CourseSmart Collaborates with Desire2Learn for Enhanced eTextbook Integration

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 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, visit the company's Web site at 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).

Media Contact:
Emily Peck
Kwittken & Company
(646) 747-7149
[email protected]

SOURCE CourseSmart