Engage - Best Practices for Instructors

Positive student perceptions of eTexts, and the resulting academic engagement and success, are predicated by instructor ability to explain and/or demonstrate a clear and thoughtful decision to use Engage eTexts instead of traditional paper materials.

• Please consider adding a statement about the use of eTexts or Digital Learning Tools (DLT) to your syllabus and posting it as an announcement to your students 1-2 weeks before the first day of class. 
  • Example syllabus language on the use of Engage is available here. 
  • Example language on the use of a DLT is available here.

View the Engage help menu (for instructors) to learn about the basics of navigating in and using the basic features of the Engage platform.

Take advantage of the Engage features allowing you to:

• Highlight, annotate, add study tips, insert links to external materials.
• Interact and collaborate in the text.

These examples will also help students practice navigating in Engage:

• Requiring students to highlight the first paragraph of the first chapter on the first day of the term.
• Requiring students to submit discussion questions via the eText prior to each class if you wish to utilize the question feature. Let your students know if you plan to respond to questions or not from Engage.

• Promote the key features your students may not know or understand.
• Share the University interest in providing well-below market cost materials and ease of access for all students in a class.
• If students wish to discuss opting-out of eTexts and the related fees:
  • Help students understand the academic benefits of eTexts from your perspective.
  • Help students understand the academic risks of opting out of the eText in your class.

• If you are using a publisher Digital Learning Tool (DLT) like Cengage MindTap or Pearson MyLab and Mastering, be sure to inform your students how the DLT will be used in your course. 
  • If students have support questions related to use of the DLT, they can be referred to the vendor for support. 
  • More information on where to go for vendor support can be found here.

• Instructors can merge sections of Canvas courses that are using Engage eTexts by following the process outlined in Canvas - Crosslisting/Merging a Canvas Course (UW-Madison).
  • Please be sure to not merge sections of a course that are using an eText/DLT with sections that do not.

• If you are using Engage for your eText let students know they can print up to 50 pages at a time, for free (not including the cost of printing). 
  • If needed, printed loose leaf copies of some courses’ texts will also be available for an additional charge at the UW Bookstore. 
  • Check the UW Bookstore’s website to see which texts are available for purchase.
• Remember we have arrangements in place with the publishers and the McBurney Disability Resource center to create alternate versions of texts for those students who require accommodations. For more information see Engage - Accessibility