Upper Saddle River, NJ – March 31, 2008 — Fifty-two percent of all U.S. higher education students studying languages are enrolled in Spanish classes, which have grown more than 10 percent in popularity since 2002, according to a report from the Modern Language Association.* MySpanishLab, Pearson’s new, nationally hosted online learning and assessment system, is successfully reshaping how the language is taught throughout the U.S. Unlike traditional language instruction, MySpanishLab’s easy-to-navigate program can be customized to specific learning styles, so students are recognized as individuals.

"Historically, there’s been very little chance for teachers to monitor individual students, especially given the large classroom numbers,” said Jim Behnke, Chief Learning Officer, Pearson Higher Education. “MySpanishLab’s innovation is to allow students to record their dialogues and assignments, practice their pronunciations, and then submit them to their instructors. This facilitates a level of personalized instruction that has previously been impossible."

Developed in close collaboration with Spanish instructors, MySpanishLab offers an extensive array of language-learning resources for students and teachers. These include powerful voice tools, a flexible grade-book, an interactive version of the best-selling Arriba! student text and Student Activities Manual, and all materials from the Arriba! audio and video programs.

"I like the feedback that you automatically get, as opposed to handing in a worksheet and getting it all marked up," said Deagan Ice, student, South Plains College, Levelland, Texas.

"MySpanishLab accommodates the multimodal student, the auditory student, and the visual student," said Valerie Job, Associate Professor of Spanish, South Plains College. "It gives them so much flexibility, and that’s what education needs to do."

About Pearson

Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. Our higher education publishing brands -- Addison-Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Longman, Merrill, and Prentice Hall – have earned the trust of educators and students because of their commitment to student learning, integrity, and independence of thought. Pearson provides quality education solutions in all available media, spanning the higher education learning spectrum from college and career training through graduate studies and professional training and development. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

About the MyLab Series

The MyLab series of text-specific online products accompanies Pearson Education textbooks for a variety of courses. It offers innovative homework, assessment and online instruction tools designed to improve course outcomes, enrich the classroom experience, and save instructors valuable time. MyLab products include MyAnthroLab, MyCommunicationLab, MyCompLab, MyDevelopmentLab, MyFamilyLab, MyHelpingLab, MyHistoryLab, MyLiteratureLab, MyLogicLab, MyMassCommLab, MyPoliSciLab, MyPsychLab, MyReadingLab, MySkillsLab, MySocLab, MySpeechLab, MyTechCommLab, and MyWritingLab.