlab veryclearly lays out exactly what needs to be done,” saysJochen. “Sometimes for the first time in their lives, theresponsibility for learning is on the students. They seeearly on that when they don’t do the work, there arerepercussions. It promotes more accountability on thestudent’s part and more time on task.”

Jochen enjoys the sense of camaraderie and collabora-tion myitlab promotes in his students. “I see my stu-dents helping each other more now than I did before,”he says. “And I encourage it. I encourage them to speakto each other, to share their knowledge with their


I appreciate the freedom myitlab offers me.It’s another tool for my pedagogical tool kit and a great way to streamline the moremundance aspects of teaching.

—Mike JochenEast Stroudsburg University

friends. That kind of peer coaching is another way oflearning; it tests their knowledge of the skills and booststheir confidence in their abilities.”

But myitlab’s benefits in the classroom go beyond thesubjective. Jochen reports that when he made the switchto myitlab, his students’ final grade scores considerablyimproved. Most notably, the percentage of Asearned leaped from 5 percent to 45 percent, andthe percentage of Ds earned dropped by morethan half, from 12 percent to 5 percent.

“For all that myitlab provides me and my students, it is definitely worthwhile,” says Jochen. “From an institu-tional standpoint, it’s also a winner because it enables us to easily handle rising enrollments, since everything is taken care of online—no increased overhead costs,space issues, or strain on lab resources, such as tonerand paper.”

Jochen sees no need to investigate other products. He’seven looking forward to deepening his commitment tomyitlab. “We’re set to adopt the new Grader componentin spring 2010,” he says. “It inserts the final piece to really place students in real-world contexts, doing real-world projects.”

Fort Hays State University Fort Hays State University (FHSU) is a forward-think-ing, entrepreneurial university located in Hays, Kansas.Founded in 1902, today the university has an enroll-ment of approximately 10,000 on-campus and onlinestudents, and it offers hundreds of certificate and degreeprograms at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s lev-els. FHSU seeks to provide all individuals—from high

school students beginning college careers to members ofthe military seeking to complete degrees, to profession-als pursuing continuing education—with innovative, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities thatwill equip them to be successful members of the 21st-century workforce.

Gladys Swindler has taught Introduction to ComputerInformation Systems (CIS101) at Fort Hays since1998—first as a lecture course, then in conjunction with lab time. Although the lab practice was beneficial,students weren’t getting the most out of the learning experience; retention, attendance, and performance levels were all lower than she desired. In 2001 Swindlerturned to the computer-based software programs on themarket at the time and selected a Pearson competitor.

“I used it for two years, but I wasn’t satisfied,” saysSwindler. “I had multiple sections but no content stan-dard across instructors. Students were leaving with skillsets that were all over the map. Add to it that to startwith, students were entering with skill levels that, too,were all over the map. In 2003 I found Pearson’s TAIT[Train & Assess IT]. I used TAIT for three or four yearsand immediately experienced higher learning outcomes.I transitioned to myitlab as soon as it was available andam now even happier.”

Other motivations to switch first to TAIT and then tomyitlab included the high level of Pearson support andthe product’s reliability. “The competitor’s package included little tech support,” says Swindler. “I workclosely with my Pearson team and am always satisfiedwith the support. Plus, the program is more stable andmore robust.”

Swindler uses myitlab in a three-credit introductorycourse. The class meets once a week in a computer labin which she teaches, goes over upcoming assignments,and administers tests. The rest of the week, studentswork on their own by completing homework, doing tutorials, and taking quizzes. In addition to myitlab’swealth of online resources, teaching assistants are avail-able to students for one-on-one assistance.

myitlab has enabled Swindler to transform both her on-campus and online sections to a more effective hybrid-learning model. At a cost per credit hour of roughly 25 percent of the average FHSU course, shereaches an increased number of students (from


Case Studies

Before myitlab With myitlab

Overall Average 79 83

GradeDistribution Before myitlab With myitlab

As 05% 45%

Bs 50% 32%

Cs 25% 09%

Ds 12% 05%

an initial 120 to now 500) with fewer faculty andmore efficient use of teaching assistants.

Swindler also called on Pearson to lighten costs to herstudents. “Most students are on student loans, and theycan’t bear the significant markup—as much as 42 per-cent—they face at the campus bookstore,” she says. “I worked with Pearson to create a custom textbook that includes only the content I use in class and is there-fore cheaper. I can update it every semester and thenbundle myitlab with it. Students purchase the wholepackage directly from Pearson via a customized Webportal that they can access around the clock from any-where in the world.”

