When the pandemic forced U.S. colleges and universities online this past spring, most colleges did so with faculty who had no prior online teaching experience. At the time, faculty and administrators said they were most in need of support for their newly remote students, as well as greater access to digital materials.
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“Colleges and universities were clear that they needed support with digital materials and training for teaching in online and hybrid formats, and partnerships have been key in these challenging times,” said Fernando Bleichmar, EVP and General Manager for U.S. Higher Education at Cengage. “We’ve been able to help schools bridge the online learning gap with quality digital materials, services, and faculty and administrator training from leading online learning experts to build a better learning experience.”
As the pandemic closed campuses, higher ed leaders turned to Cengage Unlimited for Institutions for affordable access to quality, digital learning materials at scale, as well as academic services to move courses online and professional development resources to help faculty teach online. Partnering with Online Learning Consortium, Cengage offers bootcamps, office hours and customized trainings for Institutional customers.
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Partnerships have grown by 50 percent since April, and more than 125 institutions now partner directly with Cengage to offer Cengage Unlimited at scale.
One of those institutions is Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, one of the largest community college systems in the country with 90,000 students. Ivy Tech used funding allocated to the institution under the CARES Act to provide students with Cengage materials, and access academic services and professional development support for instructors.
“Even prior to the pandemic, students struggled with the cost of course materials. The CARES Act funding provided a special opportunity to help students who have plenty of barriers in their way already. They’ve been the most impacted by COVID. Many of them have lost jobs, are single parents and they have a lot to deal with. Being able to provide them with free acces to learning materials is a tremendous opportunity,” said Sue Ellspermann, President at Ivy Tech.
Since it launched two years ago, Cengage Unlimited has helped nearly 3 million students save more than $270 million on course materials, and nearly $70 million of that saving comes directly from institutional partnerships. Cengage Unlimited gives students access to more than 22,000 digital resources including eTextbooks, online homework platforms, study guides, and college success and career support.
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