Study Finds McGraw-Hill Connect Platform Allows Instructors to Cut Administrative Time 90%, Leaving More Time for Teaching

NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effectiveness study released today, McGraw-Hill Higher Education reports that digital course management tools have been found to increase both student and instructor effectiveness. The study, "Evaluating the all-digital course management platform's impact on professors' instructional efficacy and students' academic performance at 18 U.S. higher education institutions," is an aggregation of data from a cross-section of higher education institutions that use McGraw-Hill Connect®, the industry-leading, web-based assignment and assessment platform.

The resulting analysis shows that using Connect dramatically improves students' overall performance as measured through engagement, test scores and course grades, attendance, and/or retention rates, and has proven to increase teaching productivity. These measurable results ultimately lead to institution-wide improvements, providing students with additional support throughout the learning process in order to raise students' grades and ultimately graduation rates.

"In today's digital era, engagement necessarily means connecting students, faculty and the coursework in an interactive, real-time way that extends beyond the physical and virtual classrooms," said Dr. David Welch, D.B.A., CPA, CFE of Franklin University. "In my experience, students that use digital course management tools are coming to class better prepared and more ready to learn, which has the results of improving their grades and increasing their long-term retention at the institution and their ability to succeed post-graduation."

The effectiveness study provides encouraging data about the effect of delivering customizable, interactive and adaptive learning tools on a single digital platform, like Connect. Study highlights include:

• Students using Connect show an average grade increase of more than five points, often equal to half a letter grade;
• In classes where instructors use Connect, student retention rates increased by an average of nearly 23 percent; and
• Connect's automatic grading and instant feedback functionalities allow instructors to drastically reduce administrative time – in some cases by nearly 90 percent – leaving more time to prepare and refine lessons, spend one-on-one time with students, and, ultimately, cover more key concepts and critical material in class.

McGraw-Hill Connect is one of the fastest growing programs in higher education. This fall, Connect will triple its reach, using digital-based instruction to help improve performance for students. To keep pace with this growing demand, McGraw-Hill has increased investments in capacity and accessibility, providing Connect users with industry-leading performance and maximum reliability. Through a partnership with Blackboard Inc., McGraw-Hill is increasing access and ease-of-use for instructors and students, providing all classroom tools through a single point of access. Connect offers digital course management platforms across key subject areas with over 170 course titles across 50 academic disciplines from which to choose.

About McGraw-Hill Higher Education:

McGraw-Hill Higher Education is a unit of McGraw-Hill Education, a content, software and services-based education company that draws on its more than 100 years of educational expertise to offer solutions, which improve learning outcomes around the world. McGraw-Hill is the adaptive education technology leader with the vision for creating a highly personalized learning experience that prepares students of all ages for the world that awaits. The company has offices across the U.S., India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions available in more than 65 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com.

Contact:
Tom Stanton
212-904-3214
tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Higher Education