CourseSmart
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CourseSmart, a privately held company headquartered in San Mateo, California, was a provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials founded in 2007. CourseSmart was acquired by Ingram Content Group subsidiary VitalSource Technologies in early 2014, and was integrated into the parent company under the VitalSource platform and name by 2016.
Company history
Launch and growth
CourseSmart was founded in 2007 by publishers in higher education including Bedford, Cengage Learning, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group (Macmillan), McGraw-Hill Education, John Wiley & Sons, and Pearson.[1][2]
In August 2009 CourseSmart launched an iPhone app,[3] followed by iPad app in fall September 2010,[4] and an Android app in April 2011.[5] By September 2011, its eTextbooks catalogue had more than 20,000 digital titles, and purchased books could be printed at no extra charge.[6]
Acquisition by VitalSource Bookshelf
CourseSmart was acquired by Ingram Content Group subsidiary VitalSource Technologies Inc. in early 2014.[2][7] Prior to full integration, VitalSource eTextbooks could not be read on the CourseSmart eTextbook platform and vice-versa, and both platforms operated separately with no crossover.[2][8] Full integration under the VitalSource platform was completed by 2016.[9]
VitalSource Bookshelf, unlike CourseSmart, allows users to download eTextbooks to multiple devices at any given time, such as two computers and two mobile devices.[10] Also unlike the CourseSmart Mobile Reader, which provided the option to cache eTextbooks for offine reading via Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser,[11] Bookshelf does not give users an option to read eTextbooks offline via their browser.
User access
CourseSmart-hosted content can only be printed in 10-page increments. The total number of pages that can be printed and/or copied and pasted is limited to a percent of the total number of pages in the eBook. Ebook access is limited to a specific duration of time, typically six months, depending on the eBook, and an eBook can be accessed offline by only a single device at a time.[12] Users may check out a maximum of five e-Textbooks for offline access at any given time.[13]
References
- ^ "Overview". CourseSmart.
- ^ a b c "Ingram Buys CourseSmart". Publishers Weekly. March 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "eTextbooks for College Students Now Available on App Store". PR Newswire. August 11, 2009. Archived from the original (press release) on January 6, 2013.
- ^ "Downloads for CourseSmart's New 'eTextbooks for the iPad' App Increase More than Fivefold" (press release). PR Newswire. September 8, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ Nagel, David (April 20, 2011). "CourseSmart Launches E-Textbook App for Android". Campus Technology. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ Vora, Shivani (September 2011). "Hot New Market: Electronic Textbooks". Inc. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ Kelly, Rhea (March 3, 2014). "Vital Source Acquires CourseSmart". Campus Technology. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "Bookshelf Support / Getting Started / Legal". VitalSource. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
- ^ "Migrated CourseSmart Instructors FAQ". VitalSource. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
- ^ "Settings>>Manage devices: VitalSource Bookshelf Application allows you to have 2 computers and 2 mobile devices activated at any given time". Vitalsource.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Learn More". CourseSmart. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- ^ "Terms of Service". CourseSmart.
- ^ "Learn More". CourseSmart. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
External links
- VitalSource official website