About CourseSmart

Media

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the educational process by offering students and instructors a unique combination of the right course material, anywhere, any-time access, and a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials provider, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of core college textbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty across North America. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for an average of 60% less than print textbooks, and offer user tools such as search, highlighting, note-taking and print capabilities that enhance productivity. CourseSmart enables instructors to be more productive and facilitates instant access to essential learning materials for students.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Gabrielle Zucker, (646) 747-7143

Jessica Nelson, (646) 747-7141

Kwittken & Company
coursesmart@kwitco.com

NEWS RELEASES

CourseSmart Enhances Android Application Offering Significant New Features to Maximize eTextbook Experience
May 20, 2013

CourseSmart Analytics Named Best New Product By IMS Global Learning Consortium
May 16, 2013

CourseSmart Integrates with More Than 100 Higher Education Institutions
March 26, 2013

CourseSmart Signs On Nine Institutions for Analytics Pilot; Joins Panel at CES HigherEdTECH to Discuss the Application of Analytics in Higher Education
January 10, 2013

CourseSmart Launches Beta Program for CourseSmart Analytics at EDUCAUSE 2012
November 7, 2012

CourseSmart Launches Pilot With Iowa Community College Online Consortium
November 1, 2012

CourseSmart Launches CourseSmart Subscription Pack
October 30, 2012

Eight more publishers sign deals with CourseSmart international UK's first digital textbook company continues to expand
September 14, 2012

CourseSmart eTextbooks Accessible and Cost–Efficient, Survey Finds
August 9, 2012

CourseSmart eTextbooks to be available from the UK's leading bookseller Blackwell's
August 9, 2012

CourseSmart Saves Students More than $100 Million On Textbooks and Course Materials
July 24, 2012

CourseSmart Collaborates with Desire2Learn for Enhanced eTextbook Integrations
July 18, 2012

CourseSmart® Expands Access to Integration for the Blackboard Learn™ Platform
July 11, 2012

College Students Boost Digital Adoption, According to CourseSmart Survey
May 23, 2012

CourseSmart Launches First eCommerce Platform for eTextbooks in the UK and Europe
May 21, 2012

CourseSmart Innovation Continues With Launch of New Reader
March 14, 2012

CourseSmart Appoints New Executives To Help Fulfill Mission
January 17, 2012

CourseSmart Launches First Mobile Web Application For eTextbooks
November 21, 2011

CourseSmart and Campus Technology to Host Panel on Digital Course Materials Programs within Higher Education Institutions
November 10, 2011

CourseSmart Integrates With Desire2Learn® Learning Management System
November 9, 2011

CourseSmart Launches Integration For The Blackboard Learn Platform
October 19, 2011

CourseSmart Makes It Easy To Access Digital Course Materials Through Custom Integrations
October 18, 2011

Western Governors University Partners With CourseSmart To Provide Students And Instructors With A Robust Digital Experience
October 5, 2011

CourseSmart Expands Its Digital Offerings Through Nine Additional Publishers
September 27, 2011

CourseSmart Study Reveals Telling Link Between Communication and Study Preferences of High School and College Students to Future College Classroom Landscape
September 20, 2011

CourseSmart Helps Students Shop For eTextbooks Via Facebook
August 23, 2011

CourseSmart Innovates With Another Industry First
July 21, 2011

Digital Dependence of Today's College Students Revealed in New Study from CourseSmart
June 1, 2011

CourseSmart Expands Executive Team to Increase Institutional and Distribution Partnerships and Establish a Global Presence
May 25, 2011

CourseSmart Launches the First eTextbook Application for Android Devices
April 20, 2011

CourseSmart Partners With Pearson eCollege to Provide Instant Access to Lower Cost Digital Course Materials Within Pearson LearningStudio™
April 13, 2011

CourseSmart and CollegeHumor Crown America's Smartest Slacker
March 30, 2011

Arizona State University Partners with CourseSmart to Provide Faculty Seamless Access to the Largest Catalog of Digital Course Materials
March 17, 2011

CourseSmart Partners with University of Michigan to provide Integrated Access to Digital Course Materials
March 8, 2011

IN THE NEWS

Teachers Know if You've Done the E–Reading

The New York Times, April 8, 2013
Nine universities are currently testing out CourseSmart's new analytic program that is designed for professors to track their students' progress with digital textbooks. The program measures student engagement through a CourseSmart "engagement index" which evaluates a student on whether or not they are skipping pages, failing to highlight or simply opening the book.

An Interview with Sean Devine on CourseSmart Analytics

Inside Higher Ed, January 31, 2013
In a Q&A on the CourseSmart Analytics beta, CourseSmart CEO Sean Devine provides insight to how the company's analytics tool is designed to address several of the major pain points in higher education, including cost, retention and improving learning outcomes.

CourseSmart Expands Analytics Pilot

Campus Technology, January 14, 2013
CourseSmart announced the expansion of its analytics pilot program, now including 9 participating higher education institutions.

Measuring Engagement (with Books)

Inside Higher Ed, November 8, 2012
CourseSmart announced the launch of CourseSmart Analytics, an application that measures student engagement with course text via tracking methods at an instructor's disposal. CourseSmart's Cindy Clarke offers additional commentary around how professors will use the analytics data to address student retention and learning patterns.

Big Data, Big Potential

Huffington Post, November 7, 2012
CourseSmart CEO Sean Devine writes about the different ways data and analytics have influenced various industries and the impact similar data could have on higher education. He predicts analytics to be the next big trend in higher education and foresees 2013 as a year of further expansion.

CourseSmart Offers New Flat–Fee Subscription Pack

Good E–Reader, November 2, 2012
CourseSmart announced a new partnership with Internet2 and EDUCAUSE that allows users to pay a flat–fee for access to eTextbooks. The pilot is designed to provide materials at a more affordable scale.

Student Discount: how to save money on your university course textbooks

The Telegraph, October 11, 2012
Fionnuala Duggan, Managing Director of CourseSmart, points to the benefits of digital textbooks and notes that as the technology continues to improve, we will see more interaction, more multimedia, video and integration with homework tasks.

National Federation of the Blind Takes on E–Text Pilots

Campus Technology, October 2, 2012
Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart, speaks out on obstacles eTextbooks providers need to overcome in order to be accessible. He highlight's CourseSmart's STEPP program and dedication to providing access to all students, including those with print related disabilities.

Backbreaking backpack? Apps lighten the load

TODAY, September 14, 2012
Carley Knobloch, founder of Digitwirl.com, shares websites and apps that tutor students of every age, store art projects, and even work out math problems. CourseSmart is featured as a way to save money and lighten the load with digital textbooks.

Not All Students Are Treated Equally in Today's Digital Era: A Call for Accessible Technology in Higher Education

Huffington Post, August 7, 2012
CourseSmart CEO Sean Devine calls for accessible technology in higher education and notes CourseSmart's commitment to providing access to digital content for all students, including those with print related disabilities.

CourseSmart has saved students over 100 million on eTextbooks

Good eReader, July 24, 2012
CourseSmart has saved students more than $100M on eTextbooks and digital course materials since it was founded in 2007.

30 Second MBA

Fast Company, April 30, 2012
CourseSmart CEO Sean Devine speaks about how to launch an idea into the marketplace, suggesting to "launch and learn."

Journey of a Bookworm

The New York Times, December 17, 2011
Sean Devine, the CEO of CourseSmart, shares his career journey, from his experience in college as an English literature major, his time in Argentina working for Dun & Bradstreet and addressing his position as CEO at Safari Books Online.

CourseSmart Enhances Android Application Offering Significant New Features to Maximize eTextbook Experience

May 20, 2013

-- CourseSmart Analytics Platform Recognized as Vital Tool for Ensuring Student Success --

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 16, 2013 –CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, has announced today CourseSmart eTextbooks, a significant upgrade to its dedicated mobile application specifically designed for the Android Operating System (AOS). In response to customer demand, CourseSmart's new Android app features both online and offline access to digital course materials, ensuring that students and faculty who rely on their Android mobile devices are never without the materials they need.

A 2013 report from IDC and Gartner found that last year, the Android market alone occupied over 68 percent of the market for mobile applications. CourseSmart eTextbooks is reflective of the company's long-standing commitment to the platform as well as a response to the growing market demand for Android applications. CourseSmart's enhanced Android app provides real time mobile access to students, even while an eTextbook download is occurring. CourseSmart users will also have the ability to checkout titles for offline use and sync notes and highlights across the reading system, ensuring access to their own notations regardless of which device they use.

"We have been a leader in the Android space for a long time, and our new application takes that commitment to the next level, offering consumers several highly-anticipated new features," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "As mobile devices continue to proliferate, we will maintain our track record of offering innovation and convenience to both Android and IOS users."

CourseSmart eTextbooks is available for free and leverages the unique capabilities of the devices running the AOS to provide a truly advanced eTextbook experience, including the ability to:

Access digital course materials when connected to the internet or offline,
Add highlights,
Read while you download your eTextbook,
Skim thumbnails or full pages,
Add, edit and synchronize your notes and highlights as you study online or offline,
View your notes and highlights during an open book exam,
Find what you need using keyword search while online, and
Get a true digital equivalent of your textbook.
Reading experience is streamlined to have similar look and feel as browser-based reader

Other original features of CourseSmart's eTextbooks include the ability to search for a topic within a single book, zoom in on text and graphs, scroll through or jump to individual pages, and view, add and edit text notes among others.

CourseSmart eTextbooks for Android is designed for AOS and provides students and faculty with access to all of their digital course materials on any Android enabled smart phone, netbook and tablet including the most popular Android-run devices: the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Motorola Droid, Samsung Fascinate, HTC Droid Incredible, HTC Droid Eris, HTC myTouch 3G Slider, HTC Evo and Samsung Galaxy 7.

CourseSmart eTextbooks for Android is available for free from the Google Play store and can be accessed at http://www.coursesmart.com/go/mobile. Additionally, in an effort to protect the student, faculty and institutional users of our App, CourseSmart's mobile privacy policy has been certified by TRUSTe.

About CourseSmart®

CourseSmart is a leading Educational Services Platform and the only provider of digital course materials able to combine curriculum, content and delivery into a single solution. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: online direct retail for students; indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; online faculty textbook evaluation services; and institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational experience by offering all users, including those with print–related disabilities, any–time, anywhere access to the course content they need. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Analytics Named Best New Product By IMS Global Learning Consortium

May 16, 2013

-- CourseSmart Analytics Platform Recognized as Vital Tool for Ensuring Student Success --

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 16, 2013 –CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, received the 2013 Best New Product award for CourseSmart Analytics, as announced by the IMS Global Learning Consortium. CourseSmart Analytics addresses three of the largest challenges in higher education: increasing retention, controlling costs, and improving learning outcomes. The company accepted the award last night at the 2013 IMS Learning Impact Conference in San Diego.

Award applicants were judged by a panel of IMS members and strategic advisory council representatives, who evaluated award submissions based on several criteria, including improving academic access, affordability, quality, adoption, accountability, organizational learning, interoperability, and innovation. In addition to being recognized during this week's Learning Impact Conference, CourseSmart Analytics will be featured in the Annual IMS Learning Impact Research Report, which analyzes the winning concepts and products, and provides practical advice to higher education institutions and school districts regarding today's most compelling educational challenges.

"Analytics represents the intersection of technology and education innovation, and it holds great promise as a means to transform teaching, learning and institutional accountability, all of which are vital to ensure global educational competitiveness," said CourseSmart CEO Sean Devine. "We are honored to have CourseSmart Analytics recognized by the IMS Global Learning Consortium, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to using big data to help students be more successful in their academic pursuits."

CourseSmart Analytics is designed to provide institutions and faculty with valuable student engagement insights based on eTextbook usage statistics, which are presented in an easy to use dashboard. CourseSmart analytics assesses a variety of usage statistics including session length, pages viewed and activities such as highlighting or taking notes to provide meaningful metrics of student engagement with course materials. A key pillar of the analytics solution is the CourseSmart Engagement Index, an algorithm devised from a combination of third-party research and CourseSmart's own proprietary formula, developed to more meaningfully measure engagement. The CourseSmart Analytics dashboard is available within an institution's learning management system (LMS) or online portal enabling faculty and administration to integrate the powerful tool into their existing workflow.