This kind of one-stop shop for online courses, files, and materials is of particular benefit to Swindler’s over-seas students. “FHSU has a reputation for affordableonline education,” she says. “Online students typicallyinclude alumni’s children earning online degrees, as well as active military personnel based in London, Paris,American Samoa, or Afghanistan.”

Unlike her online students, who are primarily return-ing adults seeking retraining or completion of degrees,Swindler’s on-campus students are mostly traditionalones, just out of the K–12 environment. “In my on-campus classes, I face the challenge of reaching studentswho are being asked to be responsible and accountablein ways they’ve never been before. For many it’s a strug-gle. They need the motivation that myitlab provides so they can learn how being accountable benefits themdirectly.”

myitlab offers all of Swindler’s students independence.“Students today don’t want to be pushed,” she says.“They want to pull their knowledge, on demand, whenand where they’re ready. myitlab facilitates their learningin that manner.”

No matter what their ages, students learn differentlyfrom each other, and myitlab recognizes that. “Somestudents respond better to reading material, others to seeing it, others to doing an activity, and still others to hearing material,” says Swindler. “myitlab enables me to optimally serve all of our students by addressingall four learning styles.”

To further support students’ engagement in the learningprocess, Swindler creates assignments that require herstudents to apply their Microsoft Office skills in the real

world. “Past projects include using the program to trackand organize donations of money to a humane society,of canned food for a local food bank, and of baby itemssent to military families,” she says. “These kinds of civicactivities both reinforce students’ knowledge and supportthe university’s goal of addressing the whole student.And they work: my score differential between pre-and posttests has increased by 15 to 20 percent.”

Most important, Swindler’s students like myitlab. In a fall 2009 end-of-semester survey, student commentsabout the program included, “I like that I can do myhomework anywhere I am, whenever I want to do it,”and “My professor told us that myitlab was our personal‘teacher in a box.’ She said it as a joke, but I do feel like I have a teacher with me when I use myitlab.”

Swindler’s future plans include adopting myitlab’sGrader. “First and foremost, Grader will save time andensure that grading is consistent no matter who’s the instructor,” she says. “Additionally, it will eliminatecheating by flagging files submitted from the samedownloaded filer. From students’ perspectives, it willmean they can see their results before leaving the learn-ing module, thereby enabling them to learn faster. I’mlooking forward to it.

“I am constantly refining my teaching/learning model,”says Swindler. “I’m seeking now to create a more modu-lar approach. Ultimately, I’d like to be able to swapmodules at a moment’s notice—to insert and delete Web2.0 features and other outside materials as the techno-logy progresses. And myitlab is a vital part of that planboth now and in the future.”



Students today don’t want to be pushed.They want to pull their knowledge, on demand, when and where they’re ready. myitlab facilitates their learning in thatmanner.

—Gladys SwindlerFort Hays State University


Guilford Technical Community CollegeGuilford Technical Community College (GTCC) provides lifelong-learning opportunities for workforceproductivity, community service, and personal growth.It serves all segments of the diverse population of Guil-ford County, North Carolina, by delivering solid educa-tional programs and services through partnerships withbusiness, community groups, and other educational institutions. GTCC offers more than 70 degree and certificate programs that prepare students—at their ownpace—for careers of their choice. Those interested ineventual transfer to four-year colleges can save moneywhile receiving from GTCC the first-rate educationsthey’ll need to move to those four-year institutions.

By spring 2008, members of GTCC’s Computer Tech-nologies department were pretty frustrated. Seemed likeevery semester, the CIS introductory class tried a newonline courseware system. And every time, it just didn’tmeasure up.

Several instructors had heard good things about myitlabfrom another department, which was using rudimentaryaspects of the program with Go! series textbooks. Theydecided to bring it in and check it out. It was an imme-diate hit. Instructors report that it was the first time theywere able to find in one place all of the course resourcesthey needed to create exactly the kinds of activities andtraining they wanted in order to reinforce what and howthey teach.

The Introduction to Computers course is a four-hour-per-week, in-seat, hybrid or online course. Class periodscomprise lectures and hands-on demonstrations. Viamyitlab, instructors assign an additional three to fourhours of homework, individual assessments, and option-al training per week.

