MindTap Reviews & Pricing

by cengage | Founded 2007, Boston, MA

REQUEST WITH NO OBLIGATION$ Request Pricing Get Free Demo

Overview Pricing Benefits Reviews Features

Categories:

What is MindTap?

Industry Specialties: Serves higher education, K-12, libraries, and workforce training.

MindTap is an online learning software owned by Cengage that provides educational content and some class management. Among its assets are coursework, textbooks and print with over 1,300 options. The subjects it covers span across business, economics, humanities, math, professional disciplines, science, social science and technology. Some of its educational modules include grading, testing, homework submissions and a mobile app. Instructors can inform students of due dates and encourage underperforming class members.

PRICE

COMPANY SIZE

DEPLOYMENT

PLATFORM

Try Before You Buy.

Request a Free Demo Today!

Request Demo

It's completely free!

User Sentiment

Based on 13 reviews:

Add your rating:

Product Screenshots and Videos

MindTap Pricing

Based on our most recent analysis, MindTap pricing starts at $160 (Annually).

Get Price Quote

Price: $
$
$
$
$

i
Starting From: $160
Pricing Model: Annually
Free Trial: Yes, Request for Free

Training Resources

MindTap is supported with the following types of training:

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars

Support

The following support services are available for MindTap:

Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Help Desk
Knowledge Base
Tickets
Training
24/7 Live Support

MindTap Benefits and Insights

Why use MindTap?

Key differentiators & advantages of MindTap

More Confident Students: Give learners more tools to succeed by increasing core competencies. Personalize materials and deliver feedback to reach people by highlighting text and annotations. Increase completion rates and security through smartphone accessibility and the ability to identify at-risk pupils.
Saves Time: Access information in one unified location. Automate grading processes to save the time of tediously entering grades. Integrate with other tools to ensure all needs are met without needing to hunt down individual applications.
High-Quality Content: Find and share interactive textbooks or create a resource library for employees so workers and students can peruse information at their leisure. Create a shareable, professional-looking collection of assets.
Greater Engagement: Increase students’ motivation to learn and boost engagement through improved coursework. Establish clear communication lines between trainer and trainee. Use StudyHub to follow notes, bookmarks and selected text. Students can also create study guides.

Industry Expertise

It operates in the educational sphere, the business world and the library resource market. Companies and enterprises can use the platform for skill building and training. Cengage runs a separate program called Gale that provides libraries with e-learning, databases, primary sources, ebooks, print and large print books.

MindTap Reviews

Average customer reviews & user sentiment summary for MindTap:

13 reviews

92%

of users would recommend this product

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Based on an aggregate of MindTap reviews taken from the sources above, the following pros & cons have been curated by a SelectHub Market Analyst.

Pros

Improved Student Engagement: MindTap offers a variety of interactive activities and assessments that can help to keep students engaged with the material. This is in contrast to traditional textbooks, which can be passive and unengaging.
Personalized Learning: MindTap can be customized to meet the individual needs of each student. This means that students can focus on the areas where they need the most help, and they can learn at their own pace.
Accessibility: MindTap is accessible from any device with an internet connection. This makes it easy for students to access their course materials from anywhere, at any time.
Data and Analytics: MindTap provides instructors with data and analytics that can help them to track student progress and identify areas where students are struggling. This information can be used to improve instruction and better support student learning.

Cons

Cost: Students have expressed concerns about the additional cost associated with purchasing access to MindTap, especially when required course materials are already expensive. This can create a financial burden for students, particularly those on a tight budget.
Technical Issues: Users have reported encountering technical problems with MindTap, such as glitches, errors, and compatibility issues with certain devices or browsers. These issues can disrupt the learning process and cause frustration for students who rely on the platform to access course materials and complete assignments.
Learning Curve: Some students have found MindTap's interface to be complex and not intuitive, requiring a significant investment of time and effort to learn how to navigate the platform effectively. This can be a barrier for students who prefer a more straightforward and user-friendly learning experience.
Integration Challenges: Integrating MindTap with existing Learning Management Systems (LMS) can sometimes present challenges, leading to synchronization issues, broken links, and difficulties in accessing grades or assignments. This can create confusion and inconvenience for both students and instructors.

Researcher's Summary:

Let's tap into the minds of MindTap users and see what they have to say. User reviews from the past year suggest MindTap offers a robust platform for learning and course management, but it's not without its quirks. Reviewers frequently praise MindTap's ability to integrate seamlessly with learning management systems (LMS) like Blackboard and Canvas, making it a convenient hub for accessing course materials, assignments, and grades. The platform's interactive features, such as quizzes, flashcards, and simulations, receive positive feedback for enhancing engagement and comprehension. However, some users find the interface a bit clunky and overwhelming, especially for those new to online learning platforms. Technical glitches and occasional syncing issues can also disrupt the learning flow. Despite these drawbacks, MindTap stands out for its comprehensive content library and alignment with Cengage textbooks, making it a valuable tool for students seeking additional support and practice. Ultimately, MindTap is best suited for students who prefer a structured learning environment with readily available resources and are comfortable navigating a feature-rich online platform. Those who value simplicity and a more intuitive interface might explore alternative options.

