What's New in MyLiteratureLab?

As is the case with any good technology, MyLiteratureLab 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 email your comments and suggestions to EnglishLabs@pearson.com.

New Enhancements for Summer/Fall 2012!

Improved navigation. The left navigation bar has been revised to be more intuitive and easy-to-use. “Course Settings” has been renamed “Manage Settings and is now housed under the ‘course settings’ drop down above the navigation bar.” WriteClick has moved from the homepage to a sub tab under Course Home so instructors can control whether to hide or show WriteClick in their course. Student tab names have been streamlined. Instructors will also experience ease of use and improved performance when adding and modifying menu items.

New Course Roster and Gradebook features. Instructors can now sort student names alphabetically, search for individual students, and print their course roster. Instructors can also now set the time zone within course settings for their Gradebook items and Assignments. Coming for fall 2012!

Support for Section Instructors. Instructors can now designate section instructors for their courses. Section instructor access is controlled by the Instructor; access includes all Instructor Tools, such as the Gradebook and Assignment Manager.

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 Class Preparation Tool. The Pearson Class Preparation Tool (ClassPrep) is a search engine that helps instructors create and deliver presentations to their classes using the learning objects (e.g., lecture launcher animation tutorials) found within MyLiteratureLab.
Improved mobility. In the ongoing effort to make our content and technology mobile-ready, we’ve redeveloped media resources, including the Writing in Action, Common Grammar Errors, and Avoiding Plagiarism videos, to work across more platforms and devices.
Updated Model Documents. An updated, enhanced player makes it easier to navigate and view helpful annotations and writing samples, including emails, letters, presentations, and essays. It also works across more platforms and mobile devices, and is Section 508-compliant/accessible. Additional sample documents will be added to the Lab this year.
Additional Multimedia American, British, and World Literature Sections. Video assets have been added to the American, British, and World Literature sections for the most widely-taught writers in these disciplines.
Office Hours Plus (videos). The MyLab includes even more videos in this popular teacher-student exchange series. Topics include writing process, avoiding plagiarism, and peer review.

Writing in Action (animations). Additional animations cover various writing purposes topics.

New Enhancements for Winter/Spring 2011!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Pearson is proud to announce our next-generation MyLiteratureLab. Building on its hallmark features (literature resource library, personalized assessment, Composing, and instructor commenting), this new release of MyLiteratureLab offers streamlined navigation, a suite of course management tools to save you time, and even more engaging and effective content.

New Literature eText! Pearson's first eText is now available for Pike, Literature: A World of Writing, and integrated with the Lab's eAnthology. The Pike eText is available in both MyLiteratureLab and the Pearson eText app.
Model Documents Player. An updated, enhanced player makes it easier to navigate and view helpful annotations and writing samples, including emails, letters, presentations, and essays. It also works across more platforms and mobile devices, and is Section 508-compliant/accessible. Additional sample documents will be added to the Lab this year.
New American, British, and World editions. Three new MyLiteratureLab courses feature biographies, links, exercises, and assignments for the most widely-taught writers in these disciplines. Additional resources will be integrated throughout 2012 and 2013.
Susan Glaspell's Trifles. Now available is a complete audio production of Susan Glaspell's Trifles by L.A. Theaterworks, with an introduction by author Dana Gioia.
Office Hours Plus. Completely updated videos address 10 topics useful for college writers, including writing process, avoiding plagiarism, and peer review.
Grammar Podcasts. Additional podcasts have been added to the Resources and the Writer's Toolkit areas.
Writing Strategies topics. This new section offers instruction and practice for 9 of the traditional modes or patterns, including Argument, Cause and Effect, Comparison and Contrast, Definition, Description, Division and Classification, Illustration, Narration, and Process writing.
Writing in Action Videos. New instructional videos cover such writing purposes as Writing to Inform and Writing to Reflect.
More intuitive, familiar navigation. The top navigation bar has been replaced by a left-hand navigation tree.
Ability to hide features. Instructors can hide features (e.g., the Composing space) that they choose not to use in their course.
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.
New role for section instructors (teaching assistants). Instructors can now assign "section instructors" (a.k.a., TA status) to course members.
New file attachment capability. The ability to attach a file to an assignment has been extended for Composition, Collaboration, Peer Review and Portfolio assignments. Instructors can allow students to attach specific types of files to their assignment submissions. Instructors can download the attachments, comment on the documents, and repost the file to send back to the student. TIP! This new feature is great for managing documents that require heavy formatting. Other applications include: off-line commenting, support for different file types (e.g., PowerPoint), and more.
New search box functionality. The search box functionality has been modified to allow for auto-complete, which guides users to achieve more accurate search results.
New Media Index filter and search functionality. Users are now able to filter and search the Media Index through the Search Media Index tab on the Resources page. Users can filter by Chapter, Topic, and Media Type to quickly locate the desired assets.
Improved display (ability to modify the viewing area). Users are now able to drag and stretch the topic viewing area on the Resources page, and Gradebook Topic Results Summary to show lengthy titles. Also available to instructors in the Assignment Builder for the Skill Building assignments.
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.
Improved mobility. In the ongoing effort to make our content and technology mobile-ready, we've redeveloped media resources, including the Writing in Action, Common Grammar Errors, and Avoiding Plagiarism videos, to work across more platforms and devices.
WriteClick! WriteClick is a powerful application that encourages writers to think critically about their writing, then review, edit, and revise effectively--anywhere they write. WriteClick instantly analyzes writing for grammar and spelling errors, provides suggestions on writing skills, and puts useful tools at the writer's fingertips. WriteClick is available at no additional cost with the MyLab. Learn more.

