FlatWorld offers a variety of supplemental materials, and this article explains each of them, including the differences between the different kinds of question banks we have available.
FlatWorld Homework
FlatWorld Homework provides an online platform where students can take assignments. It can be integrated with most Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace/D2L, and Moodle) or used standalone through the FlatWorld website.
Books that include FlatWorld Homework have pre-written autogradable questions in a variety of formats, including traditional multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, sorting, graphing, and other formats. There are typically around 30 questions available for each chapter in a textbook.
FlatWorld Homework includes a tool called "Quick-Create" which lets you create assignments quickly by choosing the chapter and how many questions you want to use. It then randomly selects that number of questions from the chapter for your assignment.
You can also create custom questions of your own using a wide range of formats. Most textbooks allow you to create both autograded questions like the ones provided by FlatWorld and manually graded questions. Manually graded questions can be used to allow students to securely submit essays, videos, and other files, and allow for rubric grading.
If the Homework is integrated with your Learning Management System (LMS) grades will automatically sync to your system's grade book. If it is used standalone through the FlatWorld website you will be able to download grades from our system in CSV format.
A small subset of FlatWorld's textbooks include "Exam" questions in the Homework platform. These questions are also all autogradable and are distinct from the ones in the Homework banks. They are usually the same questions present in the Test Banks.
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Downloadable Supplements
These supplements are available on the Supplements page of a given textbook. They can only be accessed by instructors who have adopted the textbook. On the Supplements page, you can view the downloadable supplements in your web browser or download them to your device.
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Supplements Page (Instructor)
Instructor's Manual
FlatWorld's Instructor's Manuals vary between books but generally, they all include a summary of each chapter's key points and learning objectives. They often contain the answers to in-text questions and additional activities, discussion topics, and teaching tips. Many of our instructor manuals are broken down by chapter, although a few are available only in a single document.
All our textbooks include an instructor's manual.
PowerPoint Lecture Notes
FlatWorld's books all come with PowerPoint lecture slides based on the content in the books. These can be downloaded (once you have adopted a given book) and edited to suit your particular course. They often contain images or graphs from the text in addition to text-based slides.
Our Math textbooks by Edward B. Burger include PowerPoint image libraries with images from the text separate from the PowerPoint lecture notes.
Test Banks
Our test banks are available in several formats and contain questions that are distinct from those in FlatWorld Homework. They typically include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions. Some books also have true/false and essay questions available. All of the following formats contain the same questions.
Test Generator - powered by Cognero
This provides a link to our test generator. You can use the test generator to create tests and quizzes, either by having the system select questions for you based on parameters you set or by selecting questions individually yourself. Tests can then be made into PDF files which can be printed for paper tests (including PDFs with multiple versions) or exported to a variety of formats which can be uploaded to most Learning Management Systems to allow students to take tests and quizzes online.
This is often the easiest way to build a test, as you don't need to worry about copy/pasting questions and can sort questions by type which is not always possible once they are imported to your LMS.
Under the link to launch the Test Generator (1) are links to documentation (2):
Test Bank Files for Import to Learning Management Systems
These are zip files with test banks formatted for various Learning Management Systems. The zip files contain individual files with all the questions for each chapter.
Directions on putting the files into your LMS:
Test Item File
FlatWorld's Test Item Files contain the test bank questions in Word document form. This is the easiest way to read through the questions.
Sample Syllabi
Many of FlatWorld's books have sample syllabi provided. These suggest a weekly chapter schedule and are usually provided for both 15- and 10-week classes. Some provide more depth like suggested projects etc., and all can be edited to suit your own needs.
Other Supplements
Other supplements are available with some titles. These include solution manuals, working papers, Excel files, etc. depending on the text. There is often information about the supplements provided in the Preface of each text.
Study Tools
Flashcards
Digital flashcards for the key terms are available to both students and instructors under "Study tools" in the online text. The flashcards can be accessed by selecting "Self-Study" from the menu. There are two modes, "Practice" and "Test".
Practice mode shows the key term, and clicking the "Flip" button will show the definition (and clicking "Flip" again will return to the term). The "Prev" and "Next" buttons can be used to move between terms.
"Test" mode shows the definition and asks the user to enter the key term. Once a student has entered terms for all available cards they can see how many they got right. Results are not sent anywhere but are simply for students to study.
Self-Quiz Questions
These questions are distinct from the ones in the Test Banks and Homework system. They are all auto-graded and are provided for student study. The results are not sent to the instructor.
To access the quizzes, click "Self-Study" on the menu on the left of the online reader, then select "Quiz" above the Flashcards (which appear first by default).
Students can enter answers to the questions and see their current results as they go along. Answers are not saved or submitted to instructors.