Previous to implementing myitlab, the depart-ment struggled with low retention rates. Afteradopting myitlab, retention skyrocketed—in justone year, retention rates increased from 48 per-cent to 70 percent. Administration is thrilled. They arenow able to show exactly what the students are learning,and the class is recognized as more valuable than it wasbefore.

For GTCC, myitlab works well both pedagogically andfinancially. As a community college, curriculum cost isimportant to its bottom line. Pearson was able to offer

GTCC a bundle that includes the program, a compre-hensive Web portal, and the textbook for less than whatthe competitor offered with just a textbook. Administra-tion couldn’t be happier.

GTCC students arrive with a wide swath of skill levels.The number of students who have never touched acomputer—whether because of their age, culture, language, economics, or previous job position—has increased. The variety of training tools offered in myitlab helps instructors reach them all. They can focuson those students who need help—no matter how manyinquire and without holding the rest of the class back.

Sometimes students just out of high school think theyknow more than they do. GTCC instructors report thatwith myitlab, these kids gradually discover that there isin fact more to learn; and that returning students andnovice computer users soak it up from the start. Oncethey learn they can’t break the computer, they discoverthe videos, the Show Me feature, the trainings, and theother multimedia resources. Their feelings of intimida-tion are quickly replaced with ‘Wow, I didn’t think Icould do that, and now I can.’ Using myitlab encouragesstudents—all students—to move at their own pace, findthe answers themselves, and build self-confidence.

In regions hit by the economic downturn, myitlab helpsmanage an incoming tide of students seeking workforcetraining and skills development. GTCC’s ComputerTechnology department’s enrollment has increased by52 percent just this past year. With myitlab it’s able torespond to the demand with more online courses—butnot more faculty. Since online classes are not restrictedby enrollment caps, it is able hold the spillover while adhering to the same objectives, outcomes, and qualitystandards of its on-campus classes. It can help all thestudents who need help—and without overwhelming its budget or its faculty.

Regardless of background, any student can fall behind.myitlab’s built-in reporting features offer instructors an early-warning system to help identify such studentsbefore it’s too late. myitlab enables GTCC instructorsto be proactive about their students’ success. They cansee at a glance which students are doing the assignmentsand which are not. Students who have forgotten or whoneed the extra help love it. They feel taken care of; it reinforces that they aren’t alone and that someone

Case Studies



has their back. Some instructors see the program as a holistic approach to helping students learn versus simply mastering a particular skill set.

Many GTCC students don’t have up-to-date, fast computers at home. Maybe their computers can’t runthe full Office 2007 application; and even if they could,most students can’t afford to purchase the application.With myitlab, students need neither a fast computer nor the actual application. Instructors report that themyitlab simulation is “as real as it gets.” Students don’thave to purchase or download anything extra. They canaccess the program on campus, at the library, or any-where that has Web access. And since it doesn’t requirethe latest and greatest hardware, most of GTCC stu-dents can access the program via their home comput-ers—a huge benefit compared with programs the department has used in the past.

The simple-to-use program administrator feature also make myitlab a popular choice among GTCC’s adjuncts. The college recognizes that adjuncts don’thave time to keep learning new programs. myitlab’s program administrator feature enables one instructor to create the adjunct sections ahead of time. It keeps adjunct teaching and college assessments consistentlyon track—and adjuncts much happier. Because the sec-tions are inherently standardized, the department chairneedn’t follow up with adjuncts or look over their shoul-ders. Instructors want to come back because grading isn’t taking up all their time; they can focus on teachingand let myitlab take care of the administrative details.Similarly, when faculty have left the college to fulfill military obligations, others are now more willing to stepup to help. They know it won’t mean a ton of extrawork, and the department is confident that whoever volunteers will do a good job.

Instructors at GTCC’s Computer Technology depart-ment are optimistic about future use of myitlab. Mostthink they can raise retention even higher, now that a solid foundation for learning is in place. The faculty is familiar with the program, excited about the possibili-ties, and ready to run with it. What’s more, the programhas fostered a culture of teamwork and collaborationwithin the department that has positively impacted itsstudents. Students know their instructors want them to succeed and that they are backed by an entire depart-ment.

