eCollege(SM) and HorizonLive Bring Real-Time Interaction To the Online Classroom
DENVER, May 7– eCollege(SM), an eLearning software and services provider, today announced an agreement with HorizonLive, a provider of live online interactive group learning and collaboration solutions, to offer synchronous tools to eCollege’s clients so they can interact with students online in real time. The synchronous tools facilitate highly interactive live classroom sessions, while still allowing for the flexibility afforded by the online classroom.
“The easy-to-use synchronous tools developed by HorizonLive are ideal for those educators who want to communicate live with their students,” said Oakleigh Thorne, CEO of eCollege. “We evaluated a number of synchronous eLearning providers and found that HorizonLive best meets the needs of our customers because they offer a quality product and have a high level customer service, consistent with our values.”
Thorne continued, “This adds yet another dimension to our Teaching Solutions(SM) platform, bringing real-world communication capability into the virtual classroom while complementing an instructor’s use of our asynchronous eLearning tools.”
Through this agreement, eCollege and HorizonLive offer each other’s eLearning tools to educators, empowering them to take full advantage of both synchronous and asynchronous learning applications.
The relationship gives eCollege’s clients the option of incorporating HorizonLive’s synchronous tools into their existing classes to communicate live with students via two-way audio and real-time chat as they show still or video images, and visual content such as PowerPoint, Web pages, and Flash. Instructors may also demonstrate live desktop applications, illustrate concepts using a virtual whiteboard, and share certain controls with students to encourage live participation.
HorizonLive enables immediate feedback from students through live audio and chat, virtual hand-raising, and instant polling, and offers a feature that enables the instructor to ask multiple choice, short-answer and essay questions. Additionally, the tools support an archive function whereby every aspect of a live class can be recorded for later playback, making the archives an excellent method of study and review.
Further, HorizonLive is bandwidth-efficient and requires only minimal technology. Instructors merely need a standard Web browser, microphone and sound card to lead a class, while students only need an Internet connection and sound card to participate.
“eCollege’s reliable product and strong commitment to its customers closely mirrors our own philosophy of making sure we work as intimately as possible with our users,” said Tom Wisniewski, CEO of HorizonLive. “The ability for educators to speak live with students about their subject matter, and the ability for students to engage in real-time verbal discussion with their teachers, colleagues and peers are the fundamental elements of quality learning experiences, and foster our own belief in the need for interaction and communication.”
“Our customers are very excited about this offering, and are already signing up to use these synchronous tools,” said Thorne.
About HorizonLive.com
HorizonLive.com, Inc., based in New York, NY, provides online interactive group learning and collaboration solutions that blend the best of classroom and computer-based training — live over the Internet. HorizonLive enables companies, universities, and other organizations to conduct online classes, update sales forces, train clients, or attend virtual meetings in a cost effective and timely manner. Instructors teach live and on-demand to any desktop using any standard Web browser — on a Mac, Unix, or Windows platform — and make each lesson a truly interactive experience by using audio, streaming video, and text messaging. To pilot HorizonLive or to see how clients such as 3Com, Cal State Chico, Lehigh University, Lucent, MetLife, The Princeton Review, Siemens