Nelsonville, OH (PRWEB) May 31, 2013

Stratford University, an accredited private university offering Associate, Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, as well as many non-credit workshops and courses at campuses throughout Virginia as well as in Baltimore, Maryland, has partnered with ED MAP, the leading provider of course materials management services, to implement a digital migration project using content from CourseSmart, a leading educational services platform and the worlds largest provider of digital course materials. This new agreement follows a successful pilot using ED MAPs services to provide CourseSmart eTextbooks to all students taking a graduate course in research methods.

ED MAPs course materials management services, combined with the adoption of CourseSmart digital course materials across the University, will both reduce Stratfords course materials acquisition costs and eliminate the costs of obsolete and old-edition print versions that they had incurred with their prior partner and its processes; CourseSmart is known for the breadth of its available digital textbooks with a catalog of over 40,000 titles from 50 publishers. This availability allows students to be provided with current editions and avoid the delayed shipments many had previously experienced.

In addition to utilizing ED MAPs project management services to facilitate the migration to eTextbooks, Stratford University is also utilizing an ED MAP-powered online Stratford-branded bookstore where students will finalize their course materials orders. This storefront will allow students to gain immediate access to their digital course materials, and also offers them an opportunity to purchase a print version of the textbooks. The combination of a streamlined ordering system and student choice creates a powerful student benefit. Further, with campus librarians no longer responsible for bookstore fulfillment activities, this new process will allow campus librarians to focus on more academically-relevant projects to benefit faculty and students.

Stratford Universitys Chief Academic Officer, Dr. James J. Flaggert, is excited by the change. Stratford University is acutely aware of the need to incorporate ways to reduce the cost of education while improving quality. Since Stratford provides all textbooks to students in a complimentary way we are interested in reducing our dependence on hard- or soft-cover texts, and migrating to eBooks. Previously we invested a large sum in creating large inventories of print book, storing them, keeping track of them and shipping directly to the student or requiring the student to pick-up their book in person. With ED MAP and CourseSmart we can better manage resources, have access to high quality authors, and increase our students exposure to the digital environment. To further reduce the cost burden on our students, we are also exploring economical ways to ensure our students have the appropriate computer device.

According to ED MAP President Kerry Pigman, ED MAP is committed to providing systems and support services to assist institutions with the process of managing course materials. We are pleased to have this opportunity to help Stratford University develop and start implementing a course materials strategy that will provide students with high-quality, technologically-advanced course materials while reducing their expenses, increasing efficiencies and allowing them to reallocate staff activities to better fulfill their academic mission.

Our top priority at CourseSmart has always been to provide access to affordable, high quality digital course materials that are streamlined into the student and faculty workflow, said CourseSmart CEO Sean Devine. After a successful pilot period, we are pleased to expand access to our digital course materials at Stratford University through ED MAP.

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About ED MAP

ED MAP is a Course Materials Management company. Through its people and technology ED MAP simplifies the discovery, adoption, management, and delivery of quality educational content a complex proposition given the increasing options of content choices today. ED MAP provides content owners with a streamlined way to gain market share and deliver content; provides content adopters with an efficient way to find, select and curate content from a variety of sources; provides content consumers with an easy, organized way to access content through a single interface; and, provides institutions with a way to facilitate and manage the adoption and delivery of content to effectively lower costs, increase satisfaction, and gain insight to critical data. For more information, visit http://www.edmap.com.

About Stratford University

Stratford University is a private educational institution dedicated to preparing students for the challenges of a rewarding career. Alumni pursue professions in high-demand fields like information technology, hospitality, culinary arts, business administration, health sciences, and nursing. With convenient locations in Falls Church, Woodbridge, Richmond, and Newport News, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland, Stratford University is the ideal place to fulfill academic and professional goals.

Stratford University offers Associate, Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, as well as many non-credit workshops and courses. Its curriculum combines advanced technology, hands-on labs and traditional educational methods to create a program that produces a valuable educational service to our students and their future employers.

This emphasis on individual learning methods results in student academic success without lowering required employer-based standards. Consequently, Stratford alumni enjoy a high placement rate in high-demand industries. For more information visit http://stratford.edu/.

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 printrelated 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 http://www.coursesmart.com.

To followup with CourseSmart about this release, please contact Jessica Nelson (with kwitten + company for CourseSmart) at jnelson(at)kwitco(dot)com or 646-747-7141.

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