By presenting knowledge via real-world, hands-on experiences, myitlab facilitates a higher level of teachingand learning than GTCC has ever before been able tooffer. Students are gaining more than just skills. They’regaining confidence in themselves and their abilities tolearn on their own. At a basic level, myitlab is teachingstudents how to learn: how to find resources, how toproblem solve. Today’s employers aren’t investing money in retraining. Students need to know more thanjust the basic skills; they need to know how to build on present knowledge and how to smoothly transition intofuture technology. myitlab teaches them those things.

The department chair is particularly happy. myitlab enabled his department to raise retention, a key part of instructors’ performance evaluations. In turn, his department looks really good. A course that was falter-ing and causing him grief is now not only receiving accolades but also serving more students than before—and without costing the institution more money or decreasing the quality or integrity of assessments. Thedepartment is in agreement: they couldn’t have done itwithout myitlab.

Lincoln Land Community CollegeLincoln Land Community College (LLCC) providesSpringfield, Illinois–area adults of all ages with acces-sible and affordable educational programs and services,including programs leading to certificates and occupa-tional and transfer degrees; workforce training; and college preparatory, continuing, and adult education.

Previous to implementing myitlab, [GuilfordTechnical Community College’s computertechnologies department] struggled with low retention rates. After adopting myitlab,retention skyrocketed—in just one year, retention rates increased from 48 percent to 70 percent.

Case Studies

In addition, the college offers technical preparation anddual-credit classes that earn students high school andcollege credit simultaneously. To further expand its widerange of educational options, LLCC offers the kinds of formats that fit today’s students’ busy lives: onlinecourses, flex courses, hybrid courses, distance learning,and courses through videoconferencing technology.

Christie Hovey, professor in the Business and Techno-logies Division and teacher of computer applications atLLCC, is no stranger to online courseware. She’s beenteaching online for more than 12 years—starting with an advanced keyboarding course. From there, Hoveydeveloped more than 20 different online courses, including advanced computer application courses. Afterincorporating Pearson’s Kelly PinPoint software into hercurriculum—more than 10 years ago—and noticing theimproved levels of student success that live-in-the-appli-cation software offered to those in her advanced cours-es, she was on board to adopt Pearson’s TAIT (Train & Assess IT) when it was released. Having found TAITeasy to use, Hovey encouraged the instructor of the intro-ductory courses to take a look at the Pearson productand, shortly thereafter, the rest of LLCC’s Business andTechnologies Division transitioned its on-campus andonline courses from a competing product to Pearson’sTAIT. Today, the entire division uses myitlab.

“I made the initial switch to Pearson first and foremostbecause of the customer support I received from KrisKing and the rest of the Pearson team,” says Hovey.“Unlike now, the [competitor’s] products at that timewere very similar. The biggest difference was customersupport—the consistency and quality of representation.”

The Pearson name was also a factor. “I knew that whenI adopted myitlab, I’d have access to all the textbooksthat Pearson publishes,” says Hovey. “I can access all thecontent that Pearson owns and draw from a huge libraryof simulations and questions. During our last textbookcommittee review, we determined that while the compe-tition had some content, they did not have the wealth of content that Pearson did.”

When it came time to transition from TAIT to myitlab,Hovey had confidence in the Pearson team and its commitment to product excellence. “My students and I were part of myitlab’s alpha and beta pilots and I participated in a couple of discussion groups,” she says.

“Pearson didn’t just release a product to beat the clock.They worked with us—the end users—to develop it. The result is a really robust, targeted product.”

Hovey and her students offered feedback to and work-ed with the myitlab research and development team. “Because we were a part of developing the product, we knew what to expect and were familiar with using it,” she says. “When it was time to officially release theprogram, we were one of the first schools to adopt it.”

Hovey uses myitlab in both on-campus and onlinecourses. “In class, when I see students able to completethe material on their own—it’s a great feeling,” she says.Hovey’s students have embraced myitlab. “My studentslike that they can move back and forth from media fea-tures to teaching features,” says Hovey. “They like thepractice opportunities and that the test questions arepulled from the study plans and similar exercises. Any-thing I want them to learn, I require they practice. Itmeans that the test questions or formats don’t come as a surprise. And their test scores are higher as a result.”

Hovey appreciates the flexibility myitlab offers her students. “Before myitlab, students who missed a lec-ture/demo missed both the content of the lecture andthe rounded context of it—seeing it, hearing it,” saysHovey. “Now, students who miss a lecture/demo can seeand hear similar content via myitlab on their own time.”

