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Pearson Canada adds COVID-19 content for students to study the pandemic as it unfolds this fall

This fall, Canadian educators and students had the opportunity to study COVID-19 and its impact on their field of study using Pearson Canada’s digital learning platforms MyLab, Mastering, and Revel.

When the severity of the virus became clear in March, Pearson Canada’s editorial team immediately contacted virologists, authors, and other experts to develop content educators can use to teach students about the pandemic in real time.

Joan Sharp and Michael Harrington, authors of the popular introductory biology textbook ‘Biological Science’, were two of the experts the publisher worked with to create brand new content about the pandemic in a matter of months. As biology professors at Simon Fraser University and the University of Alberta, respectively, they saw the importance of providing students with the latest research and accurate information about the virus.

“Students learn best when they care about the subject matter. The whole world has been severely impacted by the current pandemic and our students are vitally interested in SARS-CoV-2 and its origin, structure, and replication, and in COVID-19, the disease it causes,” says Joan Sharp, Teaching Professor Emerita of Biology at Simon Fraser University.

These rapid updates and additions would not have been possible without Pearson Canada’s digital-first model. In the past, the publisher could only revise their textbooks and supplementary resources every few years when a new print edition was published. Now, with digital textbooks and course materials, Pearson Canada can to release up-to-date content on current events like COVID-19 and the latest research across all disciplines anytime.

“Instructors and learners value up-to-date content and relevant examples. We were limited by print, which didn't allow for the more frequent updating we can do now with digital. It is exciting that we can address something as important as the pandemic right away instead of having to wait a few years for a new print edition,” says Amie Plourde, Editorial Director of Higher Education at Pearson Canada.

Just in time for the fall 2020 semester, Pearson Canada added COVID-19 content and activities across titles from Political Science to Biology. With so much of the future uncertain, learning about the ongoing pandemic has helped students process and understand the context of what is happening. 

“We are grateful for their quick turnaround as making sure this was ready in time was no easy task with the rapidly evolving COVID-19 news updates. It was an all-around great effort and collaboration from our authors and Pearson teammates, who recognized the importance of being able to have academic discussions about the pandemic in relation to the different fields of study,” says Brianna Regier, Higher Education Portfolio Manager at Pearson Canada.

Pearson Canada and their authors recognize that information about COVID-19 is rapidly changing and, as such, have plans to provide further updated content in 2021.

Listed below are all titles with COVID-19 content available:

MyLab

Mastering

Revel

For more information on Pearson Canada’s COVID-19 digital updates, contact your local representative here.

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