ST PAUL, Minn. (November 23, 2016) – Paradigm Education Solutions, a leading provider of computer technology courseware in the postsecondary market, has released a new white paper that explores how Paradigm’s Benchmark Excel courseware has increasingly propelled students at Bob Jones University in South Carolina to achieve Microsoft^® Office Specialist certification. Titled “Paradigm’s Benchmark Series Excel Course Spurs Students’ Success at Bob Jones University,” the white paper showcases the experiences of Alan Carper, who teaches Business Spreadsheet Analysis at Bob Jones University. Carper adopted Paradigm’s Benchmark Series: Microsoft^® Excel courseware to develop students’ spreadsheet skills through a project-driven approach that transitions students from learning basic Excel commands and shortcuts to mastering advanced formulas and spreadsheet analysis techniques. One of Carper’s major course objectives is preparing students to pass Certiport’s Microsoft^® Office Specialist certification exam. This initiative prompted Carper to recently change his grading practices and issue a new challenge to students: Any student who completed and passed the certification exam in Excel would receive a perfect score for their course final exam. “I tell my students, ‘If Certiport says that you know Excel to the point where you can be certified – who am I to say that you don’t?’ It was a little incentive. My wildest expectation was that maybe 10% of the class would do it,” Caper explained. The results were far more impressive. After starting the course as novices, more than half of Carper’s 88 students passed the exam and achieved certification as Microsoft^® Office Specialists by an independent testing organization. Carper attributes this remarkable success rate to the quality of Paradigm’s Benchmark Excel courseware. He said, “I don’t teach; I see myself as a facilitator. This course is about learning by doing, and Paradigm’s Benchmark Series Excel books are perfectly suited to that approach.” Linda Hein, senior vice president of Paradigm, said, “Paradigm is excited about its role in accelerating students’ success at Bob Jones University. Through their Benchmark Excel instruction and certifications, these students have a significant advantage in today’s job market. They have real-world, in-demand skills that will make them more competitive candidates and more successful employees.” To view the complete white paper, click here.About Paradigm Education SolutionsParadigm Education Solutions is one of the nation’s leading post-secondary publishers of print and digital learning solutions in computer technology, health careers, accounting and business technology. Paradigm is committed to providing educators with the solutions needed to build and deliver a successful course and preparing students for success in the classroom, at work and in life. Visit ParadigmEducation.com for more information.

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