The flexibility of myitlab also helps keep Hovey’s stu-dents engaged and on track no matter what their level of mastery. “Thanks to the study plans and the pretests,students who already know the material do not need tospend time on it,” she says. “They can move on to new


I trust the myitlab platform. I know itworks—for me and for my students.

—Christie HoveyLincoln Land Community College



material without the frustration of sitting through whatthey already know.

Hovey no longer teaches to the entire class as a homoge-nous whole. “I’m more of a guide, helping each individ-ual student,” she says. “Those students who desire amore traditional class model can follow me in guidedlecture/demo. And those who excel on their own canlearn the skills in myitlab. There’s no struggle if studentsare learning difficult concepts; myitlab contains a rangeof learning opportunities from which students canchoose and review as often as they desire. It all works.”

Like most community colleges, LLCC has a diverse student population, and myitlab reaches them all. “Ihave some students still in high school and others of advanced years,” says Hovey. “All of them are able touse myitlab in the ways that make sense to them—suchas via keyboard commands, on-screen commands, ordrop-down menus.”

Hovey describes how myitlab was instrumental for a visually impaired student in one of her classes. “By us-ing an audio myitlab textbook and having supplementalmaterial read to him, this blind student was able to learnwhere items were located and to indicate what actions totake. He did all of his homework and earned an A in acourse that even some of the traditionally-abled studentsdon’t successfully complete. Myitlab was instrumentalfor this student to achieve success.”

While Hovey has been a division coordinator for numerous computer applications and office technologyclasses, at the start of the fall 2009 semester she also assumed the coordinator role for the introductory appli-cations course. It was also during that time that she decided to go back to requiring the study plans for agrade. The results were inspiring. “My test scores wereamazing! I think requiring the study plans for a gradeagain definitely contributed to the higher test scores,”she says. “By requiring the study plans for a grade, mystudents were held accountable for their learning andwere more successful on the exams. There seems to be a direct correlation between the action and the result: ifa student does well on an exam, it’s usually because thestudent has completed the study plan.”

To further promote her students’ practice in the studyplans, Hovey has increased the study plan pass rate fromthe program’s default rate of 70 percent to 80 percent.

“The simulation environment within myitlab encour-ages students to be accountable for learning more thanjust the words in the textbook; they also must applytheir knowledge to show proficiency with a skill in myitlab by performing a task or set of tasks,” says Hovey. “They learn in a real-world way how to use soft-ware, how to learn the nuances of a software package(i.e. the Hint, the Show Me, or the Reset buttons available in myitlab), and how to problem solve newconcepts and technology.

Hovey’s division values its academic freedom, and myitlab takes that freedom a step further by facilitatingit and combining it with quality control. “As course coordinator, I create course shells covering topics I wantto be sure all instructors cover that meet our school’scourse and program objectives for assessment purpos-es,” she says. “The instructors are free to move contentaround in myitlab and tailor it to their teaching stylesand sequencings, but the core concepts will remain andshould be covered. While it takes up-front preparationtime on my part, it’s there for the entire semester and italleviates possible stress and confusion on the parts ofboth our adjuncts and full-time faculty members whoare using my course materials. Perhaps most important,using myitlab in this way ensures that all LLCC stu-dents receive the same level of content, take the sameexam, and are graded in the same or a similar style.”

“myitlab enables us to provide our assessment teamswith real numbers,” says Hovey. “And we can justify our success in concrete terms.”

San Diego City CollegeSan Diego City College (SDCC) was established in1914 with 35 students and 4 instructors. Today, the college serves as the educational cornerstone of down-town San Diego, offering more than 100 majors, 100certificate programs, and 1,500 classes each semester to 16,000 students. A truly multicultural institution, the college is committed to meeting the diverse andever-changing educational, cultural, and economicneeds of the urban core and surrounding communitiesof San Diego.

Rose LaMuraglia is chair of SDCC’s computer sciencedepartment. She also teaches the department’s mostpopular course: Principles of Information Systems, a

Case Studies

basic computer science course that includes MicrosoftOffice skills. Perhaps because it is one of a handful ofcourses that transfer to every higher education institu-tion in California, it consistently incurs the department’s

highest enrollment and the highest number of sections.By January 2007, as enrollments continued to climb and SDCC moved further into the distance-learningmarket—LaMuraglia realized that to remain effective,course delivery would have to change. “It was very diffi-cult to ‘show’ online students how to do things,” shesays. “Particularly when teaching Access, we found thatonline students were having to come to campus to gettheir questions answered. We needed a way to reach beyond the distance and to address teaching in a morevisual manner.”