CourseSmart Analytics is currently being piloted at nine institutions and is scheduled for widespread launch in late 2013. Institutions participating in the beta include: Ashworth College, Algonquin College, State University of New York – University at Buffalo, Career Point College, Central Carolina Technical College, Clemson University, Rasmussen College, State University of New York – Stony Brook University and Texas A&M University–San Antonio.

If you would like to learn more about CourseSmart Analytics, please visit http://www.coursesmart.com/go/institutions/analytics

About CourseSmart®

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CourseSmart Integrates with More Than 100 Higher Education Institutions

March 26, 2013

-- Success of Integrations Highlights a Proven Solution to Save Time and Money While Improving Efficiencies for Students, Faculty and Administrators --

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 26, 2013 –CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, announced today, that it has integrated within the learning management systems (LMS) or campus portals of more than 100 institutions nationwide. Students and faculty at these institutions enjoy access to a single learning environment that integrates curriculum, content and delivery within their campus portal or LMS, saving time and increasing workflow efficiencies. Most recently, CourseSmart has integrated with a variety of public, private, community and online colleges, including: California State University, Fullerton; Texas Southern University; University at Buffalo; Rasmussen College; Pittsburgh Technical Institute; Allied American University; Stony Brook University; Indiana Wesleyan University and Iowa Community College Online Consortium, among many others.

"Many leading institutions are looking for ways to take advantage of the digital availability of course materials to create a more integrated learning experience that is better and affordable for students," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "We continue to break new ground by connecting content, curriculum and delivery into a more compelling user experience in ways that reduce cost and effort for institutions. We are thrilled to be working with so many leading institutions to make it easier to accomplish this important mission."

CourseSmart has become the industry leader in LTI–based integrations within institution's learning management systems and campus portals, ensuring successful integration with minimal resource investments from the institution. CourseSmart's constantly expanding catalog includes over 40,000 titles from more than 50 publishers, serving the needs of public and private as well as two and four–year institutions.

"The state of California has been at the vanguard of the digital textbook movement, so we were excited to incorporate CourseSmart into our digital strategy," said Amir Dabirian, Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, California State University, Fullerton. "Our tech–savvy student population likes the anytime, anywhere access and cost–savings of digital course materials, and our faculty and administrators find it helpful to have CourseSmart integrated directly into our campus LMS."

"CourseSmart has been a welcome addition to our campus," said Randy L. Bullis, J.D., Director of Online Education for Career Point College. "Our students have responded positively to the convenience of digital course materials, and faculty and administrators are enthusiastic about the potential of CourseSmart Analytics, which we hope will be instrumental in helping us address key issues such as retention and improving learning outcomes."

"We appreciate CourseSmart's technology innovation, especially in the mobile arena, which is vital for our online student population," said Ann Jenkins, Instructional Designer and Training Specialist at Iowa Community College Online Consortium. "We have gotten a lot of positive feedback on CourseSmart's Universal Reader, which offers students a choice between page fidelity and reflowable text views online and offline, on a wide variety of mobile devices from iPads, to iPhones and Android devices."

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart®

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CourseSmart Signs On Nine Institutions for Analytics Pilot; Joins Panel at CES HigherEdTECH to Discuss the Application of Analytics in Higher Education

January 10, 2013

SAN MATEO, Calif., January 10, 2013 –CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, announced today, at CES HigherEdTECH, the expansion of its CourseSmart Analytics beta pilot, an innovative new solution which measures students' engagement with digital course materials to improve learning outcomes and increase student retention. The program was originally launched in November with three schools, and has now expanded to nine public and for–profit colleges. Institutions participating in the CourseSmart Analytics beta pilot for Spring 2013 include: Ashworth College; Algonquin College; University at Buffalo; Career Point College; Central Carolina Technical College; Clemson University; Rasmussen College; Stony Brook University; and Texas A&M University–San Antonio.

A centerpiece of CourseSmart Analytics is the CourseSmart Engagement Index™, a proprietary, patent–pending algorithm that evaluates standard usage data such as page views, time spent in a textbook, and notes and highlights taken by a student, and assimilates them into an overall assessment of students’ engagement with the material. Provosts, deans, course designers and others can then easily assess the utility of adopted digital titles to ensure course materials are being used effectively. Faculty will be able to identify "at risk" students based on engagement with assigned course materials and correlate this to overall student performance, which will help to aid retention and ultimately, improve learning outcomes. Relevant data will be compiled into a convenient dashboard, which will be available within an institution’s learning management system (LMS) or online portal, allowing faculty and administrators to integrate the powerful tool into their existing workflow.

"We are thrilled at the overwhelming interest and response to our beta pilot, and are pleased to expand our program to encompass a wide variety of public and for–profit institutions," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "We look forward to working with these schools to gather data and incorporate important feedback into our development process, with the ultimate goal of providing faculty and administrators with meaningful metrics to improve learning outcomes and solve institutions' most critical pain points: retention and graduation rates."

ECAR, the research arm of EDUCAUSE, ranked analytics 6th on the Top Ten IT Issues for 2012, according to an IT panel used for the annual ECAR report. That same panel cited big data and analytics as "the most dramatic factor shaping the future of higher education..."

The beta version of CourseSmart Analytics is currently available in the Desire2Learn® Learning Environment, Blackboard Learn™ Platform, Moodle, Sakai and Canvas learning management system. For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

At CES HigherEdTECH, CourseSmart's SVP of Product Management, Jim Ambach, will participate in "The New Math: Is Analytics Adding Up?" a panel in which industry experts will discuss the benefits and application of analytics in higher education. The panel is on Thursday, January 10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall, N256 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

About CourseSmart®

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CourseSmart Launches Beta Program for CourseSmart Analytics at EDUCAUSE 2012

November 7, 2012

-- CourseSmart partners with select institutions to assess student engagement with digital course materials, help improve learning outcomes and increase retention --

SAN MATEO, Calif., November 7, 2012 –CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, today announced a beta pilot to test CourseSmart Analytics, an innovative new solution which measures students' engagement with digital course materials.

A centerpiece of CourseSmart Analytics, is CourseSmart Engagement Score Technology™, a proprietary algorithm that evaluates standard usage data such as page views, time spent in a textbook, and notes and highlights taken by a student, and assimilates them into an overall assessment of students' engagement with the material. Provosts, deans, course designers and others can then easily assess the utility of adopted digital titles to ensure course materials are being used effectively. Faculty will be able to identify "at risk" students based on engagement with assigned course materials and correlate this to overall student performance, which will help to aid retention and ultimately, improve learning outcomes.

Relevant data will be compiled into a convenient dashboard, which will be available within an institution's learning management system (LMS) or online portal, conveniently enabling faculty and administration to integrate the powerful tool into their existing workflow. Texas A&M University, San Antonio, Villanova University and Rasmussen College are the first three schools that have signed on for the initial beta program, which will expand later this year, culminating in widespread product availability in 2013.

"We have long believed in the benefits of analytics as a means to improve learning outcomes, increase retention and graduation rates, and help lower the costs of higher education," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "We are thrilled to bring these benefits to reality through our CourseSmart Engagement Score Technology™, which will provide faculty with meaningful metrics about students' engagement with digital course materials so they can offer guidance to maximize student performance."

According to ECAR, the research arm of EDUCAUSE, analytics ranks 6th on the Top Ten IT Issues for 2012, according to an IT panel used for the annual ECAR report. That same panel cited big data and analytics as "the most dramatic factor shaping the future of higher education." "Analytics will be a powerful tool in higher education, especially when data is reported in easy–to–understand, actionable ways," said Ellen Wagner, Executive Director, WICHE, Cooperative for Educational Technology (WCET). "The higher education community is hungry for actionable data that links student engagement to their learning content. With the CourseSmart dashboard, professors will be better able to fine–tune lesson plans, critique student performance, and even tailor suggestions for specific students on how to study more effectively to help them stay on track and stay in school."

The beta version CourseSmart Analytics is currently available in the Desire2Learn® Learning Environment, Blackboard Learn™ Platform, Moodle, Sakai and Canvas learning management system. For more information, please visit http://www.coursesmart.com.

At EDUCAUSE 2012, CourseSmart will host "Getting Smart about Educational Analytics," a panel in which industry experts will discuss the benefits and application of analytics in higher education. Panelists include: Shannon Meadows, SVP, Business Development, CourseSmart; Kristin Stang, Director, Academic Technology Center and Associate Professor, California State University, Fullerton; Kelli Trosvig, Vice President for UW Information Technology and CIO, University of Washington; and Ellen Wagner, Executive Director, WICHE/WCET. The panel is on Wednesday, November 7th from 10:30AM to 11:20AM at the Mile High Ballroom 2B/3B.

About CourseSmart®

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CourseSmart Launches Pilot With Iowa Community College Online Consortium

November 1, 2012

-- Partnership will expand accessibility, help increase retention across ICCOC's seven campuses --

SAN MATEO, Calif., November 1, 2012 –CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, today announced a new pilot program with the Iowa Community College Online Consortium (ICCOC) to integrate digital course materials within their Pearson eCollege Learning Management System (LMS). The pilot, which will be offered to more than 200 students across multiple disciplines, will be available on all seven of ICCOC's campuses during the Spring 2013 semester.

"Coursesmart is pleased to partner with ICCOC in our common goal of providing students, faculty and institutions with the best possible online learning experience through eTextbooks and digital course materials," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "Students in selected courses across ICCOC will now be able to experience the convenience and unmatched efficiencies that LMS–integrated digital textbooks provide, on the first day of class."

Through CourseSmart's platform, ICCOC students will have access to textbooks and digital tools that will enhance their learning experience and encourage further engagement. These benefits include:

Access to the world's largest selection of eTextbooks and other digital course materials, including more than 30,000 titles from 40 publishers
eTextbooks and eResources that are accessible online and offline to all students, including those with print related disabilities
Easy navigation with note taking, search, copy/paste and highlight features
CourseSmart eTextbooks are device agnostic, supported by any web–enabled device
CourseSmart offers the ability for students to print any pages they need from their eTextbooks

"As a dedicated provider of quality educational opportunities to online students, we immediately saw the value in offering eTextbooks to our students as a way to save money and enhance their learning experience," said Theresa Zeigler, Director of Distance Education and Global Learning at Iowa Lakes Community College and Interim Director of ICCOC. "CourseSmart's large catalog of digital course materials, strong technical and process expertise, and flexible business models met ICCOC's rigorous standards for our digital strategy."

For more information, please visit http://www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart®

About ICCOC

The Iowa Community College Online Consortium is a voluntary, self–sustained online learning partnership between seven Iowa Community Colleges, which are: Eastern Iowa Community College, Iowa Lakes Community College, Iowa Western Community College, Northwest Iowa Community College, Southeastern Community College, Southwestern Community College and Western Iowa Tech Community College. The ICCOC combines the expertise and resources of each consortium member to provide all ICCOC students with innovative lifelong online learning opportunities.

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CourseSmart Launches CourseSmart Subscription Pack

October 30, 2012

-- Internet2 and EDUCAUSE Partner with CourseSmart to Test Industry's First Flat Business Model, Providing eTextbooks and eResources in a Single Place, For a Single Price --

SAN MATEO, Calif., October 30, 2012 –CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, in partnership with Internet2 and EDUCAUSE, today announced a research project to test a simple, convenient and affordable approach to digital course materials. Up to 20 institutions will be invited to participate in a trial of the CourseSmart Subscription Pack, a one–stop shopping experience where students can buy all of their eTextbooks from one website for one subscription price over a fixed access period.

Institutions participating in the research project will have a choice between two flat fee options, which allow a select number of students at the institution immediate access to any eTextbook in CourseSmart's catalog of more than 30,000 titles from 40 publishers. Participating institutions will choose license access from two levels:

100 students = $27,500 per semester
200 students = $44,000 per semester
Additional students can be added at $200 each after 200 student minimum
An added benefit to institutions taking part in the research project is that faculty will receive free, unlimited access to CourseSmart's entire catalog through the Faculty Instant Access (FIA) program.

