Cengage Learning to Launch Engage 2013 at SXSWedu -- Sessions Drive Student Engagement in Higher Education

STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cengage Learning, a leading educational content, software and services company, today announced it has joined with SXSWedu, the education arm of the famed South by Southwest® Conferences & Festivals in Austin, TX, to deliver Engage 2013, a series of higher education professional development sessions to occur during SXSWedu. Engage 2013 combines creative energy and powerful ideas for higher education  faculty members looking to improve engagement in their classrooms.

Engage 2013 is two days (March 5-6, 2013) of faculty development, dedicated to the importance of helping learners to reach improved outcomes, as well as driving performance through the use of technology as a personal learning experience.

"Engage 2013 is the first faculty event fully dedicated to improving student engagement and we are very excited to extend our longstanding partnership with instructors, sharing successes and strategies for the classroom," said Cindy Cook, Chief Marketing Officer, Cengage Learning. "In collaboration with SXSWedu and embracing the innovative spirit of their events, we believe that there is a real opportunity to think outside the box and encourage new ways of improved learning."

Noted speakers include:

• Curt Bonk, Indiana University – Adding Some Jumbo Motivation to Online Courses and Activities with TEC-VARIETY Model (session will be streamed live)
• Chris Dede, Harvard University – How Immersion in Virtual Worlds and Mobile Devices Engages College Students in the Real World
• Mark Milliron, Western Governors University – Next Gen Education as a Game Changer (session will be streamed live)
• Nada Dabbagh, George Mason University - Strategically Designed Personal Learning Environments: A Natural Recipe for Engaged Learning
• Corinne Hoisington, Central Virginia Community College - Engage at Every Stage: The Mobile Experience
• Kenneth C. Green, The Campus Computing Project (moderator), Christy Price, Dalton State College and Carey Roberts, Arkansas Tech University, will be part of a panel session titled: Student Engagement: Making the Learning Experience Sticky
• Jason Dinkelmann and Brian Joyner, Cengage Learning – MindTap: Driving Engagement and Outcomes Through Personal Learning

"There has likely never been a time in the history of humankind when learner motivation and engagement was so pervasively in the news. Today the NY Times, yesterday Inside Higher Education, last month the Gates Foundation," said Curt Bonk, Indiana University and Engage 2013 Presenter. "The Cengage Learning 2013 event provides direction, insights, and perspectives into this issue with scholars from across the country who I have been a fan of for years."

Many of the Engage 2013 sessions focus on utilizing new technologies to motivate and engage students and, as a result, improve learning outcomes. Attendees will have the opportunity to see and learn about next generation solutions such as MindTap. For more information on the conference agenda or session descriptions, please visit http://www.cengagesites.com/CL/1044/engage/. For more information on Cengage Learning, please visit www.cengage.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 is headquartered in Stamford, CT.  For more information on Cengage Learning please visit www.cengage.com.

SOURCE Cengage Learning