Learning Platforms

VitalSource and Cerego Introduce Bookshelf GPS

• By Richard Chang
• 07/21/16

VitalSource Technologies, Ingram Content Group’s education technology division, has collaborated with Cerego to launch Bookshelf GPS, a customizable learning platform that combines the best of VitalSource’s Bookshelf platform with Cerego’s personalized learning technology.

Bookshelf GPS gives teachers the tools to create instructional content and specific study items based on keywords and concepts they want students to master. The VitalSource platform enables instructors to highlight text within a specific passage, and Cerego’s algorithms guide the process of presenting that information to students in different formats to help them learn faster and retain the information longer.

“Students take different paths to learning, and Bookshelf GPS serves as a personalized guide to help them learn in the way and at the pace that fits their individual needs,” said Pep Carrera, chief operating officer of VitalSource, in a prepared statement. “We’ve combined technology and access to learning content into one tool that empowers faculty, instructors and students to chart their own course to learning success.”

VitalSource features an inventory of more than 1 million titles from more than 1,000 educational publishers around the world. Bookshelf GPS was created so it can be applied to any of VitalSource’s titles, seamlessly and at scale.

Instructors have full editorial capabilities to create key items, choose the method by which study items are sourced, the pace at which items are presented to students and the visibility of these study items to students throughout their reading experiences. They also have access to analytics through Cerego’s memory bank view. This visualization offers real-time data about how students are progressing at any given moment, both individually and as a class, so that instructors can adapt and tailor the learning experience as needed.

Students should be able to access the digital content on any device or operating system, according to a news release.

Bookshelf GPS is being deployed through institutional pilots today. The exact pricing varies by institution, depending on the size and scope of implementation, a spokeswoman said. The range is expected to be “mere dollars per students per year,” she said, and VitalSource will offer discounts by volume as well.

To learn more about VitalSource and Cerego, visit their websites. Cerego also has a YouTube video that explains the basic principles behind the company’s learning science technology.