Lumen Learning Partners with APLU to Bring Groundbreaking Courseware to Florida International University, Georgia State, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and South Texas College

The collaboration will scale the implementation of digital learning solutions in gateway courses proven to have high dropout rates.

Portland, Oregon / August 23, 2022 – Lumen Learning, a leading provider of higher education teaching and learning materials focused on improving student outcomes and removing race and income as predictors of student success, today announced a partnership with The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to effectively scale Lumen’s new Introduction to Statistics courseware to more universities across the United States. The courseware is designed for a critical gateway course with the highest dropout and failure rates among underserved and minority students. Current pilots for the program through the new partnership include Florida International University, Georgia State University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and South Texas College. 

APLU is a research, policy, and advocacy organization whose 250 members are comprised of public research universities, university systems, and affiliated organizations across all 50 U.S. states, Washington, DC and several territories as well as in Canada and Mexico. Lumen and APLU convened with institutional partners in Charleston, South Carolina earlier this month to run initial sessions around scaling courseware and developing the Intro to Statistics pilot program.

“We are extremely aligned with Lumen Learning in improving teaching and learning for student success, particularly minority and underserved students,” says Karen Vignare, Ph.D., APLU Vice President, Digital Transformation for Student Success. “Our partnership is uniquely using high-quality digital tools that provide faculty with enhanced courseware designed for more equitable outcomes, improved instruction, and more student preparedness and engagement for those participating in gateway courses like Introduction to Statistics.”

“I am very excited to be partnering with Lumen Learning on this important initiative,” said Timothy Huber, associate professor and graduate program director for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. “It’s clear to us that this innovative courseware will go well beyond excellent content, and the holistic emphasis on student engagement, inclusivity, and equitable outcomes set this initiative apart.”

Lumen is taking every opportunity to engage its target audience in the development of groundbreaking courseware. In April, the company was awarded a significant grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support its work in creating and implementing new courseware for Introduction to Statistics that focuses specifically on eliminating race and income as predictors of success for students. 

Lumen and APLU have successfully created more understanding around how faculty can use courseware to implement active and adaptive learning approaches. As part of this partnership, APLU will connect Lumen with key member institutions to help both Lumen and potential academic partners adopt and scale the new courseware to further establish the program’s impact. APLU’s network of institutions is focused on supporting large populations of students and this partnership will connect Lumen with institutions that it may not have engaged with otherwise. 

“Collaborating with APLU will allow us to bring our diverse capabilities together in support of a common mission in creating equitable success for students of all races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status across the country,” says David Wiley, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Teaching and Learning Officer of Lumen Learning. “APLU has great expertise in helping institutions implement and scale innovations like this, and combined with Lumen’s innovative solutions together we will drive increasingly equitable results for students.”

Lumen Learning has established on-campus user student testing centers at Rockland Community College in New York and Santa Ana College in California to support the development of their groundbreaking courseware, allowing Lumen to gain valuable insights and work directly with their target student demographic. The company is also working with Howard University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Assessment (CETLA) faculty and staff who are providing guidance and direction for its Statistics courseware.