CourseSmart® Makes It Easy to Access Digital Course Materials Through Custom Integrations

SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

© 2011 CourseSmart, LLC. All rights reserved. CourseSmart^® is a registered trademark of CourseSmart, LLC. All other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Gabrielle Zucker
Kwittken & Company
(646) 747-7143
[email protected]

SOURCE CourseSmart