Karl Clark says the key to his students’ success is feeding them bite-sized pieces of information.
Clark does this through REVEL, an online learning experience that combines digital textbook and online course content for students to use as a learning supplement.
As a professor, Clark assigns videos and readings for students to complete outside of class through REVEL’s dashboard.
“I first started using REVEL [last] semester and got feedback from my students,” says Clark, Professor of Political Science and History at Coastal Bend College. “They really like it and found it easy to use. They like the idea of having bite-sized information they can read and then take a quiz, video or simulation on it.”
Clark says after his students complete a reading and quiz, they and the professor can track their progress in the course.
He says the ability for students to check their understanding boosts their study skills and strengthens their time management.
“It’s improved their study habits,” Clark says. “The thing I think is key is they see their immediate results of where they stand…With REVEL I can keep checking on them to see where they are and I can keep nudging them, so at the same time, I’m improving their time management skills. You have to be able to manage your time in order to survive today.”
Clark says he checks his dashboard to keep in touch with students, especially if one or more students are struggling with a specific topic.
“As long as I see that green arrow in REVEL show me improvement, I’m happy,” he says. “When I don’t see the green arrow, I can immediately send an email to a student and say “ok, what’s going on?””
Paul Corey, Managing Director of Higher Education for Pearson says REVEL was created to serve students like Clark’s.
He says students like REVEL because it holds everything in one place, and cuts back on multimedia usage for coursework.
“When you think about a lot of courseware and coursework, students have to go to multiple media and applications to do their out-of-class and in-class work,” he says. “You have your textbook and reading materials, you have your assessment software, you may have materials you have to bring to class in a world of bring your own device, interactive classroom. They wanted everything in one place.”
Corey says another bonus to REVEL is that it is supportive of BYOD, and can be accessed with any device.
“It’s made for any device, desktop, laptop, smart phone,” he says. “That was another thing that was popular with students who wanted things in one place: anywhere, anytime, any device.”
He says that colleges can connect their students with REVEL through a “subscription format,” and that students can buy REVEL through a couple purchasing routes:
• Students can retrieve a REVEL access codes from the college’s bookstore
• Professors can include a link in his/her syllabus to the REVEL home page, where students are prompted to buy their materials
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