OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwire - Jan 10, 2012) - College students are busier than ever before and they are finding every opportunity to study. Thanks to today's increasingly mobile culture, on-the-go access is empowering students to study in some new and even strange places. According to a survey from Follett Higher Education Group, the strangest places students have studied are on the way to class, the restroom and at a party.
When students were asked if they would find more time to study if they always had their materials with them, an overwhelming 84 percent said yes. To help students take advantage of their new on-the-go study habits, Follett has updated its mobile application for its CafeScribe® digital textbook platform, available in both the Apple Store and Android Market. Students can now easily study, take notes and highlight all from their mobile device, anywhere, anytime.
"We are seeing two emerging trends in how students are studying," said Gary Shapiro, Senior Vice President of Intellectual Properties at Follett. "They are increasingly going mobile and they want the ability to search hundreds of pages of text with a click of a button. Our new mobile app meets these new demands by giving students more access on more devices and even better mobile search, note taking and study tools."
The free CafeScribe mobile application allows students to view all their materials at a glance with the new unified bookshelf that displays all their digital course materials. For those who study on-the-go, the mobile application works fast and allows students and faculty to:
- Easily search for keywords within the text and within notes
- Generate and view saved Snap Summaries, a one-of-a-kind feature of CafeScribe that allows students to compile their notes and highlights into a personalized study guide
- Highlight key information
- Create and access multiple bookmarks
- Share notes
- Set up an account or activate a book
The CafeScribe platform has been or is currently used by about half a million users on almost 40 percent of all college campuses across the United States. About 83 percent of students said the CafeScribe platform makes it easier for them to study because it's simple to search and locate information, according to a survey of current users conducted by Follett. The ability to search text was an essential feature in 59 percent of users' decision to purchase. In addition, nearly 54 percent of CafeScribe users report that the ability to access their textbook from multiple devices is essential to their decision to purchase.
"Our goal is to provide today's college student with easy and reliable access to their digital course materials," said Tom Christopher, President of Follett Higher Education Group. "Mobile is exploding on college campuses and Follett continues to build innovative solutions to ensure students have the tools they need to succeed."
In addition to providing even better mobile access to course materials, Follett's offerings help students save money. The CafeScribe platform provides students with 40 to 60 percent savings compared to buying a new textbook. Another cost-saving option for students is to rent their books through Follett's Rent-A-Text. Just this fall, Rent-A-Text saved students nearly $90 million compared to the cost of buying new books and is projected to save $200 million during the 2011-2012 academic year. As the largest bookstore textbook rental program in the country, Follett has rented 4.5 million books and saved students more than $215 million.
About Follett Higher Education Group
Follett Higher Education Group of Oak Brook, Illinois, is the leading provider of bookstore services and the foremost supplier of used books in North America. Follett services five million students and over 400,000 faculty members through more than 900 stores. Follett also services more than 1,600 independent campus stores with its wholesale services, and has the most visited ecommerce collegiate website, efollett.com, that provides services and products through a network of more than 1000 campus stores.
About Follett
Follett Corporation is a $2.7 billion, privately-held company that provides products, services and solutions to the educational marketplace. Follett Corporation was founded in 1873, and today is headquartered in River Grove, Illinois.
About the Surveys
Follett Higher Education Group partnered with Research Now (formerly e-Rewards) to conduct research on college study habits. Research Now conducted an online survey with a national sample of 644 college students between December 19-21, 2011. The sample was comprised of 244 men and 400 women 18 to 24 years of age.
Follett Higher Education Group also conducted a survey in October 2011 of 485 customers who recently purchased a CafeScribe Digital textbook.
To view or download an infographic highlighting the survey results, visit: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2012/follett/survey/.
To view this release in a media-rich version, go to:
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2012/follett/survey/index.html
Contact Information:
Contact:
Elio DiStaola
800-323-4506
Jennifer Thomas
312-729-3725