Improving accessibility and student satisfaction
Background
As a university that prides itself on teaching new ways of thinking, Middlesex University formed a partnership with Kortext to support the diverse student population and add value to the education of new and continuing students.
Matthew Lawson, Director of Middlesex Library and Student Support highlighted that another key driver was to produce a larger online learning platform, “in order to best utilise the limited library space.”
Middlesex also partnered with Kortext in order to support academic staff and improve student satisfaction;
It was seen by the university that our diverse student population needed something which suited how they lived and worked.
The Kortext smart platform is accessible 24/7 and connects library, faculty and students in order to boost student experience and results.
Implementation
Middlesex has a strong partnership with Kortext and has been running a scheme for all taught course students since 2015. The scheme allows each student access to one ebook per module, so a typical student will get access to four e-books a year. The library collections team manages the provision of Kortext amongst other library materials.
The Kortext programme at Middlesex University has had ongoing support from the student executive, who recognises the Kortext platform to be a key aspect of the “student offer”.
Middlesex have expressed their satisfaction with the support they have received from Kortext since first partnering in 2015, and have complimented the noticeable product development, including “updates to the app, dashboard and book availability.”
Matthew Lawson commented:
Kortext have been very proactive about coming on to campus, supporting our students in particular times, and also talking to our academics and our librarians which has been really helpful.
Outcomes
At Middlesex University, staff were able to use Kortext Analytics data to track student progression. They found that students who progressed to Year 2 read an average of 327.6 pages, whereas students who failed to progress read less than half, with an average of 144.3 pages. Student progression is projected to increase as engagement levels are at 85% and pages read are increasing year on year.
Matthew Lawson reported that Kortext has received a large amount of positive student feedback. He noted that “students really appreciate getting the book for free”. A survey indicated that almost half of students would have bought the book themselves if it wasn’t provided. As a free student service providing access to vital course content and the tools to optimise, Kortext supports students from all backgrounds.
Since partnering with Kortext, student satisfaction with resource provision at Middlesex has risen. NSS results indicated that overall student satisfaction was up 20% in the period of time that the Kortext service had been running.
The University of Middlesex was cited in the TEF awards, which read: “The provision by the University of an excellent range of physical and digital resources including an eTextbook scheme, which has resulted in substantially increased student satisfaction”. Matthew Lawson commented:
I was really pleased that amongst the citations in our TEF award it highlighted the excellence of our online provision and our Kortext scheme.
Matthew Lawson also credited Kortext as a valuable contribution to COVID-19 services:
It has felt that in the current circumstances, the fact that we already had an established online provision of resources has helped students move towards online and remote provision.
Middlesex’s partnership with Kortext has eased the transition into online learning. Student feedback merits Kortext as a positive resource that has helped them in this challenging time. With a student-centered, partnership approach, we are sharing our edtech expertise when it’s needed most!
