“100% of my course grade is made up by digital tools.”

What impact did requiring digital have on your students’ success?
My classroom now has interactive learning verses passive learning styles with immediate results for LearnSmart and quizzes.

Which digital tools do you use in your class?
I use Connect, LearnSmart, Tegrity, attachments, online quizzes, eBook functions, PsychInteractive and Milestones.

When did you begin using digital tools in your classes and what did it replace, if anything?
Using digital tools replaced traditional lecture and PowerPoint.

When did you decide to require them as part of the course grade?
I required them as part of the course grade from the beginning.

What percentage of your course grade is made up by digital tools like Connect and LearnSmart?
100% of my course grade is made up by digital tools.

Why is it important to require digital rather than make it optional?
It’s important because it allows the student to be more responsible for the assignments as they can view the dates, time element and keep a running total of points assigned to each task. It forces them to be more assertive.

What advice do you have for instructors who are incorporating digital into their courses for the first time?
When in doubt, ask. Don’t be afraid to try a new concept that may make the learning process much more interesting to your students. If you can’t rouse interest, you lose student retention.

What are you able to do now that you couldn’t before you required digital?
I’m able to do just about everything. I give open text online quizzes after each chapter to ensure the short term-working memory is fired up. The students then use the quizzes as a study guide or map to the comprehensive final (also online).

Check out the full Required Equals Results series to hear from other instructors about their experiences.