What's New in MySkillsLab?

As is the case with any good technology, MySkillsLab is improving every day. The Pearson Media Team is committed to providing high quality features and content to help instructors teach and students learn. The changes listed below are the result of the feedback we've received from our users—instructors and students alike. Thank you for being part of our team!

Your feedback is valuable to us! Please feel free to send your comments and suggestions to EnglishLabs@pearson.com.

New Enhancements for Winter/Spring 2011!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Pearson is proud to announce our next-generation MySkillsLab. Building on its hallmark features, this new release of MySkillsLab offers an easier-to-use navigation, more personalized assessment (Learning Path), and instructor tools that allow you to customize and report to your outcomes.

• Personalized Learning Path. High-level Path Builder diagnostics determine individual student proficiencies at a given level and more importantly, identify areas for remediation, which are then mapped out in a Learning Path for the student to work through towards mastery.
• Ability to set prerequisites activities to all assignments. Setting prerequisites ensures that students follow a specific path through the various elements of MyReadingLab. Rather than being able simply to jump in and out of assessments, while skipping the pedagogical content, instructors can require a prescribed course for students through all (or part) of the educational materials. Instructors choose; it's customizable.
• Ability to create original assessments and assignments. By previewing and selecting from a topic-based pool of Pearson-developed questions, instructors can build their own homework assignments, quizzes, and tests. They can add their own original questions too!
  
• Ability to easily modify existing diagnostics/assignments. Previewing, removing, and replacing content is now possible via the Activities and Assessments Manager. Copy the assignment and transform it into a custom assessment by selecting only desired passages and questions.
  
• Ability to quickly and easily adjust course coverage. With the click of a mouse, instructors can quickly and easily tailor MyReadingLab to their syllabus by selecting only the modules (levels) and topics they cover in their courses.
  
• Powerful Gradebook. Select from one of four views in the Gradebook (Learning Path, All Assignments, Overview by Student, and Performance by module) to access data in a desired format quickly.
  
• Quick and Advanced Exports provide comprehensive reporting. Student data in the Gradebook can now be downloaded easily into a Microsoft Excel file via the Export Data button. Quick Export provides fast results with basic filtering. Advanced Export offers a more powerful means of downloading content in precisely its desired format.
  
• More intuitive, familiar navigation. The top navigation bar has been replaced by a left-hand navigation tree.
  
• Improved accessibility. Pearson is committed to making our content and technology accessible to all users. We've made changes throughout the application so the user interaction is consistent with Section 508 recommendations.
• New role for section instructors (teaching assistants). Instructors can now assign "section instructors" (a.k.a., TA status) to course members.
  
• More Gradebook reporting. Administrators can create reports across sections to see progress across a program.
  
• Interactive chat and whiteboard. Chat & ClassLive tools enable instructors and students to engage in synchronous chat and whiteboard sessions.
• Enhanced announcements manager. Announcements now have date and time display settings as well as expirations.
• Enhanced email manager. A native email manager allows users to more efficiently control course email.
  
• Enhanced document and file sharing. The document sharing tool allows instructors and students to post documents to be shared with the class. Instructors can use document sharing to post their syllabus and other course documents.
  
• Reading Skills Passages and Assessment. Hundreds of new reading passages with assessments have been developed for the extensive bank of discrete skills content. Passages at all levels include (but are not limited to) Education and Earnings, Texting and Emailing while Driving, Success in Modern Business, Disability and Social Justice, Reducing Test Anxiety, Mass Media in the United States, Eating Healthy on College Campuses, Gene Therapy, Managing your Money, Different Cultures at Work, The Dark Side of Consumer Behavior, Our Overwhelmed Listening Capacity, The Debate Over Vaccinations, and The Greenhouse Effect.
  
• Vocabulary Development Topic. This new topic in the Reading Skills section features instructional and assessment content as well as new clickable flashcards. Look for more words and definitions being added throughout 2012!
• Audio Glossaries. Glossary terms now contain corresponding audio to meet 508 guidelines, and help support ESL/ELL learners.
  
• Writing Practice. The score categories (Conventions, Ideas, Organization, Sentence Fluency, Voice, and Word Choice) now include short Watch video clips embedded in targeted areas of the instant feedback. These clips help learners see, hear, and read more about key grammar and writing topics. (Coming to the new MyReadingLab June 2012.)
  
• Vocabulary Development Topic. Designed to help students build on their vocabulary, this new Study Plan topic features review material (e.g., a Watch animation and new Flashcards) as well as Recall, Apply, and Write exercises.
• Audio Glossaries. Glossary terms now contain corresponding audio to meet 508 guidelines, and appeal to ESL/ELL learners.
  
• Overviews and Glossaries Audio. Glossary terms and writing overviews now contain corresponding audio to meet 508 guidelines, and appeal to ESL/ELL learners.
  
