There are many programs, tools, and supplements out there to use with your computer applications students. The key is choosing the one that’s best for both your and your students’ needs.
That’s why we compare our digital curriculum to other options you can find online. We want you to be able to choose the best fit, and that means weighing your options!
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at Business&ITCenter21 and iAcademy from BE Publishing.
Both programs provide interactive eLearning content. However, two different resources are going to be, well, different. The differences are often what makes you choose one over the other.
Both are excellent resources, but they each have their crowning glories as well as their disadvantages.
Let's delve into the similarities and differences between the two.
Topics Available for Computer Applications
In the computer applications area, Business&ITCenter21 and iAcademy offer similar subjects.
Some of the most commonly looked for topics include: Microsoft Office, Google Applications, and using the Internet effectively.
You can see the specific topics that each program provides here:
Both resources allow you to build courses to suit your unique teaching style. After the courses are built, you will assign the content to the students.
The difference is in assigning the subjects. For Business&ITCenter21 it is optional to assign a due date and you can open and close the modules to students at any time. But, for iAcademy you must assign a due date to the entire topic.
How Students Gain Access to the Program
In Business&ITCenter21, students enroll themselves using a unique course enrollment code. As the teacher, you create a customized course where you will be able to find an enrollment code for your students. The students will then use that enrollment code to create an account and enroll in the course simultaneously.
You can learn more about how students use Business&ITCenter21 here: The Business&ITCenter21 Student Experience
In iAcademy the teacher is responsible for adding the students by either entering the students’ information manually or by importing them using a student roster. The students then receive their information to sign on from their teacher. They also have a “single sign-on” feature for students to sign in with Clever.
Curriculum Structure and Resources Included
Business&ITCenter21 has a 4 phase structure to promote blended learning. The 4 phases are:
- Explore
- Learn & Practice
- Reflect
- Reinforce
The Explore, Reflect, and Reinforce phases are typically activities, projects, and other optional assignments. The Learn & Practice phase includes interactive lessons, quizzes, and tests. All lessons and activities have lesson plans and other resources to make teaching easier for you.
iAcademy has interactive lessons for each of their titles. It’s clean, to the point, and straightforward. There are no quizzes or other materials, just the digital curriculum that students work through.
How the Interactive Lessons Works
Understanding how lessons are presented to students is very important. You want to make sure it’s the right style for your unique students’ needs.
For Business&ITCenter21, the material is presented through interactive, multimedia lessons that students can complete at their own pace. or by teachers using the PowerPoints to introduce the materials through traditional lecture methods.
On the other hand, iAcademy uses text and image-based lessons that the students can read through at their own pace usually with questions to answer at the end of each section that will later be graded by the teacher.
How Grading Works
Grading is a challenge for any teacher. It’s time-consuming. Period.
That’s why Business&ITCenter21 has automatically graded assessments and lessons that show whether students complete them. In addition Business&ITCenter21 has sample answers and rubrics for any extra activity that you may want to grade.
B.E. Publishing takes another approach with grading in iAcademy. They produce review questions within the materials that are later individually graded by the teacher. It’s not quite as easy as automatic grading, but everything is still in one easily accessible location.
Data Reports Available
Data and reports on progress are important to both teachers and administrators.
Administrators want to know if what they are spending money on is being used and teachers want to know how their students are progressing.
This chart shows the reports offered in each program:
| Report | Business&ITCenter21 | iAcademy |
| Class Roster |  |
|
| Ended Titles by Class by Title | |
|
| Ended Titles Details by Class by Title | |
|
| Individual Student Activity | |
|
| Improvement from Pre-Test to Post-Test | |
|
| Student Grades by Class | |
|
| Student Grades by Individual | |
|
| Student Lesson Status | |
|
| Student Logins | |
|
| Student Time Online by Class | |
|
| Student Time Online by Individual | |
|
| Title Details by Class | |
|
| Title Progress by Class | |
|
| Question Detail Analysis | |
From this chart, you can see that the types of reports vary for each program.
Business&ITCenter21 has a more robust reporting system because the system includes automatically graded assessments. The reports from iAcademy are more of a general snapshot overview for the class.
How Does Pricing Work?
While it might not be the most exciting thing to think about, we know your budget is tight. So understanding how pricing works for the curriculum you are thinking about is important.
Business&ITCenter21 is priced by teacher licenses. Therefore, you have one teacher package and then an unlimited number of students for one flat yearly fee.
Each package for Business&ITCenter21 includes all of the business, computer applications, and career readiness curriculum we have to offer. It’s a great deal if you need to teach a number of subjects throughout the year.
Learn more about the cost of Business&ITCenter21 here: Business&ITCenter21 Pricing
iAcademy is priced by student licenses for each “Title” (a Title is a specific topic that contains content on that topic, at AES we call them “Modules”). The price of each student license varies depending on the “Title.”
This can be advantageous if you only need to cover a few topics. For example, something I hear often is “I only need to teach Google Apps, can I only buy these modules?” Well, iAcademy has that option!
Learn more about the cost of iAcademy here: iAcademy Pricing
Which Computer Curriculum is Best for You?
Finding the best fit for you and your students is never easy. You may be restricted by budget, not have time to review all the options, or maybe you’re just not sure what you need.
If we can make the search even just a teensy bit easier for you to find the right curriculum for you and your students, then we’re happy!
The best way to decide is to try them out for yourself! You can check out the trials by clicking below:
