Major changes released to the Learning Center!

A number of new features and capabilities were just added to the Learning Center. (Don’t worry; existing classes were not harmed during this upgrade.) Here’s what’s new:

1. More intuitive navigation: Assignments, reports, student rosters and settings are now accessed in one convenient place: the Manage Classes page. Monitoring and making changes to classes has never been easier.

2. Revamped class functionality: Classes can now have start dates and end dates. Students’ scores are limited to the class in which they were earned instead of being shared between classes. The Practice Lab is no longer be required. You can delete it if you want (or keep using it if you’d like). Instructors now have complete control of their classes.

3. Enhanced enrollment controls: You can now list classes publicly for students to join. You can decide for each class whether students require your approval to enroll. And, for the first time, the Learning Center supports private classes. These are great for independent study and/or small reading groups that you might want to set up for a specific group of students.

4. New eBooks and Townsend Library Assignments: eBooks of all Townsend Library and Bluford Series titles are now available to instructors. Assignments for these titles can now be added to your classes for students to complete. In addition, we’ve added a new assignment type: discussion questions. Using them, you’ll be able to host and participate in book discussions with students. There’s even a “like” button for participants to use when reading posts, making discussions mirror social networking sites. Note: Townsend Library and Bluford eBooks will be available to students in the Learning Center by subscription in 2016. Contact Townsend Press for more details.