• MyWritingLab for Composition Course. This course offering is appropriate for developmental writing instructors who appreciate the features of MyWritingLab (Overviews, Watch animations, Recall, Apply, Write) but would like to cover higher level content than the Essays course. MyWritingLab for Composition covers 15 topics not found elsewhere in MyWritingLab courses, including writing to evaluate, extend, and synthesize as well as seven key topics about writing research papers. Content includes coverage of MLA and APA documentation styles.
  

New Enhancements for Summer 2011!

• Writing Practice. Our new Writing Practice feature allows you to get your students writing more without burdening you with more papers to grade. Once a student submits a response, the system provides instant feedback on six traits: Conventions, Ideas, Organization, Sentence Fluency, Voice, and Word Choice. Writing Practice also provides feedback for improving spelling and grammar.
• Ability to hide Write exercises. Instructors can now hide Write exercises from the topic pages.
• Improved accessibility. Pearson is committed to making our content and technology accessible to all users. We've made changes throughout the application in line with Section 508 recommendations.
• Vocabulary Development Topic. Designed to help students build on their vocabulary, this new Study Plan topic features review material (e.g., a Watch animation and new Flashcards) as well as Recall, Apply, and Write exercises.
• Glossaries and Overviews. In the Study Plan, each topic now includes a glossary and an overview, both of which complement the Watch animations.
• Reading Level (Lexiles) Content. 30 new Lexile passages augment the Reading Level content library. As with all of our Lexile readings, each new passage includes a Cloze items quiz and a combined reading skills quiz.
• Reading Skills Passages and Assessment. New readings, practices, and tests augment several topics in the Reading Skills area of the program.
• Vocabulary Development Topic. This newtopic in the Reading Skills section features review material, practices, and tests to help students acquire new vocabulary.

New Enhancements for Winter 2010/2011!

• Writing Practice exercises with automated feedback. Our new Writing Practice exercises represent a ground-breaking enhancement that will empower your students to write more while receiving valuable feedback to improve their skills. As the first and only online application to combine discrete-skill diagnostics and remediation (Writing Skills) with combined-skills application (Writing Practice), MyWritingLab is the most effective online tool for developing writers.
• Vocabulary Development Topic. This newtopic in the Reading Skills section features review material, practices, and tests to help students acquire new vocabulary.
• More class and student data in the Gradebook. The Class Summary report now includes a summary score for every topic in one view. The Student Detail now includes performance metrics for each topic.
• Precise tracking of student submissions. The calendar and gradebook will display student submission dates based on time zone choices.
• New Composition-level topics. This product features new composition-level topics (from writing to grammar to research) complemented by MyWritingLab's pedagogical framework, Recall—Apply—Write, and features, including Learning Objectives, Watch Animations, and Grammar Apply exercises.
• Additional help for English-Language Learners (ELL). Exercise sets have been added to the seven grammar topics that are particularly challenging for nonnative speakers of English: Nouns, Articles, Prepositions, Pronouns, Verbs, Modifiers, Sentence Structure. Many of these new exercises also include images to help with context.
• New Grammar Apply sets. The interface has been updated with new features, including images to help with context, and corresponding audio, which will be added throughout the spring. More sets have also been added to select topics. These sets help students practice correcting and editing within the context of a full paragraph.
• Selective release of content. Instructors can choose to release reading exercises based on a number of possible criteria. For example, an instructor can choose to release Test exercises only after the student has completed at least one Practice exercise or once mastery is achieved on the Practice exercises.
• New Watch animations. Instructional animations have been added to all reading skills topics, covering multiple objectives, reflecting a new design and a more visual approach.
• Additional practice and test sets. New sets help students improve mastery of Stated Main Idea, Implied Main Idea, 10 individual Patterns of Organization, Outlining and Mapping, and Summarizing and Paraphrasing. Sets will continue to be added to other topics throughout 2011.
• Reading Level (Lexile) content. Thirty contemporary Reading Level passages and combined skills quizzes round out our popular Lexile content. Additional passages and quizzes will be added throughout 2011.
• Narrated Overview and Model content. We have added audio narrations of the new Overview and Model content for all topics and levels.
• New eText courses. We're launching eight new MyReadingLab products and nine new MyWritingLab products with eTexts for 2010 spring/summer courses.
• Section 508-influenced content. Instructional content has been redeveloped in consideration of section 508 recommendations, including screen reader accessibility. Pearson is committed to making our technology and content accessible to all users.

New Enhancements for Summer 2010!

