Cengage Offers Support to Those Impacted by COVID-19

UPDATED MARCH 17, 2020

Cengage continues to actively monitor the COVID-19 situation around the world. The health and safety of our employees, and business continuity for our customers, are paramount. To that end, we have activated a cross-functional, rapid response team to ensure business operations continue across a range of possible scenarios. These include, but are not limited to, contingencies for customer support, technology and systems. We will fully support our customers and workforce during this unprecedented period.

Given the categorization of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, we have shifted the vast majority of our employees to work from home/remotely and we are implementing shift scheduling and other measures to ensure the safety of our employees in offices where in-person presence is required. We have implemented a global ban on all business travel.

Cengage is providing support to help our customers as they shift to online learning environments. Each of our businesses is taking a tailored approach based on the individual circumstances of their customers.

Examples of these efforts include:

• U.S. Higher Ed: For college students at U.S. campuses that have closed, we are providing free access to all Cengage platforms and eTexts through Cengage Unlimited for the Spring 2020 semester. We also are working with instructors to provide support as they move their classes online. Additionally, ed2go is providing free access through June to a selection of self-paced tutorials that community colleges and universities can offer free to students and staff, toolkits to make online education more accessible, and free courses to help partners foster remote work success among their own workforce. ed2go is also waiving course extension fees and providing free session transfers. For beauty and wellness students, Milady is offering complimentary access to MindTap for students currently enrolled in any U.S.-based beauty/wellness program.
• U.S. K12: National Geographic Learning is providing all U.S. K12 teachers with free access to our learning platforms and eBooks for the remainder of the 2020 school year. Additionally, we will extend access where it is needed for current digital users and provide training and support for teachers transitioning to online teaching.
• Gale: Gale is offering libraries and educators free access to a range of resources through a comprehensive online hub. This hub supports online learning for pre-K through undergraduate with interdisciplinary, curriculum-aligned resources; professional development eBooks to help those transitioning to virtual learning; credible content on health-related topics and global issues; and training on how to optimize existing collections for online learning.
• EMEA, Asia, LATAM, India, Australia (Higher Ed and K12): We are providing region-specific support to our international higher ed customers based on local impact, teaching style and product availability. In some regions, this means ensuring students and instructors have access to resources and products; while for other regions it means helping our print-only customers implement and use courseware.
• English Language Teaching (ELT):National Geographic Learning English Language Teaching is supporting customers in three areas: teacher training, professional resources, and learning materials. We have partnered with George Mason University to create a webinar series to support English language teachers who are teaching online. We are also developing additional resources, including videos and academic blogs, to help schools and teachers make the transition online.

The Cengage response team is regularly reviewing updated guidance from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and local government authorities, and we will adapt our response as needed.

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