SDCC was already using Pearson’s Go! Series. The department agreed that turning to myitlab was a naturalnext step. “The video excerpts were a big selling point,as was the simulation aspect,” says LaMuraglia. “Thevideo excerpts and the simulation enable us to be on thesame page with our students, see what they’re seeing,and facilitate the kind of reinforcement students need to move from memorization to understanding. I don’tthink we could do that without myitlab.”

Once myitlab had been adopted, LaMuraglia and anoth-er instructor initiated a comprehensive pilot of the pro-gram; the remaining instructors proceeded more slowly.“We required that our students watch the videos andcomplete the practice exercises and projects, with thegoal being the completion of a larger, competency

project at the end of the semester,” she says. “That wasimportant to us; the skills had to transfer into a larger,actionable knowledge base.”

To further test the program—and students’ use of it—LaMuraglia and her colleague created two sets of assignments: one containing required exercises and one containing optional exercises. “Amazing thing,every student completed both the required and the optional exercises.”

That was enough to prompt the remaining five instruc-tors to jump fully on board.

As department coordinator of myitlab, LaMuragliabuilds the basic course and then inserts negotiable“adds” and “subtracts” so the other instructors can tailor the program to their individual teaching styles and paces. Every template comprises video excerpts,PowerPoint slides, and a variety of skill-based and project-based training.

Students are given required weekly assignments and are instructed in how to track their progress in myitlabso that they know how they’re doing at every point inthe semester. “When students track their progress fromthe beginning, they’re more likely to stay on top of theirassignments,” says LaMuraglia. “It’s like having a personal tutor available at all times. myitlab reminds students about their schedules and provides visual rep-resentation of the paths of their achievement.”

SDCC operates on a pass/fail system in which a studentmust earn a score of 70 percent in order to pass. “Thepass/fail model promotes a shift in the learning processthat results in deeper comprehension,” says LaMuraglia.“Although the numbers alone may indicate the samepercentage of passing grades as in other models, we seean improvement in what students do and how they do it.”

myitlab’s immediate feedback offers LaMuraglia’s students a clear benefit: “When students have to wait a week or more to come to class and get an answer, themomentum of learning is lost,” she says. “Instant, onlineanswers are almost miracles in comparison. Students are instantly reinforced for their work and encouragedto persevere. That they do the optional exercises is testimony of this.”

LaMuraglia appreciates the time myitlab saves her.“The Principles course comprises 14 sections of


Students quickly learn that using myitlabsaves them time. They see firsthand that doing the practice exercises provides themwith a leg up come test time.

—Rose LaMuragliaSan Diego City College



approximately 50 students each,” she says. “If I had tograde every assignment, I wouldn’t have time for any-thing else. By taking the onus of grading off my plate,myitlab enables me to spend my time teaching concepts.In addition, I no longer spend time battling cheating.The program effectively addresses plagiarism, so nowmy students work in the program instead of on eachother’s papers.”

myitlab also helps LaMuraglia and her colleagues satisfyCalifornia’s tough accreditation requirements. “We usedto have a really difficult time quantifying learning out-comes,” she says. “With myitlab, we can quantifythat more than 90 percent of the students com-pleted the class and can account for their out-comes. The program is already designed to measureand track exactly what we need—no need to reinventthe wheel.”

By facilitating more-effective online courses, myitlab enables SDCC to reach some of the community collegemarket’s fastest-growing demographics. “Many of ourstudents choose the online format because of its conven-ience,” says LaMuraglia. “They have family obligations,are single mothers, have full-time jobs, or otherwise can study only at night.”

Another growing student demographic is soldiers. “I have at least two in every class each semester,” saysLaMuraglia. “These soldiers are stationed in Iraq,Afghanistan, or elsewhere overseas and are movingahead with their education at the same time. I had onesoldier this semester who not only managed to completethe course but also did all the extra work available,thereby earning all the bonus points available.

“The students we see today are different than they were10 years ago,” says LaMuraglia. “They expect instantgratification, instant replies. With myitlab, we have a wayto keep pace with those expectations.”

