1. VitalSource Success
  2. Instructors
  3. Partner Integrations (PI) for Instructors
  4. Macmillan

Macmillan Achieve Setup Guide in Blackboard

Avatar
Susan Ruiz

This guide walks you through how to create a course in Macmillan Achieve and link it to your Learning Management System (LMS). Whether you're starting from scratch or using a pre-built course, this process will help you set up your course content, configure assignment settings, and prepare everything for LMS integration.

🔸 You can watch the video for a walkthrough of the integration process, or follow the detailed step-by-step instructions provided below.

⚙️ Requirements

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

  • An active Macmillan Achieve instructor account
  • Access to sample course content

If you don’t have an instructor account or course content assigned in Achieve, please contact your Macmillan representative or visit www.macmillanlearning.com.

Macmillan Achieve Integration – Video Walkthrough

Step-by-Step Instructions

Macmillan Achieve Setup

Create an Achieve course

  1. Go to achieve.macmillanlearning.com and log in to your Achieve instructor account.
  2. After logging in, you’ll be taken to the My Course List page.
  3. You can either copy an existing course or create a new one. In this guide, we’ll create a new course from scratch by clicking Create A New Course in the top right corner
    Macmillan Achieve Setup1.png
  4. On the Course Templates page, click Select Template to begin creating a new course.

Macmillan Achieve Setup2.png

  • warningNote: If this is your first time creating a course and you don’t see any templates, or if you need a different/new template, click Contact your local representative in the top-right corner.
  1. On the Course Sections page, select I am teaching one individual course, then click Next.
    Macmillan Achieve Setup3.png
  2. Fill in all required course information, including Course Name, Course Code, and Institution.
  3. Set LMS Integration to Yes, then choose VitalSource from the dropdown menu. Click Next: Create Course.

Macmillan Achieve Setup4.png

  1. Once the course is created, you’ll see the Integrate With VitalSource screen. Click Take Me To My Course to proceed.

Macmillan Achieve Setup5.png

  1. On the Welcome page, choose whether to start with a pre-built course or build a course from scratch. This guide uses a pre-built course.

Macmillan Achieve Setup6.png

  1. Review the topics included in the pre-built course:
    • Drag and drop or use the arrow keys to reorder topics.
    • To hide a topic, click the minus (–) symbol next to it.
    • To restore a hidden topic, click the plus (+) symbol in the Hidden section at the bottom.
    • To reset all changes, click Reset Order.
  2. After confirming your selections, click Continue to Pre-Built Course at the bottom of the page to finalize your course setup.

Set Up Assignments

Once your Achieve course has been created, the next step is to configure the assignments.

  1. On the Course Content page, check the box next to the content you want to edit.
  2. After selecting content, a new menu will appear. Click the calendar icon labeled Assign/Edit.
    Macmillan Achieve Setup7.png
  3. Go to the Assessment Grading Settings tab and choose your preferred grading option. You can select a pre-built template, such as Homework, or create your own.

Macmillan Achieve Setup8.png

  1. Navigate back to the Dates, Points, and Gradebook Categories tab to set due dates, visibility settings, and point values.

Macmillan Achieve Setup9.png

  1. Once your settings are complete, click the Save button in the top-right corner.
  2. Your course is now ready to be linked to your LMS course!

 

Blackboard Setup

  1. Sign in to your Blackboard account and select Courses from the left-hand navigation menu.

  2. Select the course where you want to add the VitalSource tool.

    Blackboard Setup1.png
     

  3. On the course page, click the Add Content button within the Course Content section.

    Blackboard Setup2.png
     

  4. In the menu that appears, select Content Market. This will open up a menu of all of the Institution Tools available to us.

    Blackboard Setup3.png
     

  5. Locate the VitalSource LTI tool and click the plus symbol (+) in the bottom-right corner of the tile to add it to your course.

    Blackboard Setup4.png

    warning Although we recommend naming this tool “Course Materials,” your LMS administrator or bookstore may have chosen a different name. If you’re unable to locate the correct VitalSource LTI tool, contact your LMS administrator or bookstore manager for assistance.

  6. After the tool is added, you can edit the name, or make it available to students.

  7. Click the tool name to open a new page, where you can confirm that your content adoption has been paired.

  8. Click Launch Courseware to begin the integration process with Macmillan Achieve.

    Blackboard Setup5.png
     

  9. If this is your first time launching courseware, sign in with your Macmillan Achieve faculty account.

  10. After logging in, click the Connect with Achieve link under the Course Tools section.

    Blackboard Setup6.png
     

  11. Locate the Achieve course you created earlier and click the Associate button next to it.

    Blackboard Setup7.png
     

  12. Confirm by clicking Yes, Associate This Course.

    Blackboard Setup8.png
     

  13. Once the courses are linked, you’ll notice new menu options in the LTI tool.

    Blackboard Setup9.png
     

  14. Now that your course is linked, you can begin adding deep links to your Blackboard course that connect directly to specific content in Achieve.

Create Macmillan Achieve Deep Links in Blackboard

  1. With the Course Content menu open, locate the small plus (+) symbol underneath the LTI tool previously added.

  2. Click the plus (+) symbol to open the menu, and select Content Market.

    Blackboard Setup10.png
     

  3. In the Content Market, locate the VitalSource deep linking tool.
    warning Note: If you’re unsure which tool to select, contact your LMS administrator or bookstore manager for assistance.

    Blackboard Setup12.png
     

  4. Click on the tool name to open the deep linking tool. A new page will open, displaying the content item paired with the course.

  5. Click Open Publisher Tool to launch the Achieve deep link selector.

    Blackboard Setup13.png
     

  6. In the deep link selector, browse the content in your Achieve course and select the items you’d like to deploy.

  7. Once you’ve selected the desired content, scroll to the bottom and click Deploy Selected Content.

  8. The selected content will now appear under the module you created in your Course Content section.


Related Articles

Need Help?

Contact our team of experts at success@vitalsource.com. Please include “PI Course Setup” at the beginning of your email subject line to help us route your request quickly.

 

Was this article helpful?