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McGraw-Hill Partners With Quantum Simulations To Deliver Web-Based Intelligent Tutoring and Individualized Homework Help to College Accounting Students

Posted on: Monday, 9 February 2009, 11:14 CST

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Higher Education (MHHE), a premier provider of educational solutions that help drive student achievement, has joined forces with Quantum Simulations, Inc., a leading developer of artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring and assessment software, to offer the Quantum Tutors for the Accounting Cycle. Topics include Transaction Analysis, Adjusting Entries and Financial Statement Preparation with problems directly correlated with all of the most popular McGraw-Hill textbooks for principles of accounting, financial accounting and college accounting.

The Quantum Tutors for the Accounting Cycle are being offered through McGraw-Hill to colleges and universities throughout the U.S. They are learning tools that engage students with precise guidance that enables them to master challenging accounting concepts. Scientifically proven to increase test scores by at least a full letter grade, Quantum's artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring software helps accounting students maximize the effectiveness of their study time by providing detailed step-by-step tutoring and feedback on their own work with easy-to-understand explanations on why an answer is right or wrong.

"This is an excellent product where the available possible questions cover all aspects students might want to ask. I saw improvement in my students' performance and understanding after they used the Quantum Tutors," commented Dr. Ron Lazer, Assistant Professor of Accounting at the University of Houston. "The Tutors allowed students to ask questions and practice at their own pace at home, but with an interaction that is similar to class work and questions."

Reviewed and approved by more than 200 accounting instructors nationwide, the Quantum Tutors provide a level of intelligent homework help and individualized tutoring not available with any other educational software. Unlike homework or assessment programs that give each student the same "canned" responses and provide little or no feedback beyond whether a student's answer is right or wrong, the Quantum Tutors provide instant step-by-step feedback based on the student's own work along with specific reasoning on why the student's answer is right or wrong, reinforcing important accounting concepts from the textbook. The software also answers student questions and provides one-on-one tutoring tailored to the student's level of understanding.

"McGraw-Hill is the first and only higher education solutions provider to offer this level of personalized tutoring with our accounting textbooks," said Kevin Kane, president of McGraw-Hill's Higher Education's Business and Economics Group. "Through the Quantum Tutors, part of McGraw-Hill's suite of educational products, students will be able to connect directly with the online tutoring they need to learn the subject material and succeed in the course. Students are sure to see immediate improvement in the quality and productivity of their study time, particularly with a difficult subject like accounting where good tutors can be expensive and the instructor or tutoring center has limited hours of availability."

Scientific research studies prove that student performance greatly improves with the Quantum Tutors when compared to students that only use the textbook or homework system for study. For example, at Baldwin-Wallace College, students using the Quantum Tutors increased test scores by 27 percentage points while students using the textbook only improved by 8.1 percentage points. At the University of Saskatchewan, students using the Quantum Tutors experienced 2.5 times the improvement over students that used the homework management software. From the student's perspective, 99 percent of users surveyed ranked the Quantum Tutors as "Very Helpful" or "Helpful" and 98 percent said they would recommend the software to a friend.

"Quantum's tutoring software engages students at a higher level of 'active learning' rather than 'passive observing' as with other tools such as MP3 lectures or online demonstrations," commented Dr. Benny G. Johnson, president and CEO of Quantum and developer of the company's AI technologies. "We strive to create that 'eureka moment' where students learn by doing and receive specific and immediate feedback to help internalize accounting concepts and improve their problem-solving skills."

Priced at just $15.00 per student per semester, accounting instructors can learn more about the Quantum Tutors for the Accounting Cycle and sign up for an online demonstration at http://www.mhhe.com/accountingtutors.

About McGraw-Hill Higher Education

McGraw-Hill Higher Education is a premier provider of teaching and learning solutions for the post-secondary and higher education markets -- preparing students worldwide to meet the increasing challenges of the 21st century knowledge economy. It is a division of McGraw-Hill Education, a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 40 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mhhe.com.

About Quantum Simulations, Inc.

Quantum develops artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring, assessment and professional development software that empowers teachers and inspires students from middle school through college to achieve more. A "technology think tank", Quantum partners with businesses to offer effective learning solutions to their customers in months, not years. Funding and support is also provided by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit http://www.quantumsimulations.com .

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Source: PR Newswire

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