Improved Study Plan Experience | Improved Faculty Tools Experience

We’re pleased to bring important updates to your Waymaker course!

The Lumen team has been hard at work on an updated Study Plan and Engagement Center experience, as well as important performance and stability enhancements to maximize teaching and learning with Waymaker in your spring courses.

View a recording of the Study Plan & Engagement Center webinar from 12/13/21.

Improved Study Plan Experience

Waymaker’s Study Plan is getting a makeover! In addition to a newly designed experience, users can expect simplified navigation, easier access to content and assessments, and updated language to help students make the most of their Study Plan experience.

What's New?

Clear Navigation

Students have a clear understanding of where to get started in the Study Plan: the Show What You Know pretest. The pretest is a critical component of the Study Plan, and is designed to help students understand where they should focus their time and effort. After completing the pretest, the Study Plan updates to reflect which sections are on track or need work.

Easy Access to Content and Self Checks

Clicking a Study Plan section opens a streamlined view of the content links, Self Check assessment and status of the section. Mastery status and Self Check completion are clearly indicated, keeping the student informed of their progress.

Updated Language

The newly designed Study Plan has been updated with simplified language throughout, making it easier for students to understand what they need to do to maximize learning. Each section now includes helpful guidance tips and an explanation of mastery status to ensure that students understand their current progress and what to do next.

Accessing a Study Plan section prior to completing a pretest reminds students to start by seeing what they already know:

After taking assessments, the Study Plan sections are updated to explain the status:

When will this be available in my course? Will I need a new cartridge? 

The newly designed Study Plan will be available in Waymaker courses in mid-December, in time for spring 2022 courses. You will not need a new cartridge to have access to the updated Study Plan.

Looking for language to keep your students informed about this update?

If you are teaching a winter session and want to let students know about the new Study Plan experience, feel free to use this cut-and-paste email.

* The new Study Plan will be available in all current Waymaker courses that utilize the new assessment experience. Older Waymaker courses will not include the Study Plan update.

Improved Faculty Tools Experience

Waymaker’s Faculty Tools are getting a makeover! In addition to a redesigned experience that makes using Waymaker’s automated messaging easier than ever, the new Engagement Center (previously Faculty Tools) includes simplified messaging options and streamlined navigation. 

What's New?

One-Click Set-Up

Turning on Waymaker’s automated messaging tools in the new Engagement Center can now be completed with just one click. The first time an instructor accesses the Engagement Center, the Messaging Assistant allows easy selection of signature and details.

After saving the desired settings, messaging is turned on and students can benefit from the automatic performance-aware help and positive reinforcement messages sent on the instructor’s behalf.

These personalize-able messages, sent to students to acknowledge good work or nudge them back on track when their performance levels drop below preset thresholds, are shown to increase average quiz scores by 10%. Learn more about Waymaker’s automated messaging.

Streamlined Navigation

The newly designed Engagement Center has been updated with simplified left navigation, making it easier to access additional settings, student histories and intervention notifications. 

From the Engagement Center, instructors are shown time-sensitive intervention suggestions and can take action to reach out to students who may need extra help. This view will also display a record of all automated messages sent, including “Nice Work” and “Study Tip” emails.  

The Student History option displays a record of student interactions with Waymaker’s Study Plan assessments. From here, instructors can drill down to see individual student performance on course learning objectives, making it easy to identify areas where students are struggling.

The Settings option includes all course configuration and customization details. From here, instructors can edit and customize all course-specific settings including mastery threshold, communication preferences, and email templates. The Engagement Center’s messaging options give instructors full control over all messages sent on their behalf, ensuring that students will benefit from a strong instructor-student connection.

When will this be available in my course? Will I need a new cartridge? 

The new Engagement Center will be available in Waymaker courses in mid-December, in time for spring 2022 courses. You will not need a new cartridge to have access to the Engagement Center.

* The Engagement Center will be available in all current Waymaker courses that utilize the new assessment experience. Older Waymaker courses will not include the Engagement Center update.