Revel Art contributes to student success

In Spring 2018, Professor Dr. Patricia Eshagh from California State University Stanislaus in Turlock, CA, partnered with Pearson to investigate the impact of Revel™ for A World of Art by Sayre on student success in her Art Appreciation course.

How Revel Art History contributes to student success

During Fall 2017, Stephany Rimland at Harper College in Palantine, IL partnered with Pearson to explore the impact of Revel™ for Art History by Stockstad and Cothren on student success, focusing on evaluating differences in Revel implementation and results between Rimland’s face-to-face and online Introduction to Art History (Art 131) course.

Pearson interviewed Jeffery Byrd, a full-time professor at the University of Northern Iowa, in the winter of 2020 to understand how he’s using and experiencing Revel Art.

Read the complete findings here or continue reading to understand what they have to say. 

Revel has interactive features that bring art to life

Jeffrey finds the images and interactives in Revel give his students the opportunity to experience art in a way they were unable to in a traditional textbook, which has improved their performance.

“I think they are doing better on the tests now that they are using Revel. Art history is all about images. There are activities where they really get to interact with the images and that’s been really helpful.”

Revel’s videos resonate with students

Most of Jeffrey’s students take his course straight out of high school. They find the material a bit of a challenge, as the vast majority of them have never viewed famous pieces of artwork in person before.

“The student generated content is crucial because they hear somebody their own age who’s excited about art, which really makes a difference. They feel like it’s not exotic or foreign to them anymore, it’s not beyond them.”

Revel engages students with a sense of space and place

All the interactive features in Revel immerse students in art and capture their attention, according to Jeffrey, especially compared to a traditional textbook.

“I think students are more engaged. I think it really has to do with the fact that they are not just reading a book; they have videos, audio reading to them, and interactive components where they are able to engage with an image in a very interactive way. All of those interactives are really engaging to them. I really do think it helps them to connect with the material much better.”

Revel increases student confidence

Having the audio feature and ability to hear other people give correct pronunciations in relation to artwork helps curb some of the nervousness that prevent students from speaking up in class, which in turn increases student confidence.

“I think Revel helps them gain confidence in their learning because it brings art alive in a way that a regular textbook just can’t do. This material is very foreign to them. The audio feature and hearing someone say the words really helps students talk about the material because now they are not afraid of mispronouncing something. It has all to do with the sense that they are hearing somebody else say these words. They are hearing other people relate to the content and it makes it so much more of their own experience.”

Revel helps students retain information

Jeffrey’s main goal for switching to Revel was for students to retain more information. With Revel, his goal has been achieved.

“I think there has been an improvement when it comes to retention. They are able to remember more of the material and I think it has a lot to do with the way they interact with the material. It is not only the reading audio feature, but also the embedded quizzes. I think they are really beneficial.”

Read the full findings here

Learn more about how Revel Art could benefit your course