In the same way that the cloud enables companies to fulfill their computing requirements on an as-needed basis by simply purchasing services, universities and educational organizations are doing the same for course materials. Today, Rafter, an education technology company and a global course materials management company, is offering a cloud-based Course Materials Network (CMN) that enables schools to improve the affordability, effectiveness and accessibility of their educational materials. As a company that partners directly with more than 500 schools, Rafter improves the educational experience for students via its BookRenter.com site, a destination site for students to rent and buy textbooks at up to 80 percent off.
According to Mehdi Maghsoodnia, CEO of Rafter, “BookRenter has become a standard platform for more than 500 colleges across the country, and, in the process, the team has identified the core technology needs of schools to effectively manage their educational content. Rafter, through the Rafter Network, will provide all of the tools schools need to give students improved access to educational content at better prices and a better educational experience overall.”
These core technology needs aim to be covered by the Rafter Network which boasts the following: Rafter Discover, Rafter Supply IQ, Rafter Supply Network, Rafter Cloud Commerce and Rafter Local Commerce.
In today’s more distributed, cloud-based and mobile world of messaging, a range of previous educational standards related to course materials has been forever altered. Cloud-based services and Web messaging solutions, have transformed how educational institutions, educators, and students view the course content market.
For example, according to Jared Ceja, director of Auxiliary Services for Chaffey College, “Access to Rafter's Course Materials Network will allow us to effectively manage more aspects of our school's course materials process, and the impact of our improved efficiency will be evident in the student experience. We will be able to source materials and deliver them to our students faster, more flexibly, and at better prices. This will be a significant enhancement and true differentiator for our school.”
Rafter supports the entire process of choosing, sourcing, obtaining and delivering course materials to students, all while keeping costs low and logistics simple. The Rafter Network builds on the technology formerly known as BookRenter Store Services and is comprised of transparent, supplier-and-content neutral tools that address the major areas of course materials management.
Because cloud computing can make a variety of computing services available to companies of all sizes on an ‘as-need’ basis, it allows providers to offer a range of physical resources, such as processors, data storage, applications, and platform access for developers. Rafter sees this model as integral to affecting the course materials market.
For example, the Rafter Supply Network enables schools to acquire, rent, sell, deliver, and liquidate textbooks and digital content more economically and faster than ever before by leveraging national sources of supply and demand. This cloud-based textbook source offers inventory from hundreds of book suppliers and college stores, providing massive economies of scale, the lowest prices, and the widest selection of titles.
To date, Rafter has saved millions of students more than $175 million and provided more than one hundred thousand books to children in support of early literacy. Rafter, headquartered in San Mateo, CA (News - Alert), is a privately held company.
Edited by Jennifer Russell