CourseSmart Drives Industry Innovation with New Products and Business Models

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart®, a leading Educational Services Platform and the world's largest provider of digital course materials, today announced the availability of interactive content, Flexible Rental Options and Subscription Packs, all of which share the common benefits of increasing innovation, engagement and cost-savings in the higher education industry.

"CourseSmart has a legacy of innovation and an impressive track record of 'firsts,' from the industry's first iPhone, iPad, Android and mobile web apps to the recent launch of our award-winning analytics product," said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart.  "Our new interactive content capabilities and creative business models, such as Flexible Rental Options and Subscription Packs, are the latest examples of our ongoing commitment to make higher education more accessible and affordable through technology."

Improving Engagement with Interactive Content

CourseSmart now offers tools to facilitate the creation and delivery of interactive content, providing publishing partners, students and higher education institutions with more immersive, visual and engaging CourseSmart eTextbooks.  CourseSmart offers users access to embedded audio and video, quizzes, pop-up glossary terms, 3D models, and many other assets, helping students increase their engagement with course materials and better understand key concepts.

 CourseSmart uses the most current standards, EPUB 3.0 and HTML5, allowing publishers to create, manage and publish highly interactive digital content more efficiently and affordably than ever before.  Additionally, CourseSmart's reading system uses responsive design and adaptive layouts to optimize the reading experience for a variety of devices ranging from traditional computers, tablets and smartphones without requiring special software downloads. Initial publisher response to CourseSmart's interactive content development capabilities has garnered high interest and enthusiastic response, and CourseSmart expects this new capability, along with increasing industry demand for interactive content, to encourage publishers to prioritize and grow their interactive offerings to make them more widely available to students.  

Increasing Convenience and Affordability with Flexible Rental Options and Subscription Packs

CourseSmart today announced the availability of Flexible Rental Options, allowing students and institutional purchasers to select the rental length that best fits their needs, including an unlimited option for students who would like to access the title past the term of their course and the option to own the eTextbook for life.  Flexible Rental Options provide benefits for publishers as well, increasing their ability to appeal to customers at different price points.  CourseSmart currently has over 15,000 Flexible Rental Option titles available to students and will continue to add new options. Rental duration options are set by the publisher and vary between titles.

The availability of Flexible Rental Options comes on the heels of last week's launch of CourseSmart Subscription Packs, a flat fee model which allows students to purchase 6 bookshelf slots for only $200.  Students are now able to fill their bookshelf with all of their eText needs for less than the cost of one new print textbook. Within only one week of launch, CourseSmart Subscription Packs are on pace to become one of the company's most successful product offerings ever, with thousands of students ordering CourseSmart Subscription Packs within the first month of availability.  Students have responded enthusiastically to the cost-savings and convenience of CourseSmart Subscription Packs, which gives them their selected titles for 150 days, providing unlimited access to their bookshelf online, offline and through CourseSmart's iOS, AOS and mobile web Apps.

CourseSmart's extensive catalog of course materials currently includes more than 40,000 titles from more than 60 publishers, ensuring that students can take advantage of the significant benefits and efficiencies of eTextbooks.

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

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, anytime, 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