Nearpod Expands Content into Higher Education, Bringing More than 500 Learning Materials to its Library in Partnership with OpenStax and Stemify

Nearpod, an interactive instructional platform that gives educators real-time insights into student learning, today announces it’s expanding its content offering to include higher education, launching more than 500 new ancillary learning materials and videos on a rolling basis over the coming months. Starting with learning materials that help higher education institutions meet immediate needs, this content is in partnership with both OpenStax and Stemify, respectively. Further, the company is proud to announce the Nearpod platform is now used by instructors at hundreds of universities and higher learning institutions nationwide. 

Higher education course materials haven’t historically been affordable to all students. According to a recent study on how families are paying for college, 93% of families see the importance of a higher education, yet 85% say it will be a challenge to pay for it this year. And while tuition is a chief concern, textbooks and learning materials are another added cost on the rise for students that can hinder their ability to succeed. It’s become so much of an issue that some states are even considering passing pricing transparency laws for textbook companies. 

To alleviate some of the mounting costs on students, Nearpod is releasing Open Educational Resources (OER) materials that pair with OpenStax textbooks. Low-cost and free OER textbooks have been widely available for decades; however, in many cases, instructors have been left to source or create their own ancillary learning materials that bolster instruction. Nearpod’s content for higher education will help universities provide high-quality ancillary materials to accompany OER textbooks. By expanding into higher education content, Nearpod’s OER offering will enhance pedagogy and create more instructional resources for professors and instructors. The new learning materials include the cornerstone engagement features and formative assessments of Nearpod’s platform embedded within textbook companion presentations. By transforming the openly licensed content with presentations that are structured to keep students engaged, educators will have a greater ability to interact with and differentiate instruction for their students, while keeping course material costs low.

“We’re thrilled to bring higher education’s needs to the forefront with this expansion. Passionate higher education instructors are hungry for affordable OER solutions that offer their students engaging, enriching videos and interactive materials,” shared Jon Poole, Vice President of Higher Education and Emerging Markets. “Now, Nearpod is helping instructors amplify their impact in the classroom, and ultimately helping students achieve their education goals.”

This marks Nearpod’s first higher education content release and adds more than 350 openly licensed textbook companion presentations to the platform, in partnership with OpenStax. These presentations cover Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, American Government, College Physics, Chemistry, Psychology and Sociology. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with Nearpod whose platform provides valuable insights to educators and engaging, interactive material to students,” said Daniel Williamson, Managing Director of OpenStax. “It’s clear how important and challenging instructors’ jobs are, and we believe this partnership will help many save time by providing ready-to-use resources.”

In addition, Nearpod is launching over 180 videos from Stemify. Stemify’s software identifies gaps in student knowledge that can be traced as far back as ninth-grade algebra, and generates personalized study plans that address specific areas of difficulty to keep students from falling behind, withdrawing or failing out of math courses. 

“We’re proud to offer our students greater, more affordable opportunities to connect and engage with their learning through our partnership with Nearpod. Every student deserves access to engaging content that makes them excited to learn,” explains Dr. James Gentry, ED.D., Tarleton State University Professor. “Nearpod gives me back time to connect with my students while creating opportunities for seamless interactivity — helping me ensure they get the most of their learning experience. In fact, I use Nearpod everyday.” 

The company, which expanded into the higher education market in 2019, has plans for further content growth in the coming months. To learn how Nearpod can amplify learning for your institution, visit: nearpod.com/higher-ed. Hear from other higher education instructors at Camp Engage on February 25-27.

About Nearpod
Whether using interactive lessons, interactive videos or gamified learning, teachers get real-time insights into student learning with Nearpod. Teachers can upload their existing content and make it interactive using Nearpod’s more than 20 formative assessment and rich-media features so that all learning is active and collaborative. In addition, Nearpod’s libraries feature over 15,000 standards-aligned lessons, videos and activities created in partnership with leading publishers like Common Sense Education and Smithsonian. Nearpod’s companion platform Flocabulary engages students in K-12 standards-aligned hip-hop videos and instructional activities that increase reading comprehension through academic vocabulary exposures. Together, Nearpod and Flocabulary reach the 100 largest school districts in the US and are used by over 1.8 million educators worldwide. In March 2021, Nearpod was acquired by Renaissance, a global leader in assessment, reading and math solutions for pre-K-12 schools and districts. To learn more about Nearpod, visit www.nearpod.com. For more information about Renaissance, visit www.renaissance.com. 

About OpenStax 
OpenStax provides free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks for introductory college and high school courses, as well as low-cost technology that supports student learning. An ed tech initiative based at Rice University, OpenStax has a nonprofit mission to improve educational access and learning for everyone.
 

Contact Information

Rachel Stoczko

Communications Manager

Nearpod

Contact via E-mail