CourseSmart's Subscription Pack offers students the ability to place up to 12 titles on their bookshelf at any point during the semester, which should more than adequately cover the typical student's needs with room to spare. Students will pay $275 or less for all of their digital materials, which is a significant savings over print retail textbook prices.

"CourseSmart is pleased to partner with Internet2 and EDUCAUSE to offer this innovative new business model which sets a new standard in the use, affordability and accessibility of digital course materials," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "The CourseSmart Subscription Pack offers compelling benefits to both students and faculty: students can save money, reduce book load and conveniently access their books digitally in one place, and faculty can be confident that they are helping students obtain needed texts and materials more economically and efficiently than ever before."

"We are excited to partner with CourseSmart on this research project," said Shel Waggener, Senior Vice President, Internet2. "CourseSmart was one of the innovators in filling an unmet need in the marketplace for an affordable, one–stop shop for eTextbooks. Their early commitment to accessibility and creativity in developing options to participate in this process show their commitment to deliver these existing solutions to all students."

CourseSmart titles will be integrated within participating institutions' learning management systems, providing students and faculty with immediate access to course content within the environments they use daily. CourseSmart's eTextbooks can be accessed online or offline anytime through any device or through dedicated apps on the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Students participating in the research project will be able to take advantage of the many features of CourseSmart eTextbooks, including the ability to search, copy and paste, as well as take notes, highlight and bookmark passages, which are synched across devices.

"As a publisher, we are enthusiastic about participating in a program that makes purchasing course materials more efficient for students," said Jim Kelly, Sr. Vice President at McGraw–Hill. "The need for this has existed in the marketplace for some time now, and we are pleased that CourseSmart has brought it to life. We have every reason to believe that students will see the benefit and respond enthusiastically.'"

For more information or for institutions interested in participating in this research project, please visit
http://www.coursesmart.com/go/sp2013research.

About CourseSmart®

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

About Internet2

Internet2® is a member–owned advanced technology community founded by the nation's leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 provides a collaborative environment for U.S. research and education organizations to solve common technology challenges, and to develop innovative solutions in support of their educational, research, and community service missions. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu.

About EDUCAUSE

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association and the foremost community of IT leaders and professionals committed to advancing higher education. EDUCAUSE programs and services are focused on analysis, advocacy, community building, professional development, and knowledge creation because IT plays a transformative role in higher education. EDUCAUSE supports those who lead, manage, and use information technology through a comprehensive range of resources and activities. For more information, visit www.educause.edu.

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Eight more publishers sign deals with CourseSmart international UK's first digital textbook company continues to expand

September 14, 2012

-- SAGE, Edinburgh University Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Gill & Macmillan, CAB International, Goodfellow Publishers and WW Norton sign deals with CourseSmart, increasing the amount of digital textbooks and online course materials available to students and faculty.  --

-- Students will have more choice in digital course material rental at up to 50% off the purchase price of the book. --

Friday 14 September 2012, London, UK: CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced partnerships with SAGE, Edinburgh University Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Gill & Macmillan, CAB International, Goodfellow Publishing and WW Norton for its international online store, Coursesmart.co.uk.

This brings the count of CourseSmart's international publishing members to over thirteen with each publisher aiming to add the majority of their best selling and core front list titles in time for the new academic year in September 2012. It expands CourseSmart’s international catalogue of university textbooks to over 4,000.

The platform – which is open to all publishers – launched with its founder publishing companies,Cengage, McGraw–Hill, Macmillan, Pearson and Wiley. Last month, CourseSmart also announced a partnership with Blackwell's bookstores to offer CourseSmart textbooks through its shops and online.

Fionnuala Duggan, Managing Director – International said, "We are delighted to have textbooks from SAGE, Edinburgh University Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Gill & Macmillan, CAB International, Goodfellow Publishing and WW Norton on the platform. We are constantly adding relevant new content from publishers to build on the wide range of titles already available to both lecturers via our digital sampling platform; and students via the website".

"We look forward to partnering with additional publishers as CourseSmart continues to expand. Our goal is to work with as many publishers as possible, as this gives students the choice of the widest possible catalogue of eTextbooks for digital rental access", added Duggan.

A key differentiator for CourseSmart is its catalogue offering. In the US CourseSmart represents 90% of US core higher education course material, which provides its 3.3 million users a great advantage. CourseSmart is aiming to offer a similar sized catalogue to its international market.

Clive Parry, Global Marketing Director, SAGE said "The way students discover, read and access information is evolving and we are seeing a growing demand for access at the click of a button. SAGE was founded with the belief that education is intrinsically valuable and we are committed to reviewing and developing products that effectively support teaching and learning. eTextbooks are increasingly a large part of this. We are pleased to be working closely with CourseSmart to ensure our key front list titles are ready and available electronically when students go back to university in September".

Neil Broomfield, Business Development Director, John Wiley & Sons "By joining the platform, academic publishers have the ability to provide lecturers and students with an exciting new digital option for accessing their content. CourseSmart's shared delivery platform provides a one–stop–shop for selection and delivery of course materials and an e-commerce platform that transcends publisher boundaries".

CourseSmart launched in the UK in January 2012 with its sampling and eCommerce platforms.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007 in the US by five publishers (Cengage Learning, Palgrave Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Pearson, and Wiley) and launched in 2012 in the UK, CourseSmart provides services to four business segments: online direct retail for students; indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; online faculty textbook evaluation services; and institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems.

CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. For more information about CourseSmart UK, visit www.coursesmart.co.uk

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CourseSmart eTextbooks Accessible and Cost–Efficient, Survey Finds

August 9, 2012

-- STEPP Project from CourseSmart, Alternative Media Access Center and AccessText Network Effectively Supporting Students with Print Related Disabilities --

SAN MATEO, Calif., August 9, 2012 –CourseSmart®, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced the results of a survey evaluating the STudent E–rent Pilot Project (STEPP), an innovative, eTextbook rental program developed by Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) and AccessText Network (ATN) following a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). The survey of 1,185 students partaking in STEPP found that 77% reported that they saved money by renting their eTextbook instead of buying a print version and the majority of students (80%) who needed an accessible textbook were satisfied with the quality of accessibility.

The survey was commissioned to measure the success of the project against its primary goals of improving low–cost access to higher education eTextbooks for all students, including those with print–related disabilities such as blindness or dyslexia. On average, students save 50% or more off the retail cost and are able to access their textbooks anytime, anywhere. The majority of students reported a positive experience in renting a digital textbook and 78% of students indicated that the accessible eTextbook provided them with that they needed for class.

"We could not be more pleased to be a part of the STEPP Project, an effort that should be applauded for its mission to level the playing field in higher education. The economic realities of earning a college education make it paramount that all students find savings, and this program ensures that students with print related disabilities can not only enjoy the cost benefits, but also capitalize on the countless digital efficiencies of eTextbooks that their peers have appreciated for years," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "It is encouraging that so early in the program, we are already meeting our goals and we look forward to continuing to work with AMAC and ATN to help ensure all students can enjoy the benefits of eTextbooks."

The STEPP project, initially announced in October 2010 and designed to offer eTextbooks that are specifically modified for accessibility in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, marked the first time students with disabilities could enjoy the benefits of significant cost savings inherent in an eTextbook rental program. The eTextbooks that are part of the program are digitally formatted for qualified students and distributed through CourseSmart.

"CourseSmart's eTextbooks were incredibly easy to use and they provided me with an accessible reading experience. From navigating through the chapters and pages to searching with keywords, I did not experience any issues," said Rich Cavallaro, a computer information technology student at Hofstra University who is participating in the STEPP Project. "Renting the digital textbook also cost much less than it would have cost to buy the print version and scan it into my computer. I will surely recommend CourseSmart's accessible textbooks to other college students."

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart®

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart eTextbooks to be available from the UK's leading bookseller Blackwell's

August 9, 2012

-- Blackwell's will offer CourseSmart eTextbook rentals through a white label integration with its eCommerce website and stores. --

LONDON, August 9, 2012: CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, is today announcing a partnership with Blackwell's, the UK's leading retailer of academic, professional and educational materials in the UK.

Blackwell's will integrate with CourseSmart to offer its customers a wide range of eTextbooks and eResources through its website and physical stores. This partnership will enable Blackwell's to supply 21st century eTextbooks around the clock to its customers. It will also deliver students cost savings with CourseSmart rentals (of 180 or 360 days) available at up to 50% off the purchase price.

"At Blackwell's, our priority is always to provide our customers up–to–the–minute access to the best textbooks and digital course materials," said David Prescott, Managing Director, Blackwell's Bookshop and Online. "We have selected to work with CourseSmart in the UK because we believe their technology platform meets the needs of today’s students by being both interactive and inclusive, bringing a valuable addition to the Blackwell's portfolio of textbooks both in–store and online."

Fionnuala Duggan, Managing Director – International for CourseSmart said, "We are delighted to be partnering with Blackwell's as the leading academic booksellers in the UK. As CourseSmart has experienced in the US, booksellers have always been an essential part of the distribution process. Through working with booksellers we can make sure that the full range of the new eTextbook functionality is available to all students on any budget."

"CourseSmart is committed to providing a device–agnostic platform which allows access to eTextbooks from any web enabled device, with student–oriented features built in such as search, note taking and bookmarking. Regardless of the device, users are delivered the same access, page appearance and numbering they would have with a print book," said Duggan.

CourseSmart currently serves over 3.3 million users worldwide and represents 90% of US core higher education course material. It launched in the UK in January 2012 with its sampling and eCommerce platforms. Currently, CourseSmart is available at around 1,000 American campus bookstores. These bookstores represent a significant proportion of CourseSmart’s sales.

About Blackwell's

Blackwell's is the leading academic bookseller in the UK with shops serving 56 higher education institutions across England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland. It has built an international reputation for bookselling excellence with links to academic institutions and libraries around the globe and has continued to expand its UK base on high streets and in university campuses up and down the country. Today Blackwell's has been trading for over 130 years from its world-famous flagship store on Broad Street in Oxford. Blackwell’s booksellers are renowned for their expertise, depth of knowledge and love of books, a tradition which has been maintained since the first Blackwell shopopened its doors in 1879.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007 in the US by five publishers (Cengage Learning, Palgrave Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Pearson, and Wiley) and launched in 2012 in the UK, CourseSmart provides services to four business segments: online direct retail for students; indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; online faculty textbook evaluation services; and institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems.

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CourseSmart Saves Students More than $100 Million On Textbooks and Course Materials

July 24, 2012

-- BISG Study Also Finds Textbook Buyback is Not as Prevalent, Lucrative as Students Might Think --

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 24, 2012 –CourseSmart®, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced that it has saved students more than $100M on eTextbooks and digital course materials since it was founded in 2007. CourseSmart has the most comprehensive library of higher education content available, offering over 90% of the core textbooks in use today, or 30,000 titles from over 33 publishers, for a guaranteed, upfront savings of up to 60% less than the cost of a new print textbook.

"CourseSmart was founded on the principal of expanding access to higher education by offering students significant savings on their required course materials, and as the cost of earning a degree continues to rise, it is essential that students have digital options. We could not be more proud of reaching this significant milestone of saving students more than $100 million dollars," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "CourseSmart's savings go beyond the textbook sticker price, because students can access their digital course materials without having to purchase a dedicated device or specific eReader."

Students who use CourseSmart eTextbooks and digital course materials find greater convenience and guaranteed up–front savings as compared to the popular technique of reselling textbooks back to student bookstores. Many students who say they plan to save money through reselling textbooks at the end of the semester never follow–through due to the time, complexity and frustration of the process. According to a survey from the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), close to 35% of students considering bookstore exchange or buyback programs say that it is not worth the effort or believe that the bookstore would likely not accept their textbooks. Further, even if a student attempts to exchange their textbooks for money, many believe that only a small portion of their required materials would qualify for money back.