New Enhancements for Summer 2011!

Introducing WriteClick! WriteClick is a powerful application that encourages writers to think critically about their writing, then review, edit, and revise effectively--anywhere they write. WriteClick instantly analyzes writing for grammar and spelling errors, provides suggestions on writing skills, and puts useful tools at the writer’s fingertips. WriteClick is available at no additional cost with the MyLab.
Enhanced composing space. An upgrade to the Composing Space editor provides numerous enhancements to improve overall usability.
Improved display/notification of status for writing assignments. We’ve modified our Rewrite feature for Composing assignments to better inform students when an instructor review is completed. Rather than simply noting an assignment is ‘In Progress’, the lab now informs students that a Rewrite is requested. This enhancement facilitates timely student and instructor interaction. The “New Reviews Available” area on the Home page has been enhanced to now include reviews that students have submitted to SourceCheck, Pearson Tutor Services, or Peer Review. Students are now able to find all documents submitted for review, and their status, in a single location.
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.
eAnthology. The eAnthology of public domain works has been updated to include 11 new selections, including poetry by Emily Dickinson, Robert Browning, Walt Whitman, John Donne, and Phyllis Wheatley; fiction by D.H. Lawrence, and two full-length plays by Sophocles.
Longman Lectures. 12 brand new Longman Lectures augment the multimedia library and can be accessed from the Resource Section of MLL. These captivating audio lectures are enhanced with visuals and closed-captioning and are accompanied by Reading, Interpreting, and Writing exercises. New lectures include:
- Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
- T.C. Boyle, “Greasy Lake”
- Gwendolyn Brooks, “We Real Cool”
- Willa Cather, “Paul’s Case”
- Sandra Cisneros, “The House on Mango Street”
- Guy de Maupassant, “The Necklace”
- Louise Erdrich, “The Red Convertible”
- Langston Hughes, “Harlem”
- Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery”
- Adrienne Rich, “Diving into the Wreck”
- William Shakespeare, Othello
- John Updike, “A&P”
New Common Grammar Error Videos. New videos address some of the most common grammatical errors that writers make.
New Writing in Action Videos. Additional Writing in Action videos cover writing purposes such as Writing to Analyze and Writing to Describe.
Writing Strategies. This new section offers instruction and practice for 9 of the traditional modes or patterns, including Argument, Cause and Effect, Comparison and Contrast, Definition, Description, Division and Classification, Illustration, Narration, and Process writing.
Grammar Podcasts. 47 new Grammar Podcasts and scripts from acclaimed author, June Casagrande, help answer many of the most common grammar questions students have. (Podcasts can be accessed from both Resources and the Writer’s Toolkit in the Composing space.)
Writers on Writing Videos. 40 additional videos from our Penguin Author Series can be found in the More Writing Resources section of Resources. All videos also include closed-captioning.
Shakespeare Vango Notes Audio. 22 new audio lessons focus on Shakespeare’s life and how to study his works.
New Writing Purposes Exercises and Assignments. 40 additional exercises and assignments can be found in the Writing Purposes sections of Resources and Assignments. All new exercises and assignments will be image- and video-based.

New Enhancements for Winter 2010/2011!

