Koofers
 | |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
Type of site |
Social network service SaaS - Software as a service DaaS - Data as a service |
| Headquarters | Reston, VA |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people |
Glynn LoPresti (CEO) Patrick Gartlan (CTO) Dan Donahoe (Software Architect) |
| Industry | Education |
| Website | http://www.koofers.com |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | Fall 2008 |
Koofers is a private company, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Reston, VA (a part of the Washington, DC metropolitan area). Koofers is an interactive community that serves the academic needs of college students through information sharing. All college students have access to the service by creating an account with their e-mail address. Many of Koofers' services span the entire academic calendar from course selection through final exams, and include interactive flashcards, course & instructor ratings, professors’ grading histories, and an online library for sharing past exams & study materials.
Koofers.com is a free service to all students and faculty at colleges and universities worldwide.
History of the Word "Koofer"
The term “koofer” originated[1] in the 1940s at Bluefield College, a former extension branch of Virginia Tech, and was likely derived from the word “coffer” (synonym for a strongbox). It is often used as a verb in such constructions as “to coofer a problem,” also sometimes spelled “koofer.” A student from Bluefield College transferred to the Virginia Tech, Blacksburg campus and first introduced the term there. The term then began to refer to tests or homework completed in an earlier course that is made available to students taking the course later, and used for studying or preparing.
Koofers.com took it a step further and re-branded the term “koofers” to refer to all previously used/administered college-level, academic information or data that can help students with their courses (i.e. exams, study guides, ratings, grade distributions, etc.).
Company History
Koofers.com was created in 2006 by [then] Virginia Tech students Michael Rihani and Patrick Gartlan, along with Virginia Tech alumnus Glynn LoPresti. Their vision was to enable students to make the, relatively opaque, process of class and teacher selection fully transparent, by providing grading histories and professor reviews to help students shape their class schedules, based on their individual needs and learning styles (e.g., “I am fine with exams, but I hate teachers who give tons of quizzes”).
The reaction from its alpha deployment at Virginia Tech, coupled with positive feedback from a quick pilot during the last week of a Spring term at the University of Maryland, lead to a nationwide launch in the Fall of 2009. Today Koofers.com continues to launch at more higher-education schools and grow its products and services each semester.
Progression
- May 2008 - Participated in Launchbox Digital's tech incubator Summer '08 program[2][3]
- October 2008 - Was a top 25 recipient of the fbFund Developer Competition[4]
- July 2010 - Was named as one of the 2010 "Hottest Washington DC Area Companies"[5]
Features & Services
- Library of course materials - aggregates and organizes course materials.
- Professor ratings – offers a 5-star rating system that looks at: knowledge, enthusiasm, preparation, communication, fairness, and availability.
- Grade histories – collected from the universities, users can see the grading trends
- Flashcards – creation of virtual flashcards, which also provides a unique “Wikipedia Suggests” feature.
- Schedule maker – students can digitally map out different options and plan the perfect schedule.
- Question and answer forum – shows the recent posts by students that either ask or answer questions of “general discussion” or relating to specific to courses.
- Textbook center – aggregates the prices offered to textbooks from several vendors so students may pick which company they would like to use to make their transactions.
- Mobile learning – students using an iPhone can utilized Koofers’ mobile apps for the flashcards to study anywhere, any time.
References
- ↑ "Virginia Tech Traditions - coofer". Virginia Tech Alumni Association. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
- ↑ "LaunchBox Unleashes Its First Nine Startups". TechCrunch. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
- ↑ "East Coast Incubator LaunchBox Digital's First 'Class' Graduates". Silicon Alley Insider. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
- ↑ "fbFund Winners". Facebook's Developer Blog. 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
- ↑ "Lead411 Launches "Hottest DC Area Companies" Awards". Lead411. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-07-07.