"Textbooks and materials required for my courses can be an overwhelming expense each semester. Since I discovered CourseSmart, I have saved well over a thousand dollars," said Sara Redman, a student at Colorado State University. "I also enjoy being able to access my textbooks on the go on my iPad and study anywhere, whether it is on the train or at my desk. I couldn't ask for a better textbook experience."

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart®

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Collaborates with Desire2Learn for Enhanced eTextbook Integration

July 18, 2012

-- Through Single Sign–On, Faculty and Students Seamlessly Access over 30,000 eTextbooks and Digital Course Materials --

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 18, 2012 –CourseSmart®, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, and Desire2Learn Incorporated, ("Desire2Learn"), a leading provider of teaching and learning platforms, today announced an enhanced integration that will enable students and faculty to more seamlessly access CourseSmart's growing catalogue of over 30,000 titles within their existing workflows. Faculty will now be able to effortlessly add eTextbooks, eResources and supplemental materials to their courses within Desire2Learn® Learning Environment that will be available to students through a single sign on access.

"Increasingly, student success is being positively impacted by ensuring that content is made available within the context of the course. Our partnership with Desire2Learn is designed to enable faculty to include high quality educational materials inside their courses in the LMS and also to enable students to have immediate access anytime, anywhere to the most affordable learning solutions," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "This enhanced collaboration with Desire2Learn will serve to help faculty members positively impact student success using the tools that are an integral part of the campus technology infrastructure."

Without leaving the Desire2Learn system, instructors can easily create deep links to a required reading assignment, homework problems or other activities that reside in their digital course materials, and easily share that information with their students. Additionally, CourseSmart's analytic offerings support adaptive learning programs and student retention while availability on iPads, Android devices, computers or any web–enabled device online and offline provides unlimited opportunities for content engagement anytime, anywhere.

"Our partnership with CourseSmart has allowed us to provide a better educational experience for learners, instructors and institutional partners, and we are confident that the single-sign-on experience with deep linking to eTextbooks and eResources will provide even greater value," said George Kyriakis, Director of Alliances, Desire2Learn Incorporated. "We are sure that learners will benefit from the convenience of accessing course materials and completing assignments online, free from the frustration of juggling multiple log-in credentials and passwords."

Currently, more than 3.3 million users enjoy the benefits of CourseSmart's eTextbooks and digital course materials, including up to 60% guaranteed, up–front savings as compared to print.

CourseSmart's cloud–based offering also provides users the ability to highlight, search, copy, paste, take notes, share and print while online or offline.

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart®

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, www.coursesmart.com.

About Desire2Learn

Desire2Learn Incorporated delivers industry–leading learning solutions that enable organizations to create learning environments that reflect their vision and goals. As one of the world's largest providers of Software–as–a–Service (SaaS) eLearning solutions for education, Desire2Learn supports more than 8 million learners worldwide in higher education, K–12, healthcare, government and the corporate sector. Founded in 1999, Desire2Learn has personnel in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Singapore. For more information, visit: www.Desire2Learn.com, call 1.519.772.0325 or toll–free 1.888.772.0325 (within North America), +44 808.234.4235 (U.K. and Europe), 0.800.452.069 (New Zealand) and 1.800.656.210 (Australia).

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CourseSmart® Expands Access to Integration for the Blackboard Learn™ Platform

July 11, 2012

-- New Agreement Provides Seamless Access to Digital Course Materials for Students and Faculty in the U.S. and Canada --

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 11, 2012 –CourseSmart®, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced an expanded agreement to provide the CourseSmart Building Block for the Blackboard Learn™ platform throughout the United States and Canada. With the integration, students and instructors have seamless and efficient access to CourseSmart's library of more than 30,000 eTextbooks and eResources directly within Blackboard Learn. The CourseSmart Building Block was introduced as a pilot program to 20 schools last year, and due to high customer satisfaction and demonstrated value, is now available to institutions using Blackboard Learn 9.1.

"The integration we developed for the Blackboard Learn platform exceeded all expectations so we are expanding our initial pilot program beyond 20 institutions to make it more widely available to all institutions across North America," said Sean Devine, chief executive officer at CourseSmart. "In addition to the depth, breadth and functionality of our library of digital course materials, the higher education community is responding especially well to our unique single sign-on experience with deep linking to eTextbooks and eResources from within the exact context of the course in Blackboard Learn. This feature allows students to access the wide range of eTextbooks and eResources they need to complete assignments and improve learning outcomes, fee from the inconvenience of juggling multiple log-in credentials and passwords."

CourseSmart's pilot program for the Blackboard Learn platform began in November of last year and included two#8211;year, four#8211;year and public sector institutions. During the pilot program, use of the CourseSmart Building Block increased faculty usage of CourseSmart by more than 35 percent and increased student usage by more than 90 percent, with people citing ease of use, device agnostic access to materials both online and offline, and time and cost#8211;savings among the most compelling features. Students in the average course at the pilot schools saved over $1,000 per course on their textbook expenditures when compared to the full cost of new print textbooks.

The CourseSmart Building Block is free to higher education institutions, and provides instructors with immediate access to evaluate and immediately use in their courses, 90 percent of the core higher education eTextbooks and eResources in use today. Without leaving the Blackboard Learn platform, instructors can easily review all digital course materials in the CourseSmart library, create links to a required reading assignment, and homework problems and then seamlessly share that information with their students. The application enhances students' studies through product features including search, copy and paste, highlight, annotate, share and print as well as access on mobile devices. The single sign#8211;on functionality enables students and instructors to access CourseSmart's digital catalog directly within Blackboard Learn without having to remember a separate set of credentials for CourseSmart access.

"We strive to provide a better educational experience for students, instructors and institutional partners," said Matthew Small, chief business officer at Blackboard. "Our clients and users benefit from access to a robust set of digital content directly within the Blackboard Learn platform."

About CourseSmart®

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, www.coursesmart.com.

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College Students Boost Digital Adoption, According to CourseSmart Survey

May 23, 2012

-- Research Shows That Majority of Students Are More Likely To Bring a Laptop Than a Print Textbook to Class with 53% Of Device Owners Reading eTextbooks Frequently --

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 23, 2012 –CourseSmart®, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced the results of a survey revealing college students' growing reliance on technology. The survey of more than 500 currently enrolled college students found that nearly all college students (98%) who own a device have used it for school and a majority of these students (53%) read eTextbooks frequently. Further, 90% of college students say they save time studying with technology -- including mobile devices, digital textbooks, eReaders and tablets.

Fielded by Wakefield Research, an independent research consultancy, the survey revealed that technology has become a significant part of students' everyday lives with the average using three devices daily. A majority (67%) can't go more than one hour without using some sort of digital technology, with 40% not lasting more than 10 minutes.

"The survey underscores the undeniable influence technology has on today's college experience. As technology continues to evolve and digital devices become integral to the evolution of higher education, it's encouraging to see the positive impact on learning outcomes as students utilize advanced devices and digital course materials to streamline and improve their learning environment," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart.

The Digital Backpack
Once the backpack staple, print textbooks are losing their reputation of being indispensable. Only 5% of students say textbooks are the most important item in their bag and a majority of students say they are more likely to bring a laptop (51%) than a print textbook (39%) to class. Digital devices also allow for on-the-go reference to information with 79% of college students reporting they have done a quick search on a mobile device or tablet to verify something right before a test or a quiz.

According to the survey, technology is also streamlining students' studies. The study found that 68% of college students who save time using technology report saving two hours or more each day and nearly one in six students (14%) saving five hours or more. Further, nearly 3 in 5 students (58%) report that they frequently are unable to complete required reading in time for class and of those, a majority (51%) said they would be more likely to do so if they had digital textbooks that could be accessed on a mobile device, eReader, laptop or tablet.

Online Learning Gains Momentum
Online courses are gaining popularity with 58% of students reporting they have taken an online course, motivated primarily by being able to take the class on their own time (63%), not having to physically be in a class (48%) and being able to learn at their own pace (47%). Even traditional brick and mortar classes, though, are incorporating online elements, creating increasingly hybrid experiences. Nearly all (96%) college students have had online components to a course: a majority of students (79%) have submitted assignments or papers online and 71% have taken online tests and quizzes.

Rise of Social
According to the survey, communication between faculty and students is becoming more social with nearly one in five (18%) students having received materials from their professor via Facebook. Professors are also relying more on technology for delivering class announcements and assignments: 84% of students have had professors post a class syllabus online and 78% of students have received class news and updates from their professors via campus systems, such as learning management systems or student portals.

"As we look forward, we will continue to see technology incorporated into even the most traditional of college experiences and classes. Within this new digital learning environment, students will have access to their entire higher education network, including social, grades, quizzes, textbooks and other course materials, in the palm of their hands," added Devine.

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart®

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, www.coursesmart.com.

Methodological Notes
The CourseSmart Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 500 Americans currently enrolled in college, ages 18-23, between Monday, April 30th, 2012 and Tuesday, May 8th, 2012, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population between the ages of 18 and 23.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.4 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

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CourseSmart Launches First eCommerce Platform for eTextbooks in the UK and Europe

May 21, 2012

-- Students abroad can now enjoy cost savings and anytime, anywhere access to eTextbooks --

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 21, 2012 –CourseSmart®, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced its continued international growth with the launch of an eCommerce platform in the UK and Europe. The platform provides students access to eTextbooks and digital course materials anytime, anywhere from any web–enabled device. Students in the UK and Europe will also now enjoy guaranteed, up–front savings of up to 40% when compared to a new print textbook.

"The world of textbooks is changing. Through the proliferation of tablets, handheld devices, laptops and computers, the academic world is moving online and engaging with students like never before. We are very excited to be at the forefront of this evolution," said Fionnuala Duggan, Managing Director of CourseSmart International. "The eCommerce platform will help students to save money, instructors to engage online, publishers to access a developing market and booksellers to be part of this significant development in publishing."

Following the international expansion plans first announced in May 2011, CourseSmart launched its free Online Sampling Platform, which enables faculty in the UK and Europe to instantly preview and select eTextbook titles for use in specific courses. The eCommerce platform, which is now live, will provide all of the functions of traditional textbooks, enhanced by today's technologies, including:

Anytime, anywhere access to materials via www.coursesmart.com, www.coursesmart.co.uk or through various mobile devices and tablets;
Search function for topics within a single book or across an entire eTextbook stack;
Highlighting and note-taking capabilities within the eTextbook, which can be easily recalled or searched;
Page fidelity and preservation, mirroring the print edition's page numbers, full text, diagrams, illustrations and charts;
Ability to cut and paste as well as email sections, notes and highlighted text; and
Accessible titles for students and instructors with print-related disabilities

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com or www.coursesmart.co.uk.

About CourseSmart®

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Innovation Continues With Launch of New Reader

March 14, 2012

-- New Reader Provides an Enhanced Reading Experience and New Tools for Efficiency --

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 14, 2012 –CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced the launch of the New CourseSmart Reader, an enhanced reading platform providing a greater overall user experience, new tools and viewing options. The first of many enhancements planned for 2012, the New CourseSmart Reader is evidence of CourseSmart's commitment to continued innovation, ensuring that students and faculty have access to a superior digital reading experience on any device.

"As an industry innovator, CourseSmart continually strives to provide faculty and students with a superior experience when using eTextbooks and digital course materials," said Sean Devine, CEO at CourseSmart. "The New CourseSmart Reader further exemplifies CourseSmart's commitment to improving learning outcomes and offering unmatched access to the world's largest catalogue of digital course materials on all the most popular devices in use today."

The New CourseSmart Reader is available now and can be used with any browser that supports Adobe® Flash® Player. The New CourseSmart Reader has faster page loading times, streamlined navigation and multi–level zooming capabilities. In addition to a new look and feel, users will have access to new tools and functionality to enhance the learning experience, including:

Notes Management: Ability to view all notes, highlights and annotations in a single location through the My Notes tab, turning annotations made in the margins into a streamlined study guide which can be printed or reviewed on a mobile device for a quick review before a test or exam;
Highlighting: Capability to activate highlighting function with a single click and add notes to highlighted text;
Bookmarking: Navigate to bookmark location with a single click and create bookmarks for specific pages; and
Search: Navigate between search results and book contents as well as view page content alongside the search results through the Search–In–Book function.

