eCollege’s ClassLive Premium Introduces Audio Capabilities

eCollege(SM) recently announced its synchronous tool suite, ClassLive Premium(SM). ClassLive Premium integrates live audio/visual functionality, typically found in collaboration software, directly into the eCollege course management system to provide real-time instructor-student sessions and record them for future use.

As with the company’s current synchronous tool suite, ClassLive(SM), the new audio and archiving features will be easily accessible with nothing to download. ClassLive Premium includes:

· One-Way Broadcast Audio – Using Microsoft Windows Media technology, an instructor’s voice is transferred over the Internet for office hours, online tutoring or live lectures with PowerPoint slides. Students can reply to the instructor via the ClassLive chat or the polling features.

· Two-Way Audio – Students and instructors can speak to each other and in groups without using any additional conference call technology.

· Synchronized Archives – Each ClassLive session can be played back as a steaming video with its corresponding audio, creating asynchronous, on-demand content for students who may have missed a synchronous session.

“The advanced audio capabilities will greatly enhance student-instructor interaction, and the live session archiving will provide more options for instructors to develop asynchronous content,” said Oakleigh Thorne, chairman and CEO of eCollege. “ClassLive Premium demonstrates our continued commitment to provide solutions for the evolving needs of faculty and students engaged in full online programs.”

ClassLive Premium is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2003. Prior to its launch, eCollege is extending a free trial offer immediately available for one-way audio broadcasting to all eCourse(SM) instructors. In order to take advantage of the free trial, instructors need Microsoft Windows Media Encoder (free to download), and students need Microsoft Windows Media Player (also free and included as a standard application in PCs). For more information about the free trial, please call 1-888-376-9496.

About eCollege

eCollege [Nasdaq: ECLG] is the leading eLearning technology and services provider to educational markets. eCollege designs, builds and supports high quality online degree, certificate/diploma and professional development programs for colleges, universities, school districts and state departments of education. eCollege’s clients include such institutions as National University; University of Massachusetts Amherst; University of Colorado; Drexel University; DeVry University, Inc.; The New England College of Finance; and the Kentucky Virtual High School. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Denver. For more information, visit www.eCollege.com