CourseSmart Analytics Named Best New Product By IMS Global Learning Consortium

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, received the 2013 Platinum Learning Impact Award in the New Product Category 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®
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.

Media Contact:
Jessica Nelson
kwittken + company
(646) 747-7141
[email protected]

SOURCE CourseSmart