With the addition of the New CourseSmart Reader, CourseSmart now offers three reading experiences to ensure students have superior access to their digital course materials on any device they are using. The Classic CourseSmart Reader will continue to provide the reading experience that students and faculty have grown accustom to and the Accessible CourseSmart Reader remains the industry's most accessible platform, providing a reading experience specifically designed for use with screen readers.

For more information about the New CourseSmart Reader or any of CourseSmart's three readers, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Appoints New Executives To Help Fulfill Mission

January 17, 2012

-- Daryl Fox Named Senior Vice President Publisher and Content Strategy; Bryan Spaulding Appointed Senior Vice President Technology and Business Operations --

SAN MATEO, Calif., January 17, 2012 –CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced two additions to its executive team who will help to fulfill its mission of increasing access to higher education by connecting digital content publishers with faculty, students and institutions. Daryl Fox has been appointed Senior Vice President of Publisher and Content Strategy and Bryan Spaulding has been named Senior Vice President of Technology and Business Operations.

"We are in the midst of an extremely exciting period in higher education with today's technological innovations that enhance student learning outcomes and improve faculty teaching resources," said Sean Devine, CEO at CourseSmart. "We are thrilled to announce the addition of two seasoned executives who will help CourseSmart meet its objectives of transforming the landscape for the distribution of digital higher education content, and maintaining its position as the world's largest eTextbook and digital course materials provider. Bringing tremendous experience to our company, Daryl and Bryan will help us continue to innovate our platform to create an engaging experience for faculty and students, and to provide the unmatched ability of connecting content producers with content users as the demand for digital materials expands at a rapid pace."

As Senior Vice President of Publisher and Content Strategy, Daryl will be responsible for aligning CourseSmart's strategy with those of its publisher partners to ensure that we create the best content discovery, access and consumption experience for students, faculty and educational institutions. Daryl has spent the past 25 years in higher education publishing, and has held VP–level positions in Science, Economics, Finance, and the Social Sciences for more than 15 years. Most recently, he was Vice President and Editorial Director for Political Science, Communication, Theatre, Film and Public Relations at Pearson Education where he spearheaded many innovative digital media products including HTML5–based, experiential and speech–related products. Daryl has also held similar management positions at McGraw–Hill and at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Bryan Spaulding joins CourseSmart with nearly 20 years of experience building scalable architecture for digital initiatives. While at CourseSmart, he will be responsible for setting the overall technical direction for the company, including leading all architectural planning and technical operations, managing relationships with technology partners, and engaging with partners and CourseSmart customers to ensure the seamless integration with third party platforms. Prior to CourseSmart, Bryan served as the Senior Director of Media and Publishing at Optaros where he built digital asset management workflow solutions and re–platformed content and commerce properties for a variety of clients. He also served as the Chief Technology Officer at MovieLink where he led and developed, amongst other things, the company's digital rights management approach so that it worked for all stakeholders. Additionally, Bryan has held management positions at Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment and at the Viant Corporation.

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Launches First Mobile Web Application For eTextbooks

November 21, 2011

-- World's Largest Provider of Digital Course Materials Application Immediately Makes Available More Than 20,000 eTextbooks on Amazon's Kindle Fire and on Other Mobile Devices --

SAN MATEO, Calif., November 21, 2011 –CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced the launch of their new, industry first, mobile Web app that provides students and faculty access to a catalog of more than 20,000 eTextbooks and other digital course materials on a variety of mobile devices including the Kindle Fire. This breakthrough brings thousands of digital course materials to the most popular mobile reading devices furthering the company's mission of anytime, anywhere access to course materials in higher education.

"Our mission is to connect students and faculty with affordable course materials that they need to become successful. With this new Web–based application, we are putting the world's largest catalog of eTextbooks and digital course materials in the hands of an increasingly growing number of digitally–dependent students and faculty," said Sean Devine, CEO at CourseSmart. "As mobile devices like the Kindle Fire continue to make their way onto college campuses and into the classroom, we are excited to offer yet another option for our users to not only access their digital textbooks but to improve their reading experiences with features such as page fidelity."

The mobile Web app is optimized to best support multi–touch screens of today's most popular mobile devices and it is designed to offer users the:

Convenience to view all eTextbooks from a single location,
Ability to search for a topic within your eTextbook including access to the Table of Contents,
Capability to zoom in on text and graphs as well as to add and view notes, and
Same page fidelity experience as found in a print textbook version equivalent.

There is no downloading process to access the free Web app. On supported browsers, CourseSmart users with an active eTextbook account will automatically be prompted to sign into the Web app when they begin reading their eTextbooks. Any future enhancements for the app are automatically updated, eliminating the need to visit an app store to obtain the latest app version.

The app is supported by Amazon Silk and Google Chrome browsers on the following devices: Kindle Fire and Android™ 3.0 and higher OS tablets. Users can find out more about the app at www.coursesmart.com/go/mobile.

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart and Campus Technology to Host Panel on Digital Course Materials Programs within Higher Education Institutions

November 10, 2011

-- Free Webinar to Showcase Best Practices for Institution–Wide Adoption of Digital Course Materials --

WHAT: CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, and Campus Technology, a leading higher education technology publication, today announced details around their upcoming webinar, Making the Move to a Digital Campus: Best Practices and Pitfalls from the Front Lines, which will be held on November 10, 2011.

During the free, one–hour webinar, representatives from three institutions will share their unique experiences of adopting digital course materials on their campus, challenges encountered while integrating the technology and advice to colleges and universities considering a similar digital solution. Presenters include:

Judy Lowe, assistant vice president–center for distributed education and multi media at Chattanooga State Community College;
Chris Manriquez, associate vice president for information technology/academic technology officer at Cal State University Fullerton; and
Dennis A. Trinkle, Ph.D., provost and chief academic officer at Harrison College.

Moderated by Linda Briggs, contributing editor at Campus Technology, the panel will tackle key issues including faculty and student resistance to eTextbook programs as well as highlight the benefits each institution has experienced since adopting their digital course materials solution. Additional discussion includes how to:

Reduce costs up to 60% over traditional textbook and content delivery methods;
Provide anytime, anywhere access to materials through any web–enabled mobile device;
Meet adoption timeliness and transparency standards in course materials selection as stipulated in the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA);
Achieve greater ROI on existing campus platform investments;
Provide faculty and students with instant and seamless access to course materials; and
Ensure the latest accessibility standard for students and faculty with disabilities.

WHO: Higher education administrators, faculty, IT professionals and academic leaders committed to improving students' academic experience and using technology to increase learning outcomes.

WHEN: The webinar will be held Thursday, November 10, 2011, at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. Join the conversation on Twitter by following @CourseSmart_ and #edtechchat.

WHERE: To register for the free webinar, please visit http://ow.ly/7lhmM

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Integrates With Desire2Learn® Learning Management System

November 9, 2011

-- Strategic Alliance to Streamline User Workflow and Enhance Access to Digital Educational Resources --

SAN MATEO, Calif., November 9, 2011 -CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, and Desire2Learn Incorporated, ("Desire2Learn"), a leading provider of enterprise teaching and learning platforms, today announced their partnership to provide an end–to–end integration that facilitates an efficient, one–stop process for students and faculty to access digital course materials. Students and faculty will have single sign–on access to CourseSmart's catalog of more than 20,000 eTextbooks and other digital course materials using the new CourseSmart integration within the Desire2Learn learning management system.

"CourseSmart joins an elite group of education companies that comprise the Desire2Learn Partner Network for content providers," said Jeremy Auger, chief operating officer at Desire2Learn. "The Partner Network aims to foster collaboration between eLearning brands with a similar passion for enhancing the user learning experience. Through this partnership, CourseSmart and Desire2Learn provide a more integrated, comprehensive and enriched learning solution for higher education institutions and their users."

The CourseSmart integration within the Desire2Learn platform will enhance students' studies by utilizing CourseSmart's eTextbook features including search, copy and paste, highlight, annotate, share and print. The single sign–on functionality enables students and instructors to access CourseSmart's digital catalog via the Desire2Learn platform without having to remember a separate set of credentials for CourseSmart access.

The integration also provides instructors with free access to evaluate core higher education eTextbooks and eResources in use today from publishers who supply 90 percent of the market, and to select and use these course materials effortlessly in their Desire2Learn courses.

Without leaving the Desire2Learn course, instructors can easily create links to a required reading assignment, homework problems or other activities that reside in their digital course materials, and seamlessly share that information with their students.

"CourseSmart is continually exploring new partnership opportunities that allow us to further streamline both the student and faculty's workflow, ensuring that our digital course materials are readily available and easily accessible by all," said Sean Devine, chief executive officer at CourseSmart. "Students will now be able to access their required course materials directly from within their Desire2Learn courses, while instructors will be able to easily find, adopt and pair course materials, all without leaving the Desire2Learn platform. Our collaborative efforts will have a measurable impact on enhancing access to digital course materials that ultimately, serve to improve learning outcomes for students."

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About Desire2Learn

Desire2Learn Incorporated is a world–leading provider of enterprise eLearning solutions that enable institutions and other organizations to create teaching and learning environments that reflect their vision, goals, and branding. Desire2Learn and its subsidiaries support more than six million learners worldwide. Clients include higher education, K–12, and healthcare as well as associations, government and other leading organizations. Founded in 1999, Desire2Learn has personnel in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. For more information, visit: www.Desire2Learn.com, call 1.519.772.0325 or toll-free 1.888.772.0325 (within North America), +44 808.234.4235 (U.K. and Europe), 0.800.452.069 (New Zealand) and 1.800.656.210 (Australia).

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Launches Integration For The Blackboard Learn Platform

October 19, 2011

-- New Alliance Streamlines User Workflow and Enhances Access to Digital Course Materials within Campus Ecosystems --

SAN MATEO, Calif., October 19, 2011 -CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced a new Blackboard Building Block™ for the Blackboard Learn™ platform. The new Blackboard Building Block for CourseSmart enables higher education institutions to provide their students and instructors with an efficient and instant means to access digital content. It is designed to seamlessly integrate into an institution's campus technology ecosystem, facilitating student and instructor single sign-on access to more than 20,000 eTextbooks and other digital course materials.

"This integration developed for the Blackboard Learn platform will help all parties in the higher education landscape improve efficiencies, save time and money, and most importantly, improve learning outcomes for students," said Sean Devine, chief executive officer at CourseSmart. "We are thrilled to make our products available on a platform that students and instructors are using on a daily basis. Through our single sign-on integration, the digital efficiencies of our products will literally be a click away for thousands of users across the country."

The CourseSmart Building Block will provide instructors with free and immediate access to evaluate 90 percent of the core higher education eTextbooks and eResources in use today, and to select and use these materials effortlessly in their course. Without leaving the Blackboard Learn platform, instructors can easily create links to a required reading assignment, homework problems or other activities that reside in their digital course materials and then seamlessly share that information with their students.

Additionally, the Blackboard Building Block for CourseSmart is free to higher education institutions. The application will enhance students' studies by utilizing CourseSmart's product features including search, copy and paste, highlight, annotate, share and print. The single sign-on functionality enables students and instructors to access CourseSmart's digital catalog by logging into the Blackboard Learn platform without having to remember a separate set of credentials for CourseSmart access.

"Building a better educational experience for our students, instructors and institutional partners is at the core of our business philosophy," said Matthew Small, chief business officer at Blackboard. "The pilots we are currently running with CourseSmart as part of our signature partnership will continue to fuel this experience as they provide our clients with anytime, anywhere access to their digital course materials from any Web-enabled device, including mobile devices running on the iOS and Android™ OS platforms."

As a member in Blackboard Partnerships™ Program, CourseSmart is also part of the Blackboard Developers Network™, an innovative community of technical experts with a passion for using technology to enhance teaching and learning. Within the Network, developers from schools, colleges, universities, associations, government organizations and companies are developing software and applications– Blackboard Building Blocks™–that extend and enhance the Blackboard learning environment.

