"Mother" LibGuide

• Access to Brainfuse is provided by the State Library of Iowa, and is completely free to all Iowa residents.
• Some services require logging in.
  • You can create your own login and password when prompted, using your personal email address.
  • Brainfuse keeps your email confidential and never sends any emails to you or sells your email to a third party.

Brainfuse is a resource provided by Kirkwood's Learning Commons to support students with online tutoring and test preparation study materials. Kirkwood students can access Brainfuse only through Talon.

To access:

1. Log in to Talon, and select any of your current courses.
2. In the menu at the top of the window, click on "Student Tools", then "Online Study Support Through Brainfuse". 
3. Use the dropdown menus near the top of the window to select either "Expert Help" for online tutoring, or "Academic Tools" then "SkillSurfer" for course-related study materials and test prep guides for specific standardized tests.

On this screen you can browse or search for the many subjects and tests:

• High School
  • Support for many high school courses
• High School Equivalency Tests
  • Includes GED, HiSET, and TASC
• College Entrance Test Prep
  • Includes PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP courses, TOEFL iBT, TOEIC, CLEP, and THEA, TEAS, and HESI
• CollegeNow 
  • Support for the college application process
• College Placement Tests
  • Includes Accuplacer and WritePlacer
• College
  • Support for many general college courses
• Nursing School Exams
  • TEAS, HESI, NCLEX
• Praxis
• ASVAB
• Computers and Technology
  • Support for learning Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and C++, Java, and SQL certification
• Graduate School Entrance Test Prer
  • GRE and GMAT
• Adult Learner Resources
  • Support for recalling basic school subjects like math, reading, writing, and critical thinking
  • Test prep for ASVAB, TABE, U.S. Citizenship, TEAS, HESI, GED, HiSET, TASC
• ESL
  • Support for beginning, intermediate, and academic ESL reading, writing, and grammar
  • College application and college readiness information
  • TOEFL test prep

To access:

Click on "Academic Tools" then "LEAP Learning Platform"

• Brainfuse LEAP Learning Platform contains a combination of test preparation, skills assessment, and personalized learning plan.
• You need to create a personal login to access these resources.

1. LEAP helps you build academic skills through targeted lessons, quizzes, and live, online tutoring. LEAP creates your learning plan based on a skills assessment that you take at the beginning of the course. 
2. After working through the suggested lessons, you can retake the practice tests if you choose.

To access:

Click on "Job Tools" at the top of the page, then select from the several job resources listed.

• Brainfuse provides a wide selection of different tools and services for career exploration and job searching. 
• On the Brainfuse homepage (link above) there are information boxes for "Live Job Coaching" and "Resume Lab". Each of these services connects you online with a job coach expert who can:
  • review your resume and help with formatting
  • help you prepare for an interview
  • help you with your job search.
• Other resources include:
  • resume templates
  • resume creation software
  • interview tips
  • eParachute, which helps you discover college majors and careers that match your skills and interests

Brainfuse contains a collection of unique tools to support U.S. military veterans:

• Expert Help menu item on the Brainfuse site includes a "Live Veteran Navigator", which connects you online with an expert knowledgeable about veterans' resources and benefits.
• VA Support Tools menu item contains many links to national and local resources for veterans and their families