Stamford, CT – October 1, 2009 – Wadsworth, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of print and digital educational materials for the humanities and the behavioral and social sciences,today announced the availability of Speech Studio, a new online video upload and grading program for higher education students enrolled in public speaking courses.
Speech Studio gives students a secure and private online location to upload video files of practice speeches for convenient anytime/anywhere access by their instructor and classmates. Instructors, choosing from a library of "quick comments" or by providing their own notes, have the ability to embed comments directly into a student’s video. A time marker tool allows instructors to comment on specific points in the video while hyperlinks take the student to the precise moment in the video to which the comment is applicable. Speech Studio is currently the only product on the market with this level of functionality.
Instructors can also create courses, assignments and grade student speeches with a library of comments and grading rubrics that are consistent with National Communication Association standards. Speech Studio allows instructors to track student progress and includes an easy-to-use integrated gradebook for course management. Instructors can also export the grades for use in other learning management systems.
“Speech Studio is unlike any other speech communication tool on the market and provides easy to use benefits for both instructors and students,” said Sean Wakely, executive vice president and publisher, Cengage Learning. “Using Speech Studio, instructors can save time on course management, allowing them to focus more on the important aspects of teaching and providing valuable feedback to students. The program’s interactive functionality ensures students can easily view instructor and peer feedback to help improve their overall learning comprehension.”
Speech Studio’s flexibility lends itself to traditional classroom settings, online courses or hybrid class formats. An instructor teaching a traditional class will save valuable class time by conducting practice sessions and peer review work online, while online and hybrid course instructors, can capture, grade and review videos of live class performances and simulate an in-class experience for online courses.
For more information or to purchase Speech Studio, please visit www.cengage.com/wadsworth [1].
About Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. These solutions are delivered through specialized content, applications and services that foster academic excellence, professional development, and measurable learning outcomes. Cengage Learning’s existing company and imprint brands include Heinle, Gale, Wadsworth, Delmar, Brooks/Cole and South-Western, among others. For more information on Cengage Learning please visit www.cengage.com [2].
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