University of North Carolina at GreensboroChartered in 1891, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) is a public university servingmore than 17,000 students from all 50 states and morethan 70 countries. Affirming the liberal arts as the foun-dation for lifelong learning, the university provideslearning environments both on campus and through distance education, wherein students can acquire knowl-

edge, develop intellectual skills, and become morethoughtful and responsible members of a global society.Minority enrollment is approximately 26 percent.

Maurie Lockley, lecturer of information systems andoperations management at UNCG, was an early adopterof myitlab’s predecessor, TAIT (Train & Assess IT);was a TAIT faculty advocate; and was a participant inthe focus groups and research surveys that drove thedevelopment of myitlab. Today, she teaches Introductionto Business Computing both on-site and online and is a faculty advocate for myitlab.

Every semester, Lockley adjusts how she uses myitlab,taking her direction from the needs of her students. “My big change this semester involves altering my previous program of doing a unit, then assigning a bigproject,” she says. “I realized that the work that myitlabgrades for me I can assign every day. Small, 15- to 25-minute activities—such as quizzes and other reminderassignments—are easier and more effective ways ofkeeping students engaged and their knowledge building.So far, the result has been much higher attendance levels in class.

“If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d have a coursein which something was due every day all semester long,I would’ve hurt you,” says Lockley. “But myitlab not only enables it; it makes my life easier. Today, I can handle more than double the student load I had in the

The architecture of myitlab is flexible enough to accommodate different instruct-ional methodologies, different teaching styles,and the breadth of learning styles. Every single semester, I change how I use it; I tweak, I add, I subtract. I’m able to respondto how my students indicate it will best workfor them.

—Maurie LockleyUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro

Case Studies

past—from a cap of 30 students to 80 students online.”

Use of myitlab has impacted Lockley’s retention rates as well. “Before implementing myitlab in mysophomore-level advanced Access and Excelcourse, I had a DFW [drop/fail/withdrawal] rateof about 50 percent,” she says. “Now, not only is the DFW rate less than 20 percent, but also the mean scores are in the mid 80s. I attribute thechange to the fact that the students used myitlab in theirprevious course, and their foundation skills are stronger.Instructors who use myitlab can cover more ground. It enables both the instructor and the students to gomuch faster.”

Lockley’s students like earning myitlab’s green checkmarks [indicating that an assignment has been complet-ed]—and it pays off for them. “Students like the zingfrom the immediate feedback,” she says. “It’s not thescore that motivates them, but the green check marks.The checks keep students active and promote increasedtime on task, which are important in a class like ours, in which we’re teaching very concrete skills: you needrepetition to develop muscle memory. Students seem to understand that this kind of training helps them, andthey do it. I have far fewer people fail now and more As and Bs than Cs and Ds.”

One of Lockley’s favorite aspects of myitlab is the way it enables her to keep connected to today’s students,who no longer use office hours and typically study lateat night. “I probably now have more student contact viae-mails and the myitlab discussion board than I ever didin my office,” she says. “Students use the board to helpeach other, and I chime in often to set the conversationsback to the appropriate solution. They know I’m therefor them, which is particularly important for the onlineclasses.

“I’m also learning more and more about learning styles:how to accommodate them and how to enable studentsto learn about themselves so that they can help them-selves in the most effective manner,” says Lockley. “myitlab helps me do this from within the learning environment. The Hint feature is great for kinestheticlearners; the Show Me feature is great for visual learn-ers; and so on. Early in the semester, I show them theoptions and encourage that they assess and identify ontheir own which tools work best for them.”

At least 15 percent of each of Lockley’s classes consistsof nonnative English speakers. “Whether they select theShow Me or the Hint feature, myitlab provides audio atthe same time,” she says. “So my international studentsget the additional boost of having the spoken word—including the Microsoft vocabulary—reinforced with themovements.”

The majority of Lockley’s students juggle school andjobs. “For most of my students, the number of hours per week that they work has increased—a factor that influenced my decision to assign lots of smaller activitiesthroughout the semester,” she says. “I still assign thelarger unit assignments, but because the students havecompleted the smaller ones, they have the tools to do thelarge ones in less time and with less stress. And becausetheir confidence level is higher, they’re less likely to wait[out of fear] until the last minute to tackle things.”

From an administrative standpoint, myitlab not onlysaves instructors time; it also helps the department tomore effectively leverage its finances. “myitlab enablesme to be an FTE [full-time-equivalent]-generating machine,” says Lockley. “By increasing my credithours per hour of faculty time, I’ve been able to impact the amount of funding our departmentgets. It means we have more resources to offset the cost of lower-funded FTE programs at the graduate level. At a time in which budgets are so tight that the department is all but rationing supplies, this kind ofsupport is a real boon.”