Key Features

Course Management: Instructors can grade and curate content, facilitate online discussions and walk students through sample assignments. Provide quizzes, assessments and interactive homework. Let learners see current and upcoming homework as well as individual progress. Clone courses easily to repeat units for different classes, adding information, copying and changing dates.
Learning Path: Create a path by selecting material to customize a course. Add or delete material when needed and move activities around for personalized experiences. Encourage pupils to track progress and reach out to trainers.
Mobile App and eReader: Give employees and students access to an ebook that works on or off the internet through the smartphone app. Use interactive elements to keep people engaged. Take attendance with geolocation and polls to ensure learners are present. Provide other tools like online flashcards, practice quizzes and alerts for homework and due dates. Make annotations and notes in the online textbook. Embed videos into the reader, share highlighted notes and emphasize key text to demonstrate what’s important in testing. Give students access to a text speaker that reads aloud.
Suggested Content: Customize information for specific students to increase engagement with education guides. Suggest videos and assignments that reinforce learning, offered by class or by chapter.
Integrations: Connect with more full-service LMSs like Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle or other solutions. Integrate with other Cengage platforms such as SAM, WebAssign and Cengage Unlimited. Use the same login to access material. Some major products auto-sync grades, so instructors don’t have to duplicate work. Communicate with various programs with IMS Basic LTI standards and additional functionality for more common products.
Reporting: Dig deep and understand where students are failing or succeeding with real-time analytics that measure 12 different metrics and deliver actionable insights.
Subjects: Let learners consume content, software and textbooks that cover a variety of topics like agriculture, anthropology, art, astronomy, biology, college skills, communications, counseling, early childhood education, film, history, humanities, human services, mass communication, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, social sciences, theatre, world languages and more.
Aplia: Connect concepts to real-world situations. Elevate critical thinking with feedback, algorithmic questions, review problems and other elements.
Pathbrite Portfolio: Showcases learner work through videos, images, documents and other assets. Give a visual representation of accomplishments and skills.
Cengage Unlimited: Work with several Cengage learning solutions aimed at specific subjects, including:

CengageNOWv2: Study for accounting, business statistics and taxation. Complete assignments, study for exams and succeed academically. Give workers and students practice opportunities to help them master content.
OWLv2: Save time with coursework in chemistry classes. Help finish assignments, study for exams and give learners other tools to help with success.
SAM: Cover Microsoft Office and computer concepts. Practice and apply skills to prepare for the Microsoft Office environment. Auto-grade assignments and use flexible reporting to report the outcomes.
WebAssign: Study STEM technology. Acquired in 2016, it has former educators on its development support teams to ensure the pedagogy of the experience.
Discontinued Programs: The iLrn, eSAM and iLrn Advance products aren’t for sale for students and can’t be accessed as of December 31st, 2020.

Limitations

At the time of this review’s publication, these are the product's limitations, based on user feedback:

Limited course management capabilities.
Disliked by authors due to various controversies.
Some say the UI is hard to use and buggy.
Not robust enough for larger enterprises and institutions.

Legal Controversy

The platform came under fire in 2019, when fired economics Arizona State University professor Brian Goegen claimed his department used MindTap unethically. According to the AZFamily in the article, “ASU students call for investigation into professor's claims of corruption,” students complained about the $100 usage fee and said they mainly used it for submitting homework. Goegen also claimed department policy forced him to fail at least 30% of his class. ASU officials denied these claims and said they fired Goegen for “multiple shortcomings,” according to the Inside Higher Ed article, “Forced to Fail Students?”

Former justice Ruth McGregor investigated the claims and found no proof of wrongdoing according to The Arizona Republic article, “Former Arizona chief justice clears ASU after professor alleged wrongdoing in economics courses.” She found no evidence for the alleged 30% forced failure rate and or the claim that Cengage had given the university a grant to use the product.

Cengage has faced at least two class-action lawsuits from writers for violating their author agreements with the company’s digital processes. It settled one lawsuit in 2018. The second, filed in the Southern District of New York, had authors claim the company is not paying proper royalties for sales made on Cengage Unlimited and MindTap according to, “Cengage Faces New Class Action Suit From Authors,” from Publisher’s Weekly. The case is still in court as of April 2021.

In a third lawsuit, four companies representing independent bookstores are accusing publishers of trying to run them out of business. Cengage is on the list along with Barnes & Noble Education, Follett, McGraw-Hill Education and Pearson, according to Insider Higher Ed’s, “A Legal Challenge for Inclusive Access.”

Suite Support

Students and instructors can reach support by telephone, troubleshoot through the support forum or submit a case. The website has resources such as best practices, tutorials, podcasts, user guides, FAQs and more. Clients can get a digital success specialist to help with setup, troubleshooting and other issues.

For additional help, there’s a faculty partner network that shares experience and a higher education digital community that provides online teaching resources; otherwise users can fill out a form on the website.

Email: Not available. Instead, log in to access chat support through the website.

Phone: +1 (800) 354-9706.

Training: Administrators and learners can access a knowledge base, FAQs, best practices, quick start guides, system requirements user guides, video training and webinar recordings on the website.

Tickets: Subscribers can submit a case online through the support website.