Redesigned Resources display. A new design makes it easier to view all instruction, multimedia, and exercise content within each Resources topic.
Ability to require Resources. As part of the new Resources design, instructors can require students to complete individual assets or entire topics under the Resources tab. Instructors can assign a due date to individual assets resulting in the asset being added to each student’s To Do list and Study Plan.
New Gradebook display and pages. A new column on the Student Results page has been added to display scores for required resources. A corresponding page provides specific details for each student’s performance on the required resources. This new page also indicates which topics are on each student’s Study Plan.
Adaptive To Do list and Study Plan. Each student’s Study Plan will adapt based on her diagnostic results, assets required by the instructor, or comments made by the instructor on her writing submissions. The student can track the status of all assignments and required activities on their To Do list.
Integrated originality checker. Pearson’s SourceCheck is now integrated into the Composing space. SourceCheck helps instructors monitor originality and encourages students to accurately document and cite their sources. SourceCheck instantly spots similarities and reports matches. Documents can be submitted by the instructor or the instructor can choose to allow students to submit their own work.
Precise tracking of student submissions. The calendar and gradebook will display student submission dates based on time zone choices.
Instructor Resources. A new Instructor Resources page linked from the homepage provides instructors with teaching tips, ways to solve course challenges, grading strategies, a link to MyClassPrep (a database of downloadable instructor resources), and more!

Literature Content

Longman Lectures. We have added 11 new selections to our popular Longman Lecture video series and will continue to add others in 2011.
Elements of Fiction, Poetry, and Drama videos. These videos are now closed-captioned and redesigned!
Full-length feature films. These videos are now closed-captioned!
Writers on Writing videos. We’ve added 49 new authors to this series of videos, now closed-captioned and in a new player!
Enhanced Timeline. We have added more images to the timeline events to make them more visually appealing.

Composition Content

Writing in Action videos. We’ve updated the Writing in Action videos with an updated look and feel, closed-captioning, and references to updated versions of Word and other word-processing programs.
Common Grammar Error videos. Videos have been added to cover more common errors!
Grammar Podcasts. The Grammar Podcasts have now been added to the Multimedia resources section in addition to being offered in the Writer’s Toolkit.
New instruction assets and exercise sets. We have added instruction assets and exercises to help round out coverage in selected Grammar topics.

New Enhancements for Summer 2010!

New Home pages. The instructor and student Home pages have been streamlined and designed to be easier to use.
Audio Commenting. Instructors now have the option to record and attach an audio comment when responding to student documents. (Available in August)
More Flexible Grading Options. Instructors can now grade on any point scale between 0.01 and 1000. The instructor can also customize grades in the Gradebook to display as points, percentages, or letter grades.
Enhanced Composing Space. The Composing space has been updated to provide more consistent formatting, more prominently displayed word count, and more.
Instructor Announcements. Instructors can now add course announcements that will appear for students on their Home page.
Syllabus Manager. Instructors can now manage and post their syllabus from their Home page.
Instructor Blog and Podcast. Instructors can use this tool to create and post podcasts, and author a blog for each of their courses.
File Submission and Support for Multi-Modal Composing. Instructors now have control to give students the option to attach files to their document submissions. Instructors can encourage this to support multi-modal composition (audio, video, PowerPoint, etc.). Students may also use this to submit fully-formatted documents illustrating documentation for research papers.
Course Deletion. Instructors can delete courses permanently. The option to archive still exists.

Literature Content

New and Enhanced Longman Lectures. We’ve added new Longman Lectures on eleven classic and contemporary selections, including Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and Kincaid’s, “Girl.” We have also updated the existing Longman Lectures to include closed-captioning.
New Authors and Selections. Twenty-two new authors/selections have been added to the Resources section. These new selections come from a diverse group of authors, including Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street” and Ha Jin’s “Saboteur.”
New Exercises on Elements of Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. These new exercises include essay assignments based on texts included in the eAnthology.
New Writers on Writing videos. Nine new videos have been added to this section of author interviews, including interviews with George Saunders and Philip Lopate.
Learning Objectives. We have developed learning objectives for all Resources topics and subtopics.
Expanded Timeline. We have added more images to the timeline events to make them even more visually appealing.

Composition Content

Additional instructional content and exercise sets in Resources section. Selected topics are augmented with new instructional assets and exercises to address specific learning objectives.
Interactive “Grammar Apply” assignable sets. New sets are available for instructors will to assign to students through Assignment Builder. (Grammar Apply sets help students practice grammar interactively and within the context of full paragraphs.)
More image, audio, video, and interactivity. We’ve added more content that incorporates images, audio, video, and interaction to help students with varied learning styles.
Grammar Podcasts. New topics include Copular Verbs, Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases, Articles, Capitalization, Apostrophes, and End Punctuation. Students can find these podcasts in the Writer’s Toolkit of their Composing space.
Writing in Action videos. These new videos provide tips for and demonstrate writing in an electronic environment.
Comprehensive content review. As part of a broader, longer-term development plan, we are completing a full review of our vast Resources content bank. This initiative helps us ensure accuracy as well as continue strategizing and developing our learning aids and assessment to make them even more robust for 2011 and beyond.

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