McGraw-Hill Seeks to Transform Education Through Technology
McGraw-Hill Education’s recently opened R&D hub in Boston’s Innovation District sets out to change the face of education, from kindergarten through higher education, with the online learning platform “Connect.” Connect aims to strengthen the link between faculty, students and coursework, helping each party accomplish their learning objectives in less time.
According to White House studies, fewer than 20 percent of educators say that their school’s Internet meets their teaching needs, a real hindrance given technology’s potential benefit as an educational tool.
“Technology can help drive outcomes in education,” declares Chief Digital Officer Stephen Laster, a leader in education’s changing landscape. A graduate of the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, Laster has held technology-related positions at both Babson College and Harvard University. One of his major contributions to Babson was spearheading a blended online MBA program, much in the vein of Connect.
“We want technology to fade to the background, and the learning to come to the forefront,” says Laster, “We’re trying to prove it’s not just ‘me and the machine.’”
A recent effectiveness study found that Connect reduces professors’ grading time by 77% and increases the likelihood of students earning A’s or B’s by more than 50%. Its effectiveness may lie in its consistency – Connect incorporates all of the company’s digital tools for higher education, including its at-risk student notification tool and new automation enhancements of routine classroom tasks, into one central platform.
“At McGraw we want to make technology that’s authentic,” says Laster, “[Educators’] fear of change is a good barometer of how well we’re doing our job.”
