Project purple at UEL: inside the Kortext library takeover month

by Lloyd Pearce, Account Manager at Kortext

I’ve been working with the University of East London (UEL) for almost my entire time as an Account Manager at Kortext. Over the past three years, I’ve enjoyed building a close working relationship with the UEL library team, meeting regularly to exploring new ways to encourage content adoption. 

For our next collaboration, we wanted to do something bigger, more immersive, practical and genuinely engaging for students. That’s how we came up with ‘project purple’.

A library turned purple

On setup day, I worked alongside a brilliant mix of people: UEL’s Digital Library Manager, the KeyText Scheme Coordinator, members of the Content and Digital Services team, as well as 2 Kortext colleagues, Tara and Josch from the Marketing team.  

We were also supported by 3 student ambassadors, who oversaw running activities day to day, playing a huge role throughout the takeover.  

What stood out to me was how quickly students began engaging. Even while we were still setting up, students stopped to ask questions and shared how they’d heard about the takeover already, through cryptic emails and digital screen teasers.  

There was a genuine sense of intrigue and excitement building before the event had even officially started. That early interest was a pleasant surprise and a real confirmation that doing something visible and physical on campus still matters. 

Over the course of 24 days, we delivered 18 activities across the 3 campuses, including: 

• Uncover the code LIVE
  Our interactive competition led students on an expedition through the Kortext Open Resources Collection, following clues to collect letters to uncover a secret word.
  With that word discovered, the ambassador would stop the clock, and the student could spin the wheel for a prize from the table and add their score to the Top Gear-style leaderboard with their name and time. 

• Kortext feature forest
  Our very own sparkly forest featured an eye-catching array of six purple trees each kitted out with cards showcasing the transformative Kortext study+ features and our company environmental sustainability efforts.
  Each card was equipped with interactive QR codes leading to tutorial videos and the Kortext login page, encouraging students to check out the platform for themselves! 

• Kortext comments
  Students had the chance to give feedback, sharing what they love about the platform, what they’d like to see next and their thoughts on our library takeover. 

• Paint the pavement
  Using stencils designed by our team, students covered the courtyard outside the library in bookish designs, creating a colourful and themed entrance to each campus library. 

• Skillspace demo
  I led a handful of virtual Kortext walkthroughs with students throughout the takeover period, answering questions and encouraging students to use our smart study features to deepen their learning. 

• Ambassador-led activities, including catch the knowledge keeper and Kortext snap. 

The impact 

We’re pleased to announce the UEL library takeover was a huge success! We’ll let the numbers speak for themselves… 

Compared with the previous four weeks, the takeover resulted in: 

• +596 registered users 

• +560 active users 

• +23,846 additional pages accessed, totalling 226,404 (+11.8%) 

• +1,054 study sessions, totalling 5,818 (+22.1%) 

• +111 study hours, 1,793 total study hours (+6.6%) 

These stats provide clear indicators that more students were logging in, exploring content, studying for longer and using Kortext as part of their academic routine, exactly what we set out to achieve. 

We also gathered post‑event feedback from students, and while the survey sample was small, responses were encouraging: 

• 60% of respondents said they felt extremely or very confident using Kortext after the takeover 

• 80% felt more supported by the university and more prepared for assessments 

• 90% said they were very or somewhat likely to use Kortext as their primary study tool – with zero students saying they were unlikely to use it 

Why this project mattered

For me, it was incredibly rewarding to see something that had lived on planning documents and Teams calls turn into a real, engaging experience for students.  

Spending time on campus, working side‑by‑side with the library team, Kortext colleagues and student ambassadors brought the partnership to life in a way that can’t be replicated remotely. 

Projects like this matter because they: 

• Strengthen relationships between partners and institutions 

• Show students that their university is actively invested in their learning experience 

• Drive real time adoption of digital resources – not just awareness 

• Create moments of connection that make platforms like Kortext feel human, helpful and accessible 

The purple Kortext takeover is a great example of what’s possible when collaboration and creativity come together. Supporting adoption of digital learning content means being present, listening and going the extra mile for partners and their students. 

If you’re interested in piloting your own project purple at your institution, talk to us today!