click2learn Teams with Microsoft to Distribute XML-based e-Learning Courses
Beginning in January, click2learn will make available more than 16 individual Microsoft courses to its e-Learning Network membership – a group that encompasses some of the nations largest companies and organizations.
The move marks Microsofts first widespread distribution of e-Learning courses based on Microsofts Learning Resource interchange (LRN), an XML-based standard that gives developers a standard way to assemble, define and edit e-Learning content.
Ultimately, e-Learning courses based in XML will make it much faster and easier to tailor courses precisely to a companys audiences and to update segments of e-Learning content found in multiple courses throughout a full curriculum. It will also simplify the process of integrating the latest, most innovative e-Learning technologies into a companys existing learning program.
“At click2learn, our mission is to help our clients harness state-of-the-art e-Learning technology, boost employee efficiency and streamline sales and distribution channels,” said Kevin Oakes, President and CEO of click2learn “Microsoft is already a leader in computer systems training. And, with LRN, its clear theyre committed to advancing e-Learning standards. Were proud to count them as a premier content partner.”
click2learn will offer online courses such as Windows, Office, Visual C++ and Visual Basic to its e-Learning Network customers. Later it will add courses on advanced topics such as Web publishing, distributed application design and Microsoft SQL Server.
“click2learn has one of the best reputations in the industry for providing e-Learning technologies and solutions, and we are pleased and proud to have click2learn as a partner providing Microsoft’s e-Learning content,” said Stephen Guty, director of business development and planning for the e-Learning Product Group at Microsoft.
The partnership between click2learn and Microsoft comes at a time when the e-Learning market is exploding. Industry analysts anticipate the online training market to nearly double in size every year through 2003, reaching approximately $11.5 billion. In this fast-paced growth environment, access to top-of-the-line, well-known brands and content providers is key, Oakes noted.
About click2learn.com, inc.
click2learn.com (NASDAQ: CLKS) provides an open e-Learning network consisting of e-Learning content, learning management, and authoring and publishing tools. By developing a powerful and full-featured outsourced platform for e-Learning, and partnering with market-leading content publishers, click2learn.com provides customers with an Application Service Provider (ASP) model that gives organizations instant access to a vast and constantly improving e-Learning Network. Customers can access thousands of courses and use browser-based publishing and learning management tools through a custom-configured site that looks and feels like the organization’s intranet, and have access to click2learn.com’s expert development group using the Rapid e-Learning Development System (ReDS) to develop custom content for distribution on the network.
In addition to an outsourced solution, click2learn.com is a leader in providing internal e-Learning implementations. The click2learn.com enterprise e-Learning initiatives includes the market-leading Ingenium total learning management solution, and the acclaimed ToolBook II Instructor and Assistant authoring tools. Each solution is augmented by one of the industry’s largest professional services groups, including award-winning custom content development, strategic consulting, and integration services. For more information on click2learn.com e-Learning solutions, call (800) 448-6543 or (425) 462-0501. Visit click2learn.com at www.click2learn.com or visit the e-Learning portal at www.click2learn.com/c2l.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including
information contained in this document where statements are preceded by, followed by or include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “expects,” “anticipates” or similar expressions. For such statements, The Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements include market acceptance of internet based training and the click2learn.com learning portal, the ability to successfully implement click2learn.com virtual universities and strategic relationships with content providers and other web-based companies, the ability of those relationships to result in increased users and increased revenues and the risk factors set forth in filings The Company has made with the SEC.
click2learn.com, click2learn.publisher, click2learn.author, click2learn.manager, Ingenium, ToolBook II Instructor and ToolBook II Assistant are trademarks of click2learn.com, inc. All other company and/or product names are the property of their respective owners.
