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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
NEWS RELEASES
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 Launches the First eTextbook Application for Android Devices
April 20, 2011
CourseSmart and CollegeHumor Crown America's Smartest Slacker
March 30, 2011
CourseSmart Partners with University of Michigan to provide Integrated Access to Digital Course Materials
March 8, 2011
IN THE NEWS
Hot New Market: Electronic Textbooks
Inc, September Issue
Several major textbook publishers, including Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and John Wiley & Sons, joined forces to launch CourseSmart in 2007. Collectively, the publishers supply more than 20,000 digital titles that students can read on any device with an Internet browser.
Exclusive: What Electronic Textbook Provider Has The Biggest Library? [STUDY]
Mashable, August 17, 2011
According to Campusbooks' list of the 1,000 most popular textbooks for fall 2011, CourseSmart was found to have the most titles available digitally when compared to six other eTextbook providers.
Study up on these 5 ways to save on college textbooks
Reuters Money Blog, August 17, 2011
"Students with e-readers such as the iPad, Nook or Kindle can shave pounds off their backpacks help the environment by downloading e-books from web sites such as CourseSmart.com for about half the cost of a new printed version. Users can also highlight and make notes on-screen and access materials immediately."
Tech firms hit the books
San Francisco Business Times, July 29, 2011
Technology companies are racing to position themselves at the forefront of the multi-billion dollar textbook industry. CourseSmart has flooded the market with titles that have been digitized in their original formats, with tools for highlighting, search, copying and pasting, note-taking, printing and sharing.
Amazon Doesn't Rate an "A" in e-Textbook Rentals
Bright Side of News, July 22, 2011
Amazon and its Kindle are entering the e-textbook rental arena late, as the iPad has already been an active recipient of rented textbooks. CourseSmart is noted as the world's largest digital course materials provider.
Coursesmart launches HTML5 Digital Textbook App
Media Bistro, July 21, 2011
Students can now rent or buy any of 20 thousand textbooks available on CourseSmart and read them using the new HTML5 based CourseSmart Reader.
CourseSmart, Pearson eCollege Team Up To Provide Digital Materials
Campus Technology April 18, 2011
"CourseSmart and Pearson eCollege have partnered to provide more than 20,000 electronic textbooks, custom products, and other digital materials through a single sign on."
CourseSmart partnership gives faculty easy access to textbooks
The State Press (Arizona State University) April 5, 2011
"Through CourseSmart's Faculty Instant Access program, faculty can immediately review and choose the books they feel are best for their classes, said Heather Shelstad, director of brand management and communications at CourseSmart."
Using Mnemonic Devices To Earn Good Grades: Student Earns Recognition For Her Songs About Math,
ABCNews.com March 28, 2011
Samantha Towle use of mnemonic devices to ace honors calculus wins her the title of CourseSmart’s 'America's Smartest Slacker,' which rewarded students for studying smarter, not harder.
Can Tech Transcend the Textbook?
Campus Technology, March 1, 2011
A benefit of a CourseSmart eTextbook is that when you look at a textbook on your iPad, you are seeing the same thing as a student sitting next to you in class who prefers to use the print book. When the professor instructs students to turn to page 343 and look at the graph in the upper right-hand corner, all students are literally on the same page.
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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