In response to Apple’s announcement yesterday regarding their entry into the eTextbook market, we at CourseSmart, as industry leaders, would like to welcome them to the party! With the explosion in popularity of eTexts over the past year, it’s certainly no surprise that Apple would want to make a late entry into the market.

Here are our initial thoughts:

We’re pleased about the impact Apple’s statement has made on the way people view the act of accessing educational course materials today. Any announcement which brings more awareness to digital course materials is good for students, and will help move the industry forward. However, yesterday’s Apple offerings left us with more questions than answers.

Here are our initial questions:

Are the apps only available for the iPad or will Apple become “device agnostic?” According to Student Monitor data that was released yesterday, only 9% of Higher Education students own an iPad. Although we do not know, we assume the number may be even lower for the K-12 market due to the price of an iPad. What about the millions of cash-strapped students who already own an Android device, a Kindle Fire or a Nook? Unless Apple intends to offer on other devices, the market will be underserved. CourseSmart was the first to develop an iPhone app, Android app, and Web app that allows even Kindle Fire & Nook owners to access CourseSmart eTexts through their very own device.

Who is developing the content? The new iBooks Author app allows users to create and publish books for the iPad by dragging and resizing images and text, adding definitions, movies, and 3D objects. Apple stated that anyone with JavaScript or HTML5 skills can make their eText interactive. We doubt that faculty will be easily convinced to create their own content when they have hundreds of papers to grade and have to learn JavaScript or HTML5 in order to incorporate interactivity. In fact, the best and most trusted content is created by publishers in partnership with authors.

Will using iBooks 2 offer improved learning outcomes? While it’s great to see Apple providing many parity features that CourseSmart and other providers already offer, iBooks 2 isn’t really reinventing textbooks. Our publishers already have, with “eResources” which are much more advanced technologically. CourseSmart has the largest catalog of eResources from all the major publishers, who have partnered with the most credible authors. Interactivity is cool and interesting, but only if connected to improving student learning outcomes.

The development and consumption of digital content is well underway. Though Apple’s late entry to the market was not entirely unexpected, its impact on learning remains yet to be proven. CourseSmart, founded in 2007, is the world’s largest provider of digital content. Our catalog includes over 90% of the textbooks in use today. CourseSmart customers enjoy anytime, anywhere access. We look forward to the future of the digital publishing industry, and we’re eager to continue to be the market leader for our millions of student, faculty and institutional users.

Our first conference of 2012 may well be the largest one we attend all year.  With upwards of 150,000 attendees, 42,000 registered media, and 2,700 corporate participants, the annual Consumer Electronics Show is flooding Las Vegas with techies.  For those who managed to snag a hotel room in time, the next four days will be crammed with a smorgasbord of concerts, parties, and most importantly, tech announcements.

Every industry, including those remotely connected to electronics, will be chomping at the bit to present their wares and to hear about what’s hot and new for 2012.  My personal pick for most unusual debut?  A robot produced by TOSY Robotics that will be unveiled by none other than tween heartthrob, Justin Bieber.

Never one to miss out on the fun, CourseSmart will participate in one of CES’s TechZones, HigherEdTECH.  CEO Sean Devine will speak on the panel entitled, “From Dewey to Digital: Are e-Books, Tablets and Digital Content Coming of Age?”  Moderated by Casey Green, founder of The Campus Computing Project, and running from 12:45 - 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, this panel promises to bring up some of the most pressing digital content issues facing the higher education market.

We can’t wait to see what’s unveiled over the next few days!

Nani Jansen, Event Coordinator at CourseSmart

I love college football.  Fortunately, I work with a few devoted college football fans here at CourseSmart.  Based in the Bay Area, we have enjoyed up close the rise of Stanford football over the last few years, wondered if Cal will ever sustain a level of play better than above average, and snickered gleefully at USC’s vacated 2004 BCS National Championship and 2005 Heisman Trophy.

Speaking of the Heisman, one of my CourseSmart colleagues predicted (a little too haughtily) when Andrew Luck decided to return to Stanford last January that he would win it.  Even though Luck came up short again, anyone who watched the award presentation, or its subsequent coverage, surely applauded his grace in losing as well as Robert Griffin III’s humility in winning.

