Engage - Best Practices for Instructors

Positive student perceptions of eTexts and DLTs, 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 digital materials 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.

• Instructors are encouraged to provide a brief overview of the benefits of using Engage, how to access the eText/DLT, and how the materials are paid for.

  • eTexts can be accessed by following the directions here, while DLTs can be accessed through the publisher’s tool integration in Canvas.

A basic overview of the fees and appeals can be reviewed in this document. The fees for eTexts/DLTs are bundled into the students’ tuition bill automatically. This includes a $3 fee per title for eTexts, assessed by Unizin for the implementation of RedShelf.

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, add notes, create study guides and flashcards, and create citations. 
  
  • Note: To provide an equal accommodation, ensure your annotations, study tips, and links are available for all students in a Word document.
• Review the Accommodations section below for some considerations regarding accessibility.

Help students practice navigating in Engage:

• Open the course early so they can review the eText or DLT before class starts.
• Include documentation in your syllabus or in your course that helps students with usage and support. McBurney also provides sample syllabus language surrounding accessibility here.

• 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, refer them to the publisher for support. 
  • If students have issues accessing the DLT, they should contact the publisher for support; they should not purchase access from the publisher directly
  • More information on where to go for publisher support can be found here.

• Instructors can merge sections of Canvas courses that are using the same Engage eText/DLT 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 & Usability Information.

  • Note: Even with an alternate version of the text, sharing notes between students remains inaccessible for students with disabilities. To ensure that equal opportunities exist for all students in the course, this should not be required for a grade item and instructor notes should be supplied in alternate (e.g., a Word document) versions.