Aplia's One Billion Milestone Represents Millions of Engaged Students

STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cengage Learning, a leading educational content, software and services company, announced today that one billion answer pages have been submitted through Aplia, the premier digital homework solution for Higher Education, marking a significant milestone in the digital evolution of homework.

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"The way students learn and teachers teach is constantly changing, however, what continues to be integral to education is the use of homework as a way to reinforce learning and demonstrate comprehension," said Cindy Cook, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Cengage Learning. "Aplia has evolved with these changing learning and teaching styles to deliver a digital solution that is both convenient and effective. Reaching one billion answer pages in just over 10 years demonstrates that the product is succeeding in staying ahead of the curve and meeting the ever-growing demand for technology in education. Moving beyond this milestone, we will continue to pay close attention to the needs of our customers and provide updates and enhancements to ensure that Aplia remains an integral element in classrooms worldwide."

Aplia was created in 2002 by an instructor to help fellow teachers engage students in course material, ensure that students come to class prepared and streamline certain tedious aspects of the grading processes. Available for use with more than 200 textbooks across 21 disciplines – including Biology, Political Science, Business Communication, Finance and Economics -- Aplia has gained popularity for its ability to increase student preparedness and drive better learning outcomes in the classroom. Its content is authored specifically for the digital medium and features immediate, detailed and actionable student feedback including explanations, tutorials and real-world scenarios to help students learn, not just complete assignments. Aplia's auto-grading capabilities save instructors time and lets them focus on higher-impact areas of teaching that further improve student learning. In an online survey of Aplia users, 88 percent of instructors said that Aplia has a positive effect on student performance.

"Aplia is a valuable learning and assessment component of my courses," said David Ortmeyer, economics professor, Bentley College. "Its problem sets are well integrated within the textbook and assigning weekly problem sets with hard deadlines forces students to keep up with the material. Additionally, Aplia provides excellent coaching for students who are struggling with a particular concept."

Since inception, Aplia has undergone regular updates and additions, including the ability to engage students through multimedia platforms, increased ease of use and the integration of current events into existing lesson plans. Most recently, Aplia introduced the timely Analyzing Elections Modules, which helped students explore the hows and whys of presidential elections and connect course concepts with events surrounding the 2012 election. Moving forward, Aplia's content and unique approach to digital product development will be a key component in many upcoming products for Cengage Learning's ground-breaking MindTap platform. This integration of technologies will further advance the quality of learning and teaching solutions in the higher education market.

For more information on Aplia and to see an ongoing ticker of answers submitted, visit www.aplia.com.

About Cengage Learning

Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, software and services company for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. The company's products and services are designed to foster academic excellence and professional development, increase student engagement, improve learning outcomes and deliver authoritative information to people whenever and wherever they need it. Through the company's unique position within both the library and academic markets, Cengage Learning is providing integrated learning solutions that bridge from the library to the classroom.  Cengage Learning's brands include Brooks/Cole, Course Technology, Delmar, Gale, Heinle, National Geographic Learning, South-Western and Wadsworth, among others. Cengage Learning is headquartered in Stamford, CT.  For more information on Cengage Learning please visit www.cengage.com.

SOURCE Cengage Learning