While my colleague’s Heisman prediction was not prescient, I offer two bowl predictions that are.  First, Notre Dame will defeat Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl.  You may ask, why predict the Champs Sports Bowl?  The answer is that I’m a proud member of the Notre Dame Nation.  Every college football discussion is simply more interesting with Notre Dame as a part of it.  To illustrate, the Champs Sports Bowl sold out this year for the first time in its 22-year history.  Alabama, FSU, Miami, Penn State, and Clemson have all played in this bowl, but it hasn’t sold out before.  Why this year?  You know why—because Notre Dame is playing in it.

Neither ND nor FSU met preseason expectations.  However, they are evenly matched, and should play an entertaining game.  FSU has a swift, skilled defense, but ND has dynamic playmakers with Michael Floyd and Tyler Eifert.  Moreover, ND’s defensive front seven is very talented, and it will contain FSU’s “banged-up” offense.  Thus, in a rematch of the epic battle between 1993’s #1 & #2 teams, the Fighting Irish will again prevail.

Regarding the rematch between this year’s #1 and #2 teams, I offer my second prediction.  Anyone who watched the first game LSU-Alabama game knows that each team’s defense is exceptional, truly striking to watch.  LSU is clearly the best team this season—LSU beat 8 top-25 ranked teams, including the #2 team twice and the #3 team once. Nick Saban, however, is college football’s best head coach.  His staff has a month to prepare for this game.  He is less prone than Les Miles to make a decision that would cost the game.  If this were a best two out of three series, then I would pick LSU.  However, it isn’t.  Bama will defeat LSU to win the BCS (and unfortunately surpass ND for the most national championships in history awarded by the national polls).

Enjoy the holidays, and Go Irish!

-Andrew, CourseSmart Product Manager

CourseSmart®, the world’s largest provider of eTextbooks and other digital resources, has recently partnered with several educational software platforms with the aim of seamlessly integrating CourseSmart software with services already being used by many institutions in higher education. CourseSmart is a leader in the eTextbook industry and this is further made evident with the company’s new single sign-on feature made available with this new service.

• CourseSmart® Makes It Easy To Access Digital Course Materials through Custom Integrations Demonstrating its commitment to providing low cost digital course materials to students, CourseSmart recently announced it is expanding access to low-cost course materials through customized learning management system (LMS) integrations. With the ability to integrate into LMS platforms already used in schools via CourseSmart’s new Learning Tool Interoperability technology, more students and faculty are able to gain access to CourseSmart’s low-cost eTextbooks and eResources options. Additionally, by integrating with these systems, student and faculty workflows are streamlined with single sign-on access to the world’s largest catalog of digital course materials.
• CourseSmart® Launches Integration for the Blackboard Learn Platform CourseSmart recently announced the new Blackboard Building Block™ for the Blackboard Learn™ platform. This new platform has been designed to integrate into the technology ecosystems already in place on university campuses. The Blackboard Building Block, which is free to higher education institutions, provides educators the opportunity to seamlessly create and share homework and assignments with students. And with the new single sign-on feature, students can log into Blackboard and get access to their CourseSmart materials without needing to remember a second set of credentials for CourseSmart.com access.
• CourseSmart^® Integrates With Desire2Learn^® Learning Management System CourseSmart most recently announced it is partnering with Desire2Learn, a provider of teaching and learning platforms, to offer end-to-end integration programs which provide students and faculty one-stop access to their digital course materials. For instructors, utilizing the CourseSmart/Desire2Learn integration means accessing CourseSmart materials quickly and easily through the Desire2Learn platform using one set of credentials. Additionally, the integration allows for the use of CourseSmart’s eTextbook services, such as copying and pasting, annotating, sharing, and printing, all within the Desire2Learn platform.