At its core, the success of myitlab—all of its features andmyriad benefits—can be traced back to a solid, techno-logical platform and superlative support. “Probably themost important factor in choosing a product is reliabili-ty,” says Lockley. “I am extremely confident about thereliability of myitlab. I know that when students call mewith problems, the problem is not the program. I knowthey’ve done something wrong on their end. This prod-uct works. I trust it because I get so very few surprises. I don’t like surprises.”



Accruing the skills to successfully navigate today’s uncertain job market has never been more important.Fortunately, instructors have access to the kind of quality tools required to ensure that when studentsgraduate, they do more than survive—they thrive.

Since its release in 2007, myitlab’s flexible tools and sophisticated system approach have helped instructorsnationwide conveniently and easily deliver more than50,000 courses to more than 700,000 registered users. The results speak for themselves.

myitlab Promotes Improved Learning• “By seeing what they’ve done wrong and

correcting it themselves, [student] learning is reinforced.”

• “The program’s visual, hands-on approach helps students comprehend the skills on a deeper level.”

• “If students show up and try, they not only succeed in my class; they do better in their next class [BIS 155].”

myitlab Makes Learning Convenient• “Many of our students choose the online format

because of its convenience. They have family obligations, are single mothers, have full-timejobs, or otherwise can study only at night.”

• “Now, students who miss a lecture/demo can see and hear similar content on their own time via myitlab .”

myitlab Means More Students without More Work• “myitlab enables us to handle [a 25 percent

increase in enrollment] without losing integrity.”

• “[My] course comprises 14 sections of approxi-mately 50 students each. If I had to grade everyassignment, I wouldn’t have time for anythingelse. myitlab enables me to spend my time teaching concepts.”

• “If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d have a course in which something was due every day all semester long, I would’ve hurt you. But myitlab not only enables it; it makes my life easier. Today, I can handle more than double the student load I had in the past.”

• GTCC’s computer technology department’s enrollment increased by 52 percent this past year.myitlab enabled them to respond to the demandwith more online courses—but not more faculty.

myitlab Is as Creative as You Are• “I worked with Pearson to create a custom

textbook that includes only the content I use in class and is therefore cheaper. Students purchase the whole package directly from Pearson via a customized Web portal that theycan access around the clock from anywhere in the world.”

• “All of BHCC’s myitlab courses share a commonportal, navigation theme, and user interface. Customized course content, plus all of the resources they could ever need—podcasts, sound bites, demo documents—is availablethrough myitlab in one centralized location. We even integrated YouTube into it.”

myitlab Is Reliable and Supported• “I made the initial switch to Pearson first and

foremost because of the customer support I received from Kris King and the rest of the Pearson team.”

• “I am extremely confident about the reliability of myitlab. I know that when students call mewith problems, the problem is not the program.This product works.”

For more information, visit www.myitlab.com.

Conclusion


Courseware like myitlab introduces students to a training model that future employers will use. It raises the bar on their skills and on their understanding of the kind of technology ubiquitous in a global community, thereby providing students with a value add

in the eyes of future employers.

With other publishers, the assessments are only skills-based. myitlab has built in a complete project situation—just like what you’d find in the workplace. It’s a huge plus. With myitlab, students learn more.

This is powerful stuff—I'm really impressed! I really like the book and its tight integration to myitlab.

We’ve been using myitlab in to deliver our class online. So far it has worked great! Students seem to be happy with the quality of the simulations we have used with the class.

A good simulator allows you to click on all sorts of things before you commit to anything—this program allows you to do that.

I’ve used other simulation products, and myitlab is better. One of the very best things is that it enables students, who can’t afford to purchase Microsoft Office, to complete projects in the simulation environment.

myitlab engages students, provides students with valuable skills, and provides instructors with very detailed information about student performance.

Read why instructors turn to myitlab when they need functional, reliable, online teaching tools.

18 million myitlab log-in sessions • 50,000 myitlab courses created • 15 million grades posted to myitlab Gradebooks • An average of 90,000 myitlab exams delivered per week*

* As of January 2010

75 Arlington Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116www.myitlab.com

Making it Click 2010 - pearsoncmg.com

Documents

Transcript of Making it Click 2010 - pearsoncmg.com