eTextbooks with Kortext Complete

Unlimited access to core texts on your reading lists at University of Wolverhampton

The University library makes a large annual investment in eTextbooks, to ensure students are provided with access to digital copies of the Essential texts from their reading lists* saving them money while improving equity of access to key learning materials.

This is currently delivered through the Kortext platform where students are able to:

  • Have personal, digital, access to essential textbooks
  • Read anytime, anywhere
  • Read the textbook offline by downloading the free Kortext app
  • Go directly to specific extracts or chapters
  • Bookmark pages of interest and search for keywords inside the text
  • Select important passages of the textbook and make notes and highlights in colours you like
  • Use read aloud or translate tools to aid your understanding of the text

*Not all core textbooks are accessible through Kortext. Where we can’t provide an eTextbook the Library will try to provide suitable alternatives.

How to use Kortext eTextbooks

Watch the following video or have a look at our user guide to learn more about the various features on the Kortext platform. The Leganto team can be contacted on leganto@wlv.ac.uk if you would like to discuss additional training options.

Kortext eTextbooks

Find out more about how Kortext eTextbooks can support you by expanding these options

Students are increasingly expecting flexibility in how they approach their studies and require reading materials that better match their needs in a blended learning environment. eTextbooks offer the opportunity for students to have their own digital copies of key texts which they can personalise for the duration of the academic year, rather than relying on traditional eBook models which may have limited licences and restricted functionality. Prior to our partnership with Kortext, UoW students would commonly experience turnaways or long reservation queues at peak times. In addition, some publishers' titles simply weren't available in an academic eBook format which meant students had to rely on print copies from the Library.

Where available, the Library attempts to source Kortext eTextbooks for all titles marked as Essential reading on module reading lists. Should you require a title that we haven't already obtained from Kortext, simply add it to the appropriate Leganto list, tag it as Essential reading (remembering that there is an advisory limit of 5 Essential items per module) and click Send List. Please contact the Leganto team on leganto@wlv.ac.uk if you need any assistance with this, or if your module has additional resourcing implications (e.g. distance learning or University of Wolverhampton Online).

If the title you have chosen is not available on the Kortext platform, we will seek to get it from one of our eBook suppliers or - failing that - will buy print copies at an approximate ratio of 1 copy per 10 students. The Leganto team will contact you if sourcing the book is likely to be problematic.

Module academics may automatically be assigned ‘desk copies’ of titles that are tagged as Essential reading in your Leganto reading lists. Such titles will appear in your Kortext Library and you will be able to see analytics detailing the use by your students of these titles (see separate analytics section below).

Academic staff can also access eTextbook titles:

  • via module reading lists in Canvas where Kortext eTextbooks have been added
  • via LibrarySearch

Once you’ve opened a book through one of the above routes, you’ll then have access to it...

Academics may wish to preview a title in order to decide if it would be suitable for use on their modules. If the book is already on the Kortext platform but not part of the UoW collection, this FAQ explains how to obtain an inspection copy for a limited period. Remember that any books you do decide to utilise for your teaching need to be added to a Leganto list and submitted to the library.

Troubleshooting and further help

Your first port of call if you have any queries about the Kortext platform and how it integrates with your module resources should be the Leganto team (leganto@wlv.ac.uk). For more technical questions, it is possible to raise a ticket directly with Kortext's own systems teams by emailing support@kortext.com or by clicking any of the help icons in the platform.

Analytics – Student use of eTextbooks

One further advantage of the Kortext eTextbook programme is that it allows module leaders to see learner analytics about their chosen textbook titles.

As part of the Kortext platform module leaders and other lecturers are automatically given access to the Kortext Analytics dashboard for their associated modules. Guidance on how to access Kortext analytics can be found in this FAQ, while the video below explores the dashboard in more detail.

Within this dashboard lecturers are able to view key statistics about their module readings, including:

  • How many students on the module have read the titles
  • Which extracts and chapters of each book have been most read
  • How many hours students have spent reading each title
  • How many notes, highlights and annotations have been made

Reviewing analytics on the key text engagement of your modules can have multiple benefits, including helping you to review and prioritise the specific titles being used on your module ahead of the term module update windows.

For more information on using analytics, or if you have trouble accessing the analytics dashboard please, email us at Leganto@wlv.ac.uk.