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 multimedia at Chattanooga State Community College

• Chris Manriquez, associate vice president for information technology/academic technology officer at Cal State University Fullerton

• 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

• Ensure the latest accessibility standard for students and faculty with disabilities

The webinar will be held Thursday, November 10, 2011, at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. To register for this free webinar, please visit http://ow.ly/7lhmM. And, don’t forget you can join the conversation on Twitter by following @CourseSmart_ and #edtechchat.

CourseSmart is in the City of Brotherly Love!  We are descending on Philadelphia this week for the annual EDUCAUSE conference, a gathering of more than 4,000 educators, administrators, and thought leaders in the higher education IT industry.  In addition to chowing down on Philly cheesesteaks and doing our best Rocky impression on the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum, we look forward to networking with IT leaders and discussing new opportunities for providing students with equal and affordable access to digital course materials.  We will also be spending time with our publisher and institutional partners talking about our latest integrations with Desire to Learn, Pearson LearningStudio, and Blackboard Learn.

We are thrilled to be a sponsor of the 2011 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, a distinction which allows us to host two refreshment breaks on the exhibit floor on Thursday, October 20.  Stop by to chat with a CourseSmart representative about our latest innovations, or just to pick up some SWAG!  If you can’t make it to the refreshment breaks, be sure to see CourseSmart CTO, Tom Hadfield, give a presentation in the Gilfus Education booth (#1457) on Wednesday, October 19, from 10:00-10:40am.  Tom will be discussing the current and future state of digital course materials, and the changing consumption patterns of today’s students. And, if you will not be attending this year’s conference, get the latest news and updates from Philadelphia by following @CourseSmart­_ on Twitter.

We are looking forward to an exciting and informative week in Philadelphia, and we hope to see you there!

- Nani Jansen, Marketing Coordinator, CourseSmart

We at CourseSmart are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Steve Jobs. Not only was Jobs a man of great inspiration and insight, he was one of the greatest leaders and innovators within the technology industry.

As the CEO of Apple Inc., Jobs changed the way we look at personal computing. From his original Macintosh computer to the iPhone 4S, Jobs’ innovations have challenged the way we view and use mobile technology. They have undoubtedly helped pave the way for advances in education technology and mobile learning.

While publicly acknowledging and dealing with health-related issues, Jobs’ spirit and dedication to Apple are what helped the company succeed and turn it into the global brand we know today. Without him, Apple may not have made such remarkable advances within the computing industry.

Despite his passing, we know his legacy will live on in spirit and in ALL Apple products.

“I want to put a ding in the universe.”—Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

15 inspirational quotes by Steve Jobs

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 students’ 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.

Most of us use Groupon for things like discounts on dining and spa treatments. Some of us even score on skydiving and horseback riding lessons. But have you ever considered saving on something like a college education or another big-ticket item?

One of the latest deals from Groupon, a daily deals site offering steep discounts on everything from food to concert tickets, is for college tuition. National Louis University in Chicago, IL offered a Groupon for a class in their graduate program. The class, which is an intro to teaching course, has a cost of $2,232 for the semester. The Groupon price for the class was $950 which is a 57% savings.

Anyone can buy a Groupon, however in order to score the class deal the purchaser/user must have or should be working toward a college degree. And while anyone with an undergraduate degree can take the course, it does not mean automatic enrollment in the graduate program at National Louis University. The 10-week, three-credit course counts towards a graduate education and is meant to introduce students to a career in teaching.

This deal for education is a first of its kind and is also a good test to see whether consumers will begin using sites like Groupon to make other big ticket purchases. Most purchases on Groupon are impulse buys, often on things people will never actually use, which is why items up for purchase are usually lower cost things such as meals and beauty services. This is also why a host of sites like Lifesta exist where people can sell their unused Groupons at face-value.

Groupon offerings for big ticket items have cropped up before, most notably when the company partnered with a car dealership in Michigan to offer $200 for a $500 voucher towards the purchase of a new or used car. When the Groupon didn’t garner enough customers for the deal to “tip,” the deadline was extended several additional days before being deemed a flop because not enough people made the purchase.

By the close date of the Groupon offering, National Louis University was able to “tip” the deal for their three-credit course class. However, it remains to be seen whether future deals like this will also be a success. Would you buy a Groupon for a discounted education?

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.