XanEdu and MBS Direct Partnership Aims to Provide Easy and Affordable Custom Course Material Solutions to Higher Ed and K-12 Markets

News provided by

Sep 23, 2015, 08:50 ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- XanEdu, Inc. and MBS Direct have partnered to provide a streamlined way to adopt, manage and deliver high-quality custom textbooks to the education market. MBS Direct integrated and launched a white label version, called eText Builder, of XanEdu's Customization Platform. eText Builder allows faculty to provide course materials specifically tailored to their class objectives, meanwhile reducing the high cost of traditional textbooks.

eText Builder empowers educators to efficiently search, evaluate and order course materials, including textbooks, Open Educational Resources (OERs) and over 8 million other content items. Faculty can also upload their own content. Through XanEdu's customization and self-service technology, educators can source, aggregate and order custom print and digital materials in minutes.

For faculty who prefer a more hands-off approach, XanEdu and MBS Direct additionally offer a full-service solution that allows faculty to request outside content using XanEdu's professional services team. The team then locates the ideal content for the course's learning objectives and compiles them into the ideal solution.

"We are thrilled to partner with MBS Direct and deliver our platform to more faculty and students across the K-12 and Higher Ed markets," said Brett Costello, Chief Operating Officer of XanEdu's Academic Division. "We have already seen a tremendous uptake from instructors in both K-12 and Higher Ed due to faculty being able to control price and significantly impact the cost to the learner, and this partnership significantly extends our solutions to both of these markets. The collaboration is helping both MBS Direct and XanEdu to get closer to our mutual goal of reducing student costs while improving student outcomes."

MBS Direct is excited to offer this comprehensive solution that addresses some of the top concerns in education to their many clients.

"Working with XanEdu on this project allows us to put control directly into the hands of the school," said Bill Dampier, President and Chief Operating Officer of MBS Direct. "When they choose to use eText Builder to create content, they'll be in control of the cost, the relevancy of the materials to their curriculum and even the delivery method. This will result in materials that will help students learn more effectively while keeping prices down."

It is working incredibly well for MBS Direct's clients. "As we move to more seminar-like courses, we are using fewer traditional textbooks and more teacher-built resources," said Frances Fondren, Head of the Upper School at Holland Hall, a K-12 school. "The concept of having teachers make their course materials their own is very appealing. It also takes the worry out of copyright compliance."

Holland Hall's faculty members were some of the first to create a coursepack using the eText Builder platform.

XanEdu, an education technology company with an emphasis on custom publishing, will enhance MBS Direct's course material options with the eText Builder. The platform is immediately available to all of MBS Direct's 700+ college and K-12 clients.

About XanEdu
Every year, XanEdu helps 630,000+ learners at more than 1,000 organizations receive tailored learning experiences when and where they matter most. For over 15 years, colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and corporations have used XanEdu's cloud-based mobile content customization and delivery platform and professional services to create and deliver relevant, effective, and engaging learning materials. XanEdu is based in Ann Arbor, MI and is a privately held company.

About MBS Direct
MBS Direct, LLC is the industry leader in providing online bookstore solutions for schools, distributing print and digital course materials. Since 1992, MBS Direct's tools, services, and dedicated staff have provided fulfillment, consultation and research into the future of educational materials for more than 700 higher educational and K-12 institutions. With used, rental, Guaranteed Buyback, Marketplace, and an ever-increasing digital library, MBS Direct served more than 675,000 students in the 2014-2015 school year, saving them over $30 million through cost savings initiatives.

CONTACT: Cortney Peters, [email protected], (517) 304-3484

SOURCE XanEdu, Inc.