• Larger Window for Readings. The window size for reading selections has been increased to display more text and make reading easier for students.
• Section 508-influenced content. Instructional content has been redeveloped in consideration of section 508 recommendations, including screen reader accessibility. Pearson is committed to making our technology and content accessible to all users.
• Course Deletion. Instructors can delete courses permanently. The option to archive still exists.
• Section 508-influenced content. Media resources and instructional content have been redeveloped in consideration of section 508 recommendations, including screen reader accessibility. Pearson is committed to making our technology and content accessible to all users.
• Learning Objectives. Learning objectives are now available for all topics.
• New reading skills, practices, and tests. More than fifty new passages with Practice and Test activities for select Reading Skills topics.
• Reading Level (Lexile) content. Thirty new contemporary Reading Level passages and combined skills quizzes.
• Recall-style Quizzes. New "Recall" quizzes (testing comprehension of the instructional content) have for every reading skills topic. This feature will give instructors a measure for determining if students spent time on the Review Materials before moving on to their Activities.
• Expanded coverage of Main Idea. Main Idea has been split into two more comprehensive topics: "Stated Main Idea" and "Implied Main Idea."
• Enhanced coverage of Outlining and Summarizing. Outlining and Summarizing has been split into two new topics: "Outlining and Mapping" and "Summarizing."
• New Patterns of Organization coverage. In addition to developing a combined patterns topic that covers all 9 core patterns, we have added 9 individual Patterns of Organization topics. Each new topic has learning objectives, narrated overviews and models, recall quizzes, practices, tests.
• New Flash Animations. We've developed new, topic-based animations to cover more granular topics and objectives. We will continue augmenting the program with these throughout the year.
• MyReadingLab (Florida Edition). This special version, carefully developed with instructors from Florida, includes practice exams, two new topics, and other features specifically designed to help students prepare for the Florida Exit Exam. It is available for fall 2010 courses.
• MyWritingLab (Florida Edition). This special version, carefully developed with instructors from Florida, includes more grammar topics, topics corresponding to Conceptual and Organizational Skills, and practice tests specifically designed to help students prepare for the Florida Exit Exam. It is available for fall 2010 courses.
• New Grammar Apply sets. Our popular interactive grammar exercises have been added to select topics. These sets help students practice correcting and editing within the context of a full paragraph.
• Additional Help for English-Language Learners (ELL). More learning aids and assessment have been added to further assist nonnative speakers of English.

New Enhancements for Winter 2009/2010!

• Tracking of total time on task. Total time on task (total time a student spends on assessments) is now available from the Class Summary page in the Gradebook.
• Posting notes or announcements. Instructors can now post a note or announcement on the Home page in the MyCourse portlet.
• Ability to reset student scores. Instructors now have the ability to reset all scores for a student rather than by individual topic.
• New Grammar Apply sets. Additional interactive sets will be phased in to the program starting January 2010.
• New Reading Skills topics. Two new topics, Time Order and Spatial Order, have been added. Each has a corresponding overview, model, practice exercises, and tests. Selected coverage for both of these topics are also covered in the Combined Patterns of Organization topic.
• Comprehensive content review. We continued with our annual content review of Recall, Apply, and Write sets to ensure our content is accurate and effective.

New Enhancements for Summer 2009!

• More research support. Pearson's MySearchLab™ has replaced Research Navigator™. Complete with extensive help on the research process and four databases of credible and reliable source material, MySearchLab ™ helps students quickly and efficiently make the most of their research time. Students now have access to a writing space ("Greenbook"), a bibliography builder, various tutorials and videos on writing, research, and avoiding plagiarism, a comprehensive grammar guide and an online handbook.
• Updated Watch animations (Writing). Enhanced Watch animations are now available for all topics, including new animations for Summary Writing and Critical Thinking topics.
• Expanded Critical Thinking content (Writing). The Critical Thinking topic now includes additional exercise sets and the new Watch animations mentioned above.
• Even more Grammar Apply exercises (Writing). We've added interactive Grammar Apply activities to various topics, including more on commas.
• 2009 MLA updates (Writing). All appropriate content (e.g., research topics) have been updated to reflect the new MLA guidelines.
• New Reading Level (Lexile) readings (Reading). Thirty new Lexile reading passages with diagnostics and combined-skills quizzes have been added.
• Reading Level (Lexile) practice (Reading). Once a student reaches the highest Lexile level all of the readings at the highest level are made available to them for practice so they can continue to develop their reading skills.
• Narrated Overview and Model content (Reading). Audio narrations of the Overview and Model content is now available for all topics and levels.
• Additional Practice and Test content (Reading). Additional assessment content is available for the Inference topic. The assessment content has been augmented for the Main Idea and Supporting Details topic.
• Comprehensive content review. We continued with our annual content review of Recall, Apply, and Write sets to ensure our content is accurate and effective.

Your feedback is valuable to us! Please feel free to send us your comments and suggestions by emails us at EnglishLabs@pearson.com.

Back to top