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best–selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.–based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any–time access to the course content they need, including those with vision– and print–related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Makes It Easy To Access Digital Course Materials Through Custom Integrations

October 18, 2011

-- Students and Faculty Enjoy Seamless Access to the World's Largest eTextbooks and eResources Catalog Utilizing Customized Learning Management Systems --

SAN MATEO, Calif., October 18, 2011 -CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced at EDUCAUSE 2011 its relentless commitment to improving student and faculty success, and expanding access to low cost digital course materials through customized learning management system (LMS) integrations. CourseSmart's Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) technology allows for a flexible, lightweight and seamless integration into any LMS platform in use today, including Desire2Learn and the Pearson LearningStudio, streamlining students' workflow by providing single sign-on access to the world's largest catalog of digital course materials.

"We continually search for innovative ways to effectively integrate digital course materials into student and faculty workflows, ensuring that each has immediate access to the materials needed to be successful in higher education," said Sean Devine, chief executive officer at CourseSmart. "By forging new relationships with LMS providers and institutions, we are able to help both students and faculty access their respective course materials seamlessly through our LTI-compliant, single sign-on feature. Our partner institutions appreciate the cost savings and other benefits associated with this feature, and they should be commended for their tireless efforts in improving their institutions' higher education experience."

Students and faculty at higher education institutions across the country are benefiting from the CourseSmart custom integrations.

"Through our strategic relationship with CourseSmart, they helped us to improve student access to digital course materials through their single sign-on access feature and deep content linking using the College's D2L platform while also developing an innovative textbook pricing model which helped us to reduce student costs," said Judy Lowe, assistant vice president at Chattanooga State Community College.

"Using CourseSmart's standards-based LTI platform, the integration was accomplished with minimal technology support and we've received only positive feedback from our students and instructors regarding the ease of accessing their online course materials through our Pearson LearningStudio platform," said Dan Lange, vice president of instruction at Blue Mountain Community College.

"Integrating with CourseSmart has allowed us to streamline students' access to their eTextbooks anytime, anywhere, which ultimately enhances their ability to academically succeed," said Margaret Korosec, manager of learning resources at Western Governors University.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online instructor textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for instructors and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any-time access to the course content they need, including those with vision- and print-related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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Western Governors University Partners With CourseSmart To Provide Students And Instructors With A Robust Digital Experience

October 5, 2011

-- Integrating the World's Largest Digital Library into WGU's Student Portal Improves Efficiency and Access to Education --

SAN MATEO, Calif., October 5, 2011 -CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced a new relationship with Western Governors University (WGU), in which the university will integrate CourseSmart's digital library into its online student portal, creating a comprehensive, single sign-on, platform where students and instructors can access their eTextbooks anytime, anywhere.

WGU, a fully-accredited non-profit university with more than 26,000 students, began integrating CourseSmart's eTextbooks into its online learning environment in April 2011. Significantly improving their workflow and overall learning experience, students are receiving direct access to the digital titles included in their courses through their existing WGU student portal accounts. Course mentors also have access to digital versions of current textbook offerings.

"We are constantly looking for new ways to improve our learning experience and make education more accessible to students by saving them time and reducing their costs," said Margaret Korosec, manager of learning resources at WGU. "Integrating with CourseSmart allows us to streamline student's access to their eTextbooks at the moment they need it, eliminating the need for students to purchase a hardcopy textbook, and greatly enhancing their ability to be academically successful."

CourseSmart eTextbooks will be accessed online through the company's newest reader platform and linked within the WGU online course of study to individual book chapters. This creates a guided learning environment that increases learning efficiency and also allows students to access features including the ability to annotate, bookmark, highlight, search, copy, paste, share and print within the eTextbook. Furthermore, the reader will offer the same reading experience when users are offline.

"As an entirely Web-based university, WGU has established an innovative model for online education that is not only affordable but widely accessible," said Sean Devine, CEO at CourseSmart. "The WGU integration is an example of CourseSmart's steadfast mission to continue expanding access to cost effective digital course materials. Additionally, we have integrated our 24-hour, 7-day support to address any questions from users, whether it be students, instructors or the institution."

WGU has been recognized as a pioneer in the effort to make higher education more accessible and cost effective, winning the McGraw Prize in Education in 2010 and the Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education by the Sloan Consortium, an association of organizations engaged in online learning.

About WGU

Western Governors University (WGU) is a private, nonprofit, American online university with more than 26,000 students across all 50 states. WGU is a competency-based university, and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, teacher education, information technology, and health professions (including nursing). The University is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). WGU was founded in 1997 by a bi-partisan group of 19 governors of states in the western United States. Its mission was to improve quality and expand access to post-secondary educational opportunities. More information is available at www.wgu.edu.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online instructor textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for instructors and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any-time access to the course content they need, including those with vision- and print-related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Expands Its Digital Offerings Through Nine Additional Publishers

September 27, 2011

-- New Publishing Partners Further Solidify Company as the World's Largest Provider of Digital Course Materials --

SAN MATEO, Calif., September 27, 2011 - CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced that it has expanded its higher education digital offerings by partnering with nine new publishing partners: Oxford University Press (USA); Oxford University Press, Canada; W.W. Norton; American Technical Publishers (ATP); BarCharts; ASM Press; Paradigm Publishing; Vista Higher Learning; and University Readers. With these latest additions, CourseSmart's publishing partners now total 31, including the largest in the higher education space: Pearson; Cengage Learning; McGraw-Hill Education; John Wiley & Sons; and the Bedford, Freeman, Worth Publishing Group.

"Our new publishing relationships will enable us to continue expanding our footprint and further solidify our position as the world's largest provider of digital course materials. The additional titles and content to our higher education catalog will allow more students and faculty to enjoy the benefits of our digital course materials, including anytime, anywhere access, cost savings and efficiencies, device agnostic applications and other digital benefits inherent in our offerings," said Sean Devine, chief executive officer at CourseSmart. "We will continue to engage with other higher education-focused publishing houses to ensure we meet the growing demand for eTextbooks and other digital course materials."

CourseSmart offers more than 20,000 eTextbooks in its catalog which represents 90 percent of all core higher education textbooks in use today. These digital textbooks may be rented for up to 60 percent less than the cost of its new print counterparts. Features like note taking, highlighting and maintaining print page numbers replicate the important functionality of a print textbook while other features like search, copy/paste and emailing passages, leverage the digital format to efficiently improve teaching and learning.

Each of CourseSmart's new publishers will supplement its digital library of eTextbooks in the following areas:

Oxford University Press (USA) and Oxford University Press, Canada: As part of the largest University Press publisher in the world, OUP-USA publishes in the humanities, social sciences and the physical, natural, earth, atmospheric and life sciences. OUP-Canada publishes textbooks in the areas of humanities, social sciences, sciences, engineering and computer science, and economics and business.
W.W. Norton: A longstanding independent publishing company, W.W. Norton publishes in the areas of the humanities, social sciences and the sciences.
American Technical Publishers (ATP): Since 1898, ATP has been the leader in providing quality training materials for career and technical education, industrial training and apprenticeships.
BarCharts: Since 1991, BarCharts has offered their QuickStudy laminated study guides on a variety of subjects in the humanities, social sciences, foreign languages, math, science, business and computers. They act as a roadmap for college courses and are now available in digital format.
ASM Press: As the publishing arm of The American Society for Microbiology, the oldest and largest single life science membership organization in the world, ASM Press offers textbooks in the microbiological sciences.
Paradigm Publishing: A division of EMC Publishing, Paradigm Publishing specializes in post-secondary publishing, offering textbook programs in computer technology, health careers, biotechnology, accounting, business technology, distance learning and career management with supplementary and multimedia materials.
Vista Higher Learning: The market leader in introductory Spanish, VHL is an independent publisher of language programs. VHL offers an array of programs that integrate textbook-and-technology for both the higher education and secondary education markets.
University Readers: A national provider of digital and print custom publishing solutions for independent school, college, and university faculty. In partnership with dozens of leading academic publishers, offering an online library of content to make custom publishing easier for professors and more affordable for students.

For more information, please visit www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any-time access to the course content they need, including those with vision- and print-related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Study Reveals Telling Link Between Communication and Study Preferences of High School and College Students to Future College Classroom Landscape

September 20, 2011

-- eTextbook industry leader commissions study to find out how contemporary high school and college student views on technology, learning and finances affect today and tomorrow's college landscape --

SAN MATEO, Calif., September 20, 2011 - CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, released the results of a proprietary research study exploring the effects of technology dependency on learning preferences for today's high school and college students. The CourseSmart-commissioned study, which was conducted by AMP Insights, the strategic planning and consumer insights group at AMP Agency, compared 503 current high school and 515 current college-aged students to understand their device and platform adoption rates as well as attitudes, stressors and preferences, offering a telling window into the current and future learning habits of students.

Among the findings, the study supports the idea that today's tech savvy students want stimulating experiences and seek thought-provoking and interactive learning environments. Technology plays an integral role in providing students with an interactive classroom experience with 76 percent of high school students and 79 percent of college students claiming they would find it appealing if a college offered a classroom experience where they can ask professors questions in class through Twitter or another social networking site.

Personal preferences are not the only factors that play into how students view the growing role of technology inside the college classroom - the perceived popularity of and the costs associated with digital course materials are also important. The study finds that students are worried about the financial stresses of their college education at a younger age, with 13 percent of high school students claiming they began looking into financing their college education in junior high as opposed to 6 percent of college students who claim to have done the same. Financial fears could also deter conventional study habits, paving the way for increased usage of digital course materials: 63 percent of college students think eTextbooks are less expensive than traditional textbooks.

"As financial concerns affect students at earlier ages, the value and importance they place on a college education is at a new premium, especially when it comes to course materials and other associated items which they can control," said CourseSmart Chief Marketing Officer Jill Ambrose. "Many students view eTextbooks as a money-saver, and are increasingly willing and more likely to invest in a tablet or other device that allows them to maximize their budget for the duration of their college experience."

Unsurprisingly, the study also found that the majority (52 percent) of college students use an Android™-based smartphone or iPhone® device for which CourseSmart has free downloadable applications. In comparison, 31 percent of high school students use an Android-based smartphone or iPhone. Ownership of tablet computers among high school and college students is still relatively low compared to smartphone ownership; however, the percentage of students that own a tablet is still impressive: 20 percent of high school students have a tablet computer compared with 24 percent of college students who own them. While the majority of college students (68 percent) continue to only use hard copy textbooks, 65 percent of college students are open to the idea of using eTextbooks. High school students shared the same sentiment, with 64 percent being open to using eTextbooks.

"The gap between study preferences and habits between high school and college students is closing," Ambrose continued. "High school students are increasingly open to and expecting the same types of interactive learning materials that college students have already been exposed to, and both groups are constantly looking ahead and embracing the future that is eTextbooks and digital course materials."

CourseSmart will issue a formal white paper that captures full study findings this fall. To learn more about CourseSmart, including the latest company news and innovations, please visit: www.coursesmart.com.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any-time access to the course content they need, including those with vision- and print-related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Helps Students Shop For eTextbooks Via Facebook

August 23, 2011

-- Leading digital textbook rental and course materials provider creates industry's first-ever social commerce shopping experience for college students --

SAN MATEO, Calif., August 23, 2011 - CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and other digital course materials, today unveiled its latest industry innovation: a social commerce shopping experience that allows students to rent eTextbooks directly from the brand's official Facebook page.

For the first time ever, students will have instant access to CourseSmart's catalog of eTextbooks directly from Facebook via a secure shopping cart and through a tab on the CourseSmart brand page. The commerce tab's specialized functionality allows students to search by title, ISBN or key word for the digital materials they need for class, add to their cart and continue shopping until ready for purchase, at which point they are automatically linked to a secure checkout at CourseSmart.com.

"CourseSmart has always made it a priority to provide students with the course materials they need in the most convenient way possible, and our new Facebook experience is the latest breakthrough in that arena," said Jill Ambrose, chief marketing officer at CourseSmart. "We are excited to provide access to more than 20,000 of the latest eTextbook offerings to college students where they already spend time, on their favorite social networking site."

This unique development marks an unprecedented opportunity for students to purchase their digital course materials via social media, further reinforcing CourseSmart's reputation as the industry leader. The Facebook feature is the latest in a series of industry firsts for the CourseSmart brand, which launched the beta version of its first-to-market HTML5 eReader earlier this summer, allowing users to access digital course materials online and offline.

Coinciding with the launch of the CourseSmart Facebook social commerce experience, the company has launched its Back-To-School program featuring the "30 Days, 30 Prizes Sweepstakes" where students will receive eTextbook discount coupons and chances to win free eTextbooks, tablet devices, concert gift certificates, travel gift cards and more. Sweepstakes details may be found at http://www.coursesmart.com/go/30days30prizes.

To purchase eTextbooks via Facebook or for more information on CourseSmart's new social commerce tab and sweepstakes, visit www.facebook.com/coursesmart.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any-time access to the course content they need, including those with vision- and print-related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Innovates With Another Industry First

July 21, 2011

-- Digital course materials leader unleashes its latest reader, providing users with unmatched single reading experiences across all modes --

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 21, 2011 - CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced the beta launch of its newest reader platform providing users with online, offline, anytime, anywhere access to their eTextbooks. The first in the industry to utilize HTML5 technology for eTextbooks and coupled with the latest version of Mozilla Firefox 5.0, this cloud-based offering now provides the same productivity features whether users are online or offline.

"CourseSmart's use of ground-breaking technology and our innovative approach further demonstrates the company's commitment to providing students and faculty with extraordinary access to affordable, outcome-oriented digital course materials," said Sean Devine, CEO at CourseSmart. "Eliminating the necessity for users to make a choice between online and offline access is a significant step forward in our goal of providing students and faculty access to digital course materials from any device, anywhere."

Students who have active online eTextbook digital rental access will immediately enjoy the benefits of the new offline capabilities. Additionally, instructor textbook evaluation services will also be available on the new reader platform, allowing instructors free access to evaluate more than 90 percent of all core higher education eTextbooks whether online or offline. The new reader experience also extends to CourseSmart's productivity tools allowing users to highlight, search, copy, paste, take notes, share and print while offline. The platform synchronizes user notes across all modals, whether it is from their desktop computer, laptop, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod Touch®, Android™-based device, or any Web-enabled device.

About CourseSmart

As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any-time access to the course content they need, including those with vision- and print-related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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Digital Dependence of Today's College Students Revealed in New Study from CourseSmart

June 1, 2011

--Findings show college students feel helpless without technology-checking their devices at least every 10 minutes and foregoing face time for Facebook®--

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 1, 2011- CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, and Wakefield Research, a consultancy specializing in strategic and tactical research, recently completed a survey of more than 500 currently enrolled college students, providing insight on how mobile devices and technology have changed the traditional college experience and the role technology plays in students' academic abilities and success. Today's students are truly carrying a digital backpack with nearly a quarter (27%) of students surveyed listing their laptop as the most important item in their bag-almost three times the number of students who chose textbooks (10%).

The findings further reveal that students are completely dependent on technologies-eReaders, Smartphones, laptops and more-to get through their daily college routine. Nearly all of the students surveyed (98%) own a digital device. And 38% of students surveyed said that they could not go more than 10 minutes without checking in with their tech device-about the same amount of time it takes to walk to class. Largely based on the fact that technology helps students learn more efficiently, 85% of students reported that technology saves them time when studying-an average of two hours per day.

Given this shift in behavior towards technological dependence, it's unsurprising that almost three-quarters (73%) of students surveyed claim they would not be able to study without using some form of technology. Additionally, it is clear that laptops and Smartphones are two types of devices that students are using to further their academic potential. Nearly half (48%) of all students who own a tech device frequently read eTextbooks and 63% have read an eTextbook on their device at least once. In fact, of the 91% of students who said they failed to complete required reading before classes, about half (46%) reported they would be more likely to complete their reading if it was in a digital format.

According to the survey, eReaders and eTextbooks are some of the emerging technologies helping students save time while still being effective. While 69% said an eTextbook is easier to carry than a traditional textbook, 61% cited that eTextbooks make it far easier to search within a text (thus saving time), 60% mentioned that eTextbooks save them money, and 55% said that they are easier to read "on the go."

Additionally, new media options are increasingly engaging students, who said they use tools such as CourseSmart (39%), videos and podcasts (24%) and iTunes® (12%) to access study materials from a professor - a far cry from the library card catalogues and encyclopedias of previous generations. Students are also spending their time using email (89%) and school Web sites (83%) for gathering course materials from their professors.

The library is not the only college campus fixture fading into the past; office hours are quickly becoming an antiquity as well. Students seem to prefer Facebook® to face time with the majority seeking extra help from their teachers via email (91%), cell phone (13%), or social networking sites (8%).

Furthermore, outside of everyday reading and studying, students also use digital devices for many of the tasks that previously required a pencil and paper to carry out-writing papers (82%), research (81%), taking class notes (70%) and making class presentations (65%).

If you are interested in additional survey results, please email requests to CourseSmart@kwitco.com.

About CourseSmart

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the higher education learning process by offering instructors and students a unique combination of the right course material, anywhere, any-time access and a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials supplier, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of more than 90% of core higher education textbooks offered as eTextbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty across North America. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than print texts and offer users the ability to print what they need as well as search and copy and paste features which help to streamline students' studies. Additional information may be found on the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

Methodological Notes:

The CourseSmart Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.WakefieldResearch.com) between February 23 and March 1, 2011. For this research, 501 interviews were fielded among Americans currently enrolled in college, using an email invitation and an online survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of that variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews conducted. For the interviews conducted, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.38 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

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CourseSmart Expands Executive Team to Increase Institutional and Distribution Partnerships and Establish a Global Presence

May 25, 2011

--Shannon Meadows Named Senior Vice President of Business Development and Fionnuala Duggan Named Managing Director, International--

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 25, 2011- CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced two executive appointments to support the company's rapid growth in North America as well as its new commitment to develop global expansion plans. Shannon Meadows has been appointed senior vice president of business development and Fionnuala Duggan has been named Managing Director, International.

With more than two decades of experience in the education technology industry, Shannon will lead the Business Development team to define market strategies and operational opportunities that will make CourseSmart successful in meeting its institutional and distribution partnership goals.

Fionnuala will utilize her nearly 20 years of digital media expertise and proven track record of developing and achieving international expansion to lead the development and launch of CourseSmart's global eTextbook platform and digital course material offering.

"We're confident that Shannon and Fionnuala will be tremendous assets to the growing CourseSmart team. Their collective, extensive experience will prove instrumental as we continue to innovate across the globe and ensure digital course materials are accessible to all students and faculty on all devices," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart.

Previously, Shannon was vice president of sales operations at Blackboard, a role in which she was responsible for leading the integration of two complex acquisitions into Blackboard's mainstream selling capabilities. Prior to her position at Blackboard, she served as the business development leader at NTI, successfully developing and executing a strategy for taking NTI, an early stage start-up, into the higher education space, NTI is now known as BlackBoard Connect™.

"Shannon is a proven leader with a track record of success. Her skills, experience and ambition align perfectly with CourseSmart's goal to continue breaking new ground in the digital delivery of course materials," Devine added

Prior to joining CourseSmart, Fionnuala served as The Random House Group Ltd's Director of Digital where she led the company's digital activities in the UK and globally, launching businesses for ebooks, audio and Web, as well as further developing the digital business infrastructure to support future goals and expansion plans. Previously, she was a partner at Impresario Media LLP, a consultancy firm which provides strategic advice to multinational media and publishing clients. She also served in various executive roles at EMI Recorded Music, Macmillan Publishers Ltd, and Maxwell Multi Media, among others.

"Fionnuala has an outstanding track record of achieving and exceeding global expansion goals with a number of digital media companies. She is well-equipped to develop our international agenda and ensure our commitment to and vision for the future of digital course materials is accomplished across the globe," said Devine.

About CourseSmart

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the higher education learning process by offering instructors and students a unique combination of the right course materials and anywhere, any-time access, all at a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials supplier, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of more than 90% of core higher education textbooks offered as eTextbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than print texts and offer users the ability to print what they need as well as search and copy and paste features which help to streamline students' studies. Additional information can be found on the company's Web site at www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Launches the First eTextbook Application for Android Devices

April 20, 2011

--Integrating with Pearson LearningStudio, CourseSmart Provides Students at Hundreds of Institutions Superior Access to Course Materials--

SAN MATEO, Calif., April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, further expanded its mobile footprint today with the launch of CourseSmart for Android 1.0, a mobile application specifically designed for the Android Operating System (AOS). Students and faculty across the country can now access all of their eTextbooks on their AOS-enabled smart phones, netbooks and tablets.

"Increasing demand for mobile access to eTextbooks coupled with the exponential growth of Android-run devices has led to record numbers of students and faculty embracing mobile devices across their institutions," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "The Android application is another example of the importance of our device-agnostic mobile strategy, ensuring all students and faculty can enjoy a superior eTextbook experience on devices they choose to own."

CourseSmart for Android 1.0 leverages the unique capabilities of the devices running the AOS to provide a truly advanced eTextbook experience, including the ability to:

Search for a topic within a single book or across an entire eTextbook stack and access the table of contents;
Zoom in on text and graphs;
Scroll through or jump to individual pages;
Read eTextbooks in landscape or portrait mode;
View, add and edit text notes;
Enjoy anytime, anywhere access to 90 percent of all core higher education textbooks in use today; and
Shop for additional books at up to 60 percent off using a specialized AOS version of CourseSmart's website

Compatible with the most popular Android-run devices, including the Motorola Droid, Samsung Fascinate, HTC Droid Incredible, HTC Droid Eris, HTC myTouch 3G Slider, HTC Evo and Samsung Galaxy 7, the first Android tablet, the application has been extensively tested by students and faculty prior to release.

"The App was very easy to use and figure out. The layout and organization was well thought out and simple. I love that I can now access my books from anywhere," said Carlisa Mikels, Bachelor of Science in Psychology Candidate at the University of Houston-Victoria.

"Knowing that the App is built for phones and tablets, I was impressed. It was easier to select books, and they displayed nicely in the Galaxy Tab," said Pete Rottier, Center for eLearning Instructor at Cleveland State University

The CourseSmart for Android application is available for free from the Android Market and can be accessed at http://www.coursesmart.com/go/mobile. Additionally, in an effort to protect the student, faculty and institutional users of our App, CourseSmart's mobile privacy policy has been certified by TRUSTe.

About CourseSmart

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the higher education learning process by offering instructors and students a unique combination of the right course material, anywhere, any-time access and a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials supplier, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of more than 90% of core higher education textbooks offered as eTextbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty across North America. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than print texts and offer users the ability to print what they need as well as search and copy and paste features which help to streamline students' studies. Additional information can be found on the company's website: www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Partners With Pearson eCollege to Provide Instant Access to Lower Cost Digital Course Materials Within Pearson LearningStudio™

April 13, 2011

--Integrating with Pearson LearningStudio, CourseSmart Provides Students at Hundreds of Institutions Superior Access to Course Materials--

SAN MATEO, Calif., April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, has partnered with Pearson eCollege, offering higher education institutions single sign-on access to more than 20,000 eTextbook titles, custom products and other digital course materials from over 25 leading publishers at significant savings. As an added savings to the institution, CourseSmart offers this integration free of charge with no implementation fees. Instant access to these digital resources is available today at all institutions that are currently using Pearson eCollege's Learning Management Platform, Pearson LearningStudio.

"Partnering with Pearson eCollege is another example of CourseSmart's commitment to its mission of increasing access to education by providing innovative solutions for better connecting content creators with content users in the digital world," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "Our ability to integrate digital course materials directly into the faculty workflow, while enabling students to secure all of their assigned course materials at a significant discount, is what makes CourseSmart the platform of choice for publishers and the higher education institutions they serve."

Through its program, CourseSmart Solutions, CourseSmart offers a comprehensive selection of services and technologies designed exclusively for higher education institutions to provide fulfillment and access to the world's largest catalog of digital course materials from within the campus ecosystem. By integrating CourseSmart's secure, cloud-based application with Pearson LearningStudio's SaaS-based learning platform, institutions can give their students the option to purchase lower cost digital course materials.

The single sign-on solution supports institution and student commerce models, allowing students to access materials instantly from within Pearson LearningStudio, as well as offering a single bulk purchase transaction within the LMS. Furthermore, faculty at participating institutions can also review, evaluate and access their adopted textbooks online, anytime-anywhere.

For more information, visit http://www.coursesmart.com/institutions.

About CourseSmart

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the higher education learning process by offering instructors and students a unique combination of the right course material, anywhere, any-time access and a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials supplier, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of more than 90% of core higher education textbooks offered as eTextbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty across North America. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than print texts and offer users the ability to print what they need as well as search and copy and paste features which help to streamline students' studies. Additional information can be found on the company's website: www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart and CollegeHumor Crown America's Smartest Slacker

March 30, 2011

--CourseSmart Names Ithaca College Student Following a Search for Students Who Work Smarter, Not Harder, along with the Debut of an Animated Video Sharing The Smartest Slacker's Secret of Success on CollegeHumor--

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart, the largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, and CollegeHumor announced today that Samantha Towle of Ithaca College is "America's Smartest Slacker" following a month long search to find students who work smarter, not harder.

Towle cleverly aced honors calculus by drawing creative comic strips illustrating her lessons along with a mnemonic device based on the Pokemon theme song. Her unconventional study techniques earned her an "A" in the class, $1,000 cash, a year's supply of free eTextbooks from CourseSmart, and an animated video on CollegeHumor.com –not to mention the reining title of "America's Smartest Slacker."

"Winning 'America's Smartest Slacker' means a lot," said Towle. "A lot of people think that there is only one way to learn, but everyone's mind works differently. For creative people, math can be a bit of a struggle, but through doodling and music, I was able to overcome the gap between my artistic learning style and the concrete rules of calculus. It is amazing to have a title that proves that sometimes it's smart to 'slack off' and do things differently from others."

The contest, which launched in mid-January, asked students to submit a brief written essay about their best "slacker" story to CollegeHumor and CourseSmart. In just a few scant weeks, the contest garnered hundreds of submissions from wily college students everywhere who wanted to share their savvy studying tips that landed them that stellar grade. Amongst all the submissions–from catching up on Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations" via South Park to acing Spanish with "Sesame Street"–the story of Samantha Towle rose to the head of the class.

"Digital course materials are changing the way students everywhere learn by making studying more efficient and effective," said Jill Ambrose, the Chief Marketing Officer of CourseSmart. "With the America's Smartest Slacker contest, we wanted to celebrate students who have shown ingenuity by working smarter and not harder to achieve academic excellence and to inspire others to do the same with a fun, short film showcasing those smarts with CollegeHumor."

The 'smartest slacker' concept originated from CourseSmart's ability to allow students to do more by providing access to their course materials from the palm of their hand (smart phones, iPads, mobile devices and laptops), so they can log extra study time whether they're in a coffee shop, on the train, in the library or in their dorm room. And to top it off- CourseSmart's eTextbooks cost 60% less than print texts. So while some students might seem like slackers, they might simply just have more time and more money to do the things they love.

Visit www.collegehumor.com/video:1949802 to see "America's Smartest Slacker," Samantha Towle's animated video on CollegeHumor.com.

About CourseSmart

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the higher education learning process by offering instructors and students a unique combination of the right course material, anywhere, any–time access and a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials supplier, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of more than 90% of core higher education textbooks offered as eTextbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty across North America. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than print texts and offer users the ability to print what they need as well as search and copy and paste features which help to streamline students' studies. Additional information can be found on the company's website: www.coursesmart.com.

About CollegeHumor Media

CollegeHumor Media, an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI) and partner in the Electus multimedia studio system, is a leading comedy-driven entertainment company that targets young adults age 18-34. Comprised of CollegeHumor.com, BustedTees.com, TodaysBigThing.com, Dorkly.com, and SportsPickle.com, CollegeHumor Media delivers original videos, pictures, and articles created and/or curated by its in-house editorial staff and reaches over 15 million unique visitors per month. Founded in 1999 with the launch of CollegeHumor.com, CollegeHumor Media has expanded its expertise to leading brands and top level talent to create high-quality original content that has been viewed over 300 million times with its viewers watching 100 years worth of video content each month. In addition to online content, CollegeHumor Media has expanded into apparel and other forms of entertainment including two CollegeHumor books published by Penguin, and "The CollegeHumor Show" on MTV.

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Arizona State University Partners with CourseSmart to Provide Faculty Seamless Access to the Largest Catalog of Digital Course Materials

March 17, 2011

--Integration with ASU's Information Portal Speeds Materials Evaluation, Promotes Compliance with HEOA and Lowers Costs for Both the University and its Students--

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced that Arizona State University (ASU) has adopted CourseSmart's Faculty Instant Access program in support of ASU's efforts to meet selection timeliness and transparency standards in course materials selection as stipulated in the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). Through this secure information portal integration, ASU's faculty now have real-time, on-demand access to CourseSmart's entire catalogue of eTextbooks and digital resources, representing over 90% of core higher education textbooks in use today. Using CourseSmart's Faculty Instant Access, ASU faculty can immediately review course materials to determine their appropriateness for course use without waiting for print copy delivery. Unlike print books, faculty can compare multiple versions of textbooks online using the features of the CourseSmart eTextbook Reader such as cross-book searching, note taking and highlighting. Furthermore, a custom-developed reader through its downloadable Mac and Windows version addresses the latest accessibility standards, ensuring that any users with vision-related disabilities may take advantage of the Faculty Instant Access program.

Significantly augmenting the course materials evaluation-to-selection process, which can be time consuming and costly due to print text shipping fees and wait times, ASU faculty members can now order any CourseSmart eTextbook via the university's information portal, My ASU, and gain instant, free access to an unlimited number of materials for review. Students can then purchase the selected eTextbook(s) or other digital course material, such as a study guide, through CourseSmart at up to 60% off the price of traditional print texts. Both faculty and students can access CourseSmart's eTextbooks from any computer, laptop, browser-based mobile device, as well as the free CourseSmart iPhone or iPad apps, available here: http://www.coursesmart.com/go/mobile/

"Streamlining the materials review process for ASU's faculty and ensuring full compliance with HEOA is a priority for ASU," said Leah Lommel, senior director of development, Arizona State University. "The instant access program provides our faculty with versatile options to review course materials. Moving to more electronic materials is a more sustainable option versus receiving hard copy materials for selection."

"Establishing seamless integration for faculty instant access has transformed institutions' potential for working with digital course materials. With the ability to evaluate innumerable eTextbooks and eResources in the cloud, the overall selection process timeline has diminished drastically," said Sean Devine, chief executive officer, CourseSmart

CourseSmart's advanced integration capabilities leverage IMS Global Learning Consortium's compliance standards to provide ASU with secure, yet flexible cloud-based access to the largest selection of eTextbooks and digital course materials available on the market. Last year, CourseSmart became the first eTextbook provider to receive "Basic LTI v1.0 Compliant" status from IMS, creating ease of integration into campus systems such as the LMSs and SISs. Institutions are able to integrate the CourseSmart catalog into faculty workflows with a minimal level of effort.

CourseSmart boasts the world's largest catalogue of digital course materials, as well as the following eTextbook benefits:

Anytime, anywhere access to materials via www.coursesmart.com or through various mobile devices and tablets, including the iPhone and iPad;
Search function for topics within a single book or across an entire eTextbook stack;
Highlighting and note-taking capabilities within the eTextbook, which can be easily recalled or searched;
Page fidelity and preservation, mirroring the print edition's page numbers, full text, diagrams, illustrations and charts;
Ability to cut and paste as well as email sections, notes and highlighted text;
The choice to print only what one needs;
Savings of up to 60% for students; and
80% of CourseSmart's top selling titles have been optimized to be more accessible for students and instructors with print-related disabilities.

For more information, visit www.coursesmart.com/instructors, and click the Institutions link.

About CourseSmart

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the higher education learning process by offering instructors and students a unique combination of the right course material, anywhere, any-time access and a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials supplier, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of more than 90% of core higher education textbooks offered as eTextbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty across North America. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than print texts and offer users the ability to print what they need as well as search and copy and paste features which help to streamline students' studies. Additional information can be found on the company's website: www.coursesmart.com.

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CourseSmart Partners with University of Michigan to provide Integrated Access to Digital Course Materials

March 8, 2011

-- Students and Faculty will have Seamless Access to their Assigned Digital Course Materials through University's Sakai-based Learning Management System --

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced that the University of Michigan will be testing eTextbooks as a means to improving student performance by integrating eTextbooks directly into the workspace that students use to take their course. The pilot program will integrate CourseSmart's eTextbooks with all other course materials within their existing campus Learning Management System, cTools, allowing faculty and students the ability to conveniently access everything they need for their course in one place.

Creating a single education work-flow, the Spring pilot program includes five courses/instructors and nearly 200 students who can now use cTools, the University's Sakai-based LMS, to access their eTextbooks as well as course assignments, homework, syllabus, class calendar and instructor/peer communications.

"As a large, forward-thinking public university, we continue to look for new ways to improve the learning environment for our faculty and students," said Susan Hollar, Curriculum Integration Coordinator for the University of Michigan Library. "We are evaluating the pilot program and will make recommendations regarding campus directions for e-textbooks. We want to help our campus make informed decisions about new technology tools."

In addition to providing University of Michigan with eTextbooks and digital course materials, CourseSmart handled the technical integration and distribution of the program. Using an LTI standards-based integration, the university will enjoy a single sign-on process that integrates the prepopulated eTextbook bookshelf directly into the campus LMS.

"Since CourseSmart has adopted Basic LTI as a standard for operating with platforms like the Sakai LMS, integration was able to be accomplished with minimal effort on both sides," said Chuck Severance, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Information at the University of Michigan. "We value partners who are able to take a standards-based approach which enables us to produce desired results with minimal investments."

"CourseSmart is quickly becoming the industry leader in LTI-based systems integration as universities across the country continue to realize the significant benefits of incorporating eTextbooks into their learning management systems," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart. "University of Michigan is a great example of the campus innovation that is taking place nationwide as students and faculty continue to demand an integrated workflow and take advantage of the savings, convenience and efficiencies of eTextbooks."

CourseSmart offers the world's largest catalogue of digital course materials, as well as the following eTextbook benefits:

Anytime, anywhere access to materials via www.coursesmart.com or through any web-enabled mobile device or tablet, including specific Apps for the iPhone and iPad;
Search function for topics within a single book or across an entire eTextbook stack;
Highlighting and note-taking capabilities within the eTextbook, which can be easily recalled or searched;
Page fidelity and preservation, mirroring the print edition's page numbers, full text, diagrams, illustrations and charts;
Ability to cut and paste as well as email sections, notes and highlighted text;
The choice to print only what one needs;
Savings of up to 60% for students; and
80% of CourseSmart's top selling titles have been optimized to be more accessible for students and instructors with print-related disabilities.

For more information, visit www.coursesmart.com/instructors, and click the Institutions link.

About CourseSmart

CourseSmart provides eTextbooks and digital course materials that improve the higher education learning process by offering instructors and students a unique combination of the right course material, anywhere, any-time access and a low cost. As the world's largest digital course materials supplier, CourseSmart has a rapidly growing digital library of more than 90% of core higher education textbooks offered as eTextbooks, the same titles produced by major publishers in print and recommended by faculty across North America. The company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than print texts and offer users the ability to print what they need as well as search and copy and paste features which help to streamline students' studies. Additional information can be found on the company's website: www.coursesmart.com.

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