Contact Us


Getting Started

Things to consider
Gauging your readiness
Choosing a Product
Successful Course Redesigns
Pearson Grant Help Center
Submitting your C2R application with NCAT

Things to consider


Gauging your readiness

Assess your own readiness for course redesign by asking the following questions:

Whether or not you work with NCAT on your Course Redesign, you may want to review their readiness criteria to determine how prepared you are to engage in a large-scale redesign. The readiness criteria are designed to help you select the course with the highest chance of success.

Choosing a Product

Are you evaluating software? Consider these important questions before you choose a technology product for your course.

Type of Course

How will your technology be used? Will it be used in face-to-face classes, in blended (hybrid) classes, or in classes that are completely online?
Some software packages that work with face-to-face classes can be problematic for online classes. In an online class, you will not only need quality content, but also easily navigable course management tools that allow you to manage your class.

Number of Authors/Approaches

Is the software available for texts by many authors or just a few?
The philosophy, writing style, and approach of the text author should closely align with yours. If not, your teaching methods will always be in conflict with what students will read, see, and hear in the software package. The software that you choose should be available with multiple authors' textbooks, expressing multiple philosophies, writing styles, and approaches. Be cautious of software packages that are limited to one author or have no author.

Learning Styles and Needs

Does the software address different learning styles and needs among students?
There are many varied learning styles and needs. Students need software that provides audio, video, animations, and interactive practice with automatic feedback that helps students when they have difficulty. The software should also address the needs of students with disabilities, including visual and hearing impairments, so closed-captioning and screen-reading are very important. In addition, an instructor needs to be able to control the settings of assignments per student because many students with disabilities such as learning disabilities, ADHD, or dyscalculia may need extended time on assignments.

Measuring Course Objectives

Is the software objective driven? Does it assess student learning based on performance of assigned objectives? Does it assist students in remediation of those areas where an objective is not met? Can an instructor easily access data concerning performance on objectives for individual students and for a class? For online or hybrid courses, does the technology address objectives identical to those in the textbook used for face-to-face classes?
The appropriate pedagogy for all teaching includes the measuring of student performance against a pre-determined set of objectives. Software should make it possible for both students and instructors to determine whether or not course objectives are being met. Once students know where weaknesses exist, they need software that allows them to get help with these weakness and instructors need the software to do this automatically (without individual student assessment). Instructors must be able to access data concerning student performance on objectives so that adjustments can be made to teaching methods and/or assignments. To maintain course integrity, students who are taking online or blended courses should be measured against the same objectives as students who take equivalent on-campus classes.

Gradebook

Can the gradebook software be customized to meet instructor and class needs?
The gradebook should meet individual instructor needs. It should allow different grading methods (i.e. point system versus weighted average), include grading for off-line assignments, and allow grade adjustments for an individual student or an entire class. Grade data must be easily exportable to another format for archiving purposes or importation into other Course Management Systems.

Research And Support Data

Has research been done to support the use of the software? Does the collected data collected reflect an improved experience for a significant number of users-including multiple institutions, instructors, and students?
Software providers should be able to provide you with user statistics and contact information for instructors who have successfully used their software in a classroom setting that is similar to yours. The best way to determine if the software is a good fit for your institution is to read and discuss the experience of users at other institutions. Your campus needs may vary greatly from other campuses so it's best to learn the perspectives of multiple users under multiple circumstances: two-year schools vs. four-year schools; large labs vs. small labs or limited lab settings; online classes, face to face, or hybrid classes; and required versus optional usage by students.

Product Longevity and User Statistics

How long has the software been in use and how many schools, instructors, and students have used it?
It is essential that any software be thoroughly checked for accuracy. The longer a product has been in use and the more the content has been time-tested, the more likely it is that any errors have been identified and corrected. This is not to suggest that only established products should be considered, however, you may not want your institution to be a pilot site with a high enrollment course or department adoption. Time-tested products deliver a more consistent user experience with regard to content and technology.

Software Performance

Will the software perform well on campus computers as well as on student computers at home? Will it be fully supported by your campus technology department?
It is important to compare the performance of one software package to another before adoption. Create assignments of equivalent length and content and complete those assignments from a student perspective. Note any significant differences between the entry of answers and the time it takes to move from question to question. Your students will be spending hours completing assignments, so the time it takes for exercises to load must be minimal. It is also important that any software adopted for student use be fully compatible multiple platforms so that students can use both on-campus and home computers. Software should be tested by your campus technology support before adoption.

Tech Support

Does the software provider offer technical support for instructors, students and campus IT administrators? Is there dedicated tech support for each of these user groups?
Computer systems, including hardware, software, virus and spy-ware protection, vary greatly among users. Instructors can't be expected to provide technical support for lab or home computers. Any software package should come with adequate technical support, with dedicated support for students, faculty, and IT administrators.

Managing Multiple Sections

Will the software allow a professor or coordinator to easily supervise sections taught by part-time or adjunct instructors to insure consistency of instruction across all sections?
With shrinking budgets, institutions must hire part-time instructors who typically teach developmental courses. Monitoring these courses to make sure that course objectives are being met and that students are receiving quality instruction is critical.

Successful Course Redesigns

Many schools have conducted successful redesigns using Pearson solutions. Here are a few reports:

Pearson Grant Help Center

Your resource for grant proposal writing, funding, and procurement from Pearson. Click here to visit Pearson Grant Help Center.

Submitting your C2R application with NCAT (optional)

Should you desire to work with NCAT on your course redesign and apply for a FIPSE-funded grant, go to the NCAT Web site to learn more.