Request for Proposal

MyLab On the Go Mobile App

1.0 About Pearson and Pearson Canada

Pearson is an international media company with world-leading businesses in
education, consumer publishing, and business information, focusing on education in
the broadest sense of the word. It has more than 34,000 employees based in more
than 60 countries, including approximately 660 people in three locations across
Canada.

Pearson Canada Inc. is the Canadian market leader in education, education

technology, and consumer publishing. Through our Higher Education, School K-12
and Penguin Group (Canada) divisions, our goal is to help our customers to “live and
learn” by enhancing their learning, reading and work-life experiences.

Pearson Canada’s investment in authors, innovative technologies, and a personalized

approach to student learning and professional development for teachers has set new
standards in the industry, signifying our commitment to produce high-quality
content, products, solutions and services.

Pearson Canada is home to many award-winning and bestselling literary and

academic authors. This elite group includes some of the greatest thinkers of our time.
From the earliest learner, through to post-secondary and beyond — we inform,
educate and entertain.

2.0 Overview
The Business Publishing [BP] Editorial team of Pearson Canada Higher Education is
seeking proposals for a MyLab On the Go App.

The Challenge: Allowing the customer to gain access to supplemental

materials via a mobile device giving them the ability to study on the move.

The Solution: We will have a 2D barcode in our textbook from Scanlife.

Students will download the Scanlife application for their phones and then scan the
barcode. There is one unique barcode for a given textbook. That will then take them
directly to a text-specific website that we create, which they can browse through on
their phones. The website will contain a variety of content, but the main piece of
content is our MyLab On the Go (MLOTG) content. We are looking to build an app for
smartphones that houses our MLOTG content in one place. The MLOTG assets include
a mixture of audio files, PowerPoints, images, and interactive quizzes.

Our intention is for students to download the app directly to their device from the
website that we built, with the assets already preloaded. Upon opening the app, the
student would select the text they are using (like a virtual bookshelf), then the asset
they wish to view, and the app would automatically open the necessary program
(iTunes for audio, photo program for PowerPoints or images, quizzing module for
quizzes).

3.0 Key Features

3.1At a precreated website accessible via a mobile device there will be a
section for MyLab On the Go that contains the app and all content for the

Page 1 of 6 1/6/2011
 specific title (audio files, PowerPoints, images, and interactive
quizzes)
3.2 The app will be used by multiple titles so the content package received
from the site will contain the app + 1 or more specific text’s content (at
this time, we’re considering two titles together)
3.3 Upon opening the app, the student would select the book they are
using, the asset they wish to view, and the app would automatically
open the necessary program (iTunes for audio, photo program for
PowerPoints or images, quizzing module for quizzes).
3.4 Should be built in a way that allows students to add/download additional
or updated MLOTG content from other texts as they become available,
giving them a sort of bookshelf within the app.
3.5Students should be able to delete a text’s content should they no longer
require it.
3.6MyLab On the Go content pieces should also be accessible from the
online course management system and be downloaded via a standard
web browser and loaded onto a mobile device.

Complete content Features:

o Learning Objectives: Text-only material, outlining the learning
objectives in each chapter; students intended to read this material only
o Audio Chapter Summaries: Mp3 files, by chapter, of the summaries
in the textbook; students intended to listen to this material
o Flashcards On the Go: currently provided as individual image files
that students scroll through; however, would be interested in an
interactive Flashcard-type module if possible (key term on one side,
definition on the other, potentially audio file of both key term and
definition as well)
o Quizzes On the Go: currently provided as individual image files that
students scroll through; however, would be interested in an interactive
Quiz-type module if possible (multiple-choice; true/false;
matching, etc. – auto-gradable question types)
o Student PowerPoint Slides: one PowerPoint slide for each chapter
that outlines key concepts, terms, figures, etc.

The keys to making this useful for students are:

o Clean mobile app that when opened clearly lists what type of asset the
student has downloaded; should also contain some sort of organizing
feature in case students have assets from more than one Pearson
textbook.
o Ability to download directly from mobile device via the website as well
as download via MyLab to computer and then load to mobile device.

4.0 Users Scenarios will need to support activities for the following users:

User Type Activities

Students Students will have access through a bar code scan which takes them to
a Pearson website where the material is hosted, as well as through link
on the MyLab.

4.1 Student

Page 2 of 6 1/6/2011
 4.1.1 Content Layout

o Pearson Website: “Click here to download your MyLab On the Go

content for the following titles: Ebert and Armstrong”
o The “here” above would link to the MyLab On the Go App
 Bookshelf with Ebert and Armstrong covers, other covers as
they become available
• Textbook 1 (i.e., Ebert, Business Essentials, 6Ce)
o Learning Objectives
 Chapter 1 Learning Objectives
 Chapter 2 Learning Objectives
 Etc.
o Audio Chapter Summaries
 Chapter 1 Audio Chapter Summary
 Chapter 2 Audio Chapter Summary
 Etc.
o Flashcards On the Go
 Chapter 1 Flashcards On the Go
 Chapter 2 Flashcards On the Go
 Etc.
o Quizzes On the Go
 Chapter 1 Quizzes On the Go
 Chapter 2 Quizzes On the Go
 Etc.
o Student PowerPoint Slides
 Chapter 1 Student PowerPoint Slides
 Chapter 2 Student PowerPoint Slides
 Etc.

4.1.2 Access Though Site on Mobile Device

1. Access through Pearson Website on mobile device  Students will

navigate to a Pearson website by using a barcode app and
scanning a barcode in our textbook. This will take them, on their
smartphones, directly to a website where we would like to house
the MyLab On the Go content (in addition to its current home in
Pegasus). Students will need to be able to download the MyLab On
the Go content (as outlined previously) directly from this website
that they’re accessing through their mobile device. We cannot
provide as usual (zip files, etc.) as not all smartphones can handle
zip, and we would also like to increase the interactivity. We need to
a) figure out how to provide this in a way that students can
download while on a website on their smartphone and b) provide
an app that can house all of these elements in a cohesive way. If
the latter can also be applied to the access through Pegasus (i.e.,
students download to their computer and then transfer to mobile
device) that would be great.
2. When considering access through #2 as above, note that we would
like the content to work on the following operating systems:

Page 3 of 6 1/6/2011
 a. Blackberry OS (v5.0+)
b. iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 (including iOS 4)
c. Android OS (v1.6+)
d. Windows Mobile v6.1+

4.1.3 Access Through Site on MyLab

4.1.3.1 We would prefer for the only difference to be that the
student downloads the app and content to the computer
first via the MyLab and then transfers to Mobile device.
The experience from then on should be the same for the
user.

5.0 Key Product Timeline and Pearson Deliverables

Desired Schedule:
o Provide quote by: September 8, 2010
o Sample content ready for vendor: Attached
o Final content ready for vendor: TBD
o New application available by: October 15, 2010

Source Files:
Repurposed content
New content

File format
TBD: Have checked all possible formats.
.doc .mp3 flash .html
.xls .mp4 .pdf .tif
.xml .mov .jpg .flv
.eps .wav .gif Other: PPT

Sample files to Vendor:

o I have provided a sample of the following items as they currently exist in our
Pegasus MyLabs. Note that the format can be changed/adapted as needed to
fit the new app.
o Learning Objectives
o Audio Summaries
o Flashcards On the Go (have provided Source PPT files, not converted
image files)
o Quizzes On the Go (have provided Source PPT files, not converted
image files)
o Student PowerPoint Slides
o Note the above are samples from a current product. An xml workflow for
content would be preferred where possible.

Page 4 of 6 1/6/2011
6.0 Technical Considerations

6.1 Mobile-Based Application

6.2 Development Platform and Tools We are open to vendor direction
on the best development platform to develop; we do, however, expect
ELS to be developed using standard programming, content
management, content evaluation, and content deployment technologies
such as C++, C#, Microsoft Dot-Net Framework, XML, XSLT, etc. In
addition, vendors should use standard database products to store
assignment configurations and results such as SQL Server 2000 or later
and Oracle 10g or later.
6.3 End-User System Requirements
6.3.1 Blackberry OS (v5.0+)
6.3.2 IPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 (including iOS 4)
6.3.3 Android OS (v1.6+)
6.3.4 Windows Mobile v6.1+

6.4Should be compatible with:

6.4.1 Operating systems: Windows 7, Vista, Windows XP, and
Windows 2000, Mac OS9 and higher
6.4.2 Web browsers: Internet Explorer 6.x or higher; Firefox 1.5 or
higher; Safari 4 and higher
6.4.3 Screen resolution: System design should assume an end user
resolution of 1024x768, but will need to display presentably on
a system with resolution of 800x600.
6.4.4 Acceptable plug-ins for use in system include: Macromedia
Flash Player, ActiveX controls (provided that a plug-in with
similar functionality is available for Firefox/Netscape users),
QuickTime Player; and others, as approved by Pearson Canada.
All ActiveX controls and plug-ins must have a Class 3 Digital
Certificate from Verisign or other leading Certificate Authority

7.0General Information

7.1 Vendor Selection: Pearson is under no obligation to select a vendor

responding to this RFP. Furthermore, Pearson Canada is not obligated to
provide reasons why a vendor was or was not selected to work with
Pearson Canada.
7.2 Cost of Preparation: Any costs associated with the preparation of the
response to this RFP shall be borne by the responding vendor. Pearson
Canada will not accept any charges for response preparation, regardless
of whether or not a vendor is selected to provide the media development
services described in this RFP.
7.3 Confidentiality: No publicity giving reference to this potential
arrangement with Pearson Canada, whether in the form of press
releases, brochures, photographic coverage or verbal announcements
shall be given without specific authorized written approval by Pearson
Canada.

8.0 Proposal Deliverables

8.1 Cost and time estimates must include but are not limited to
 Instructional design
 Programming

Page 5 of 6 1/6/2011
  Project management
 QA
 Other relevant information
8.2 Sample project plan and timeline
8.3 Description of Quality Assurance process.
8.4 Samples of completed work that demonstrates experience with this type
of content.
8.5 Company background and references.
8.6 Additional Information: Please include any additional information
that will be helpful to Pearson Canada in evaluating your proposal, e.g.
product samples from other media development projects, examples of
best practices utilized in other media development projects, and so on.
All information and materials submitted shall remain in Pearson Canada
possession and will not be returned.
8.7 Submission of RFP: electronic version of the submittal for this RFP
must be delivered no later than 12 noon EST on September 29th, 2010
to:

Laura Canning
E-mail: laura.canning@pearsoned.com
Phone: 416-386-3607

8.8 Interim Questions and Responses: During the preparation

period,Laura Canning will answer all questions and provide further
clarification as necessary

email: laura.canning@pearsoned.com

Page 6 of 6 1/6/2011