St. Edward’s University Goes the Distance with Centra
LEXINGTON, Mass., Mar 14, 2002 –Centra (NASDAQ: CTRA), the leading provider
of business software solutions for eLearning and real-time collaboration, today
announced that St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has selected Centra
to power the university’s interactive virtual classroom learning program. St.
Edward’s will use the virtual classroom capabilities of Centra to extend the
reach of its programs to students across the state and the country, enabling
them to collaborate in real-time with peers and professors over the Internet.
By blending common self-paced, Web-based learning methods, already in use at
the university, with live, Centra-powered eLearning, St. Edward’s can deliver
selected MBA programs completely online and improve the quality of online courses
delivered through the New College undergraduate program for working adults.
"Centra’s reputation, the strength of its technology, and the high value
we can expect to gain in terms of learning outcomes and cost effectiveness were
critical factors in our decision to take our distance-learning program to the
next level of interactivity," said Jason Rosenblum, Instructional Systems
Manager for the Online Learning Program at St. Edward’s University. "We
are confident Centra will enable us to enrich the online experiences of our
distance learners, helping them to become more engaged in what they are learning
and collaborate more effectively. This gets to the core of what it means to
deliver quality education online, and we’re delighted to make Centra our partner
in this endeavor."
Currently, St. Edward’s is experimenting with Centra in three classes, the
results of which will be used to develop the framework for the live component
of their online program. Rosenblum added that of the 4,100 students enrolled
at St. Edward’s, he expects that a high percentage – up to 30% – will benefit
from Centra-powered eLearning, supplementing classroom instruction in both their
traditional and online programs.
Scaleable Software Solution for eLearning and Business Collaboration
Used by more than 775 companies, government agencies, and universities worldwide,
Centra’s scaleable software solutions are based on CentraOne(TM), a comprehensive,
thin-client Web collaboration platform. Leveraging the core capabilities of
CentraOne, Centra offers a suite of compatible, real-time Web collaboration
products, content creation tools, and knowledge delivery systems that can be
quickly installed on-site using Centra’s rapid deployment methodology, or conveniently
accessed through Centra’s secure, full-service ASP. Centra’s products – including
interactive Web meetings, virtual classrooms, and large-scale conferences –
ensure universal access to users through firewalls and proxy servers, and deliver
full-performance IP audio conferencing, streaming video, application sharing,
and dynamic multimedia over low-bandwidth network connections through a standard
browser interface.
"St. Edward’s is an extremely progressive university, quickly pushing
forward to expand programs and attract a larger base of students seeking the
convenience of online learning without sacrificing the interactivity and community
of in-class instruction," said Joyce Bokuniewicz, Centra’s Director of
Higher Education Programs. "Centra is ready to help St. Edward’s realize
its goal, and to prepare students for the realities of tomorrow’s virtual work
world."
About St. Edwards
St. Edward’s University is a private, Catholic liberal arts institution of 4,100
students located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1885 by the Rev. Edward Sorin,
Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross and the same priest who founded
University of Notre Dame, the University offers a liberal arts education emphasizing
critical thinking and ethical practice. Students enjoy the advantages of small
classes and personal attention coupled with excellent internships and service-learning
opportunities. For more information, visit www.StEdwards.edu.
About Centra
Leading with an undisputed track record of helping millions of users to increase
revenue and improve overall business performance, Centra provides Web collaboration
solutions that enable the delivery of information in a variety of live and self-service
formats, and add value through unmatched capabilities to capture interactions
and content, personalize and manage this information, and instantly re-use it
across the enterprise. Today hundreds of global organizations across every industry
and market sector choose Centra, including ExxonMobil, Cadbury Schweppes, Citigroup,
AT&T, Procter & Gamble, McKesson, Merck, Nationwide Insurance, Sysco,
and Stanford University. Centra’s products are bolstered by a vital ecosystem
of strategic partners, including PwC Consulting, Deloitte Consulting, EDS, KPMG
iLS, Microsoft, Siebel, Cisco, and Oracle. Headquartered in Boston’s technology
corridor, Centra has sales offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
For more information, visit www.centra.com.
Contact
Sharon Dratch
Centra Software
(781) 994-1151
