Kortext is a new e-textbook provider the Library is trialling. It provides electronic access to thousands of titles previously only available as bulky, expensive print textbooks, purchased individually by students and in consistently high demand for library borrowing.
Kortext aims to supply e-textbooks for any reading list items that the Library has been unable to source via established e-book vendors. They negotiate directly with publishers to make publications available electronically that were previously only available for library purchase as print. However, Kortext can only give us access to only "born digital" content, so anything published prior to the digital era or where the publisher holds no digital proofs cannot be sourced via Kortext. They aim to supply most publications from within the last 20 years but most consistently supply titles published since 2010. Kortext do not retrospectively digitise older print publications.
Kortext also features an Analytics Dashboard that enables tutors to access a wealth of student engagement data pertaining to all e-textbooks supplied for your module. This year the Library is running a project to determine the viability of using Analytics at Exeter. If you want to know more about this pilot study, contact the Library Digital Content Administrator to express your interest and learn more.
Nothing! The Library is administering the acquisition of Kortext content. You don't even need to remind us to keep Kortext titles active for your module each year. For as long as we remain subscribed to Kortext, we'll roll over all requested titles each academic year until you tell us that they are no longer required for your module.
As a module tutor, the most helpful things you can do for your students are:
The Library will do the rest. However, you can see for yourself the wide range of publications available via Kortext by visiting their online store. If you spot any publications in the Kortext Store you would like to access, just get in touch and tell us what to request.
If you would like to make something available to your students via Kortext but cannot find it, please let the Library know and, as long as it was published within the last 10 years and is not too niche, there's a good chance Kortext will be able to supply it.
Whilst it isn't possible to embed whole e-textbooks, discrete chapters, or individual pages from Kortext e-textbooks within ELE, tutors can instead direct their students from an ELE page to individual Kortext chapters by creating a special link using the steps below:
You can see exactly how to do this in the following short screen recording:
Don't forget to send us your reading lists! If we receive a reading list from you, Library staff will automatically request Kortext e-textbooks for your students. Click the picture above to find out more about the Library's Reading List Service.
Click the Kortext logo to access the company website, where you can find much more information about the potential of Kortext in teaching, as well as case studies from other institutions that have partnered with the company.
Does your module textbook come with a companion website? Publishers including Oxford University Press, Cengage, and Pearson often provide these in tandem their published textbooks, and until recently only personal access to these sites has been provided for paying students. If a title is available through Kortext, however, the Library can pay for access for all the students on your module. If you would like us to set-up access to a companion website or resource, just contact the Library Digital Content Administrator and let them know.
Click the logo to find out why the Library has secured access to Kortext, and how it offers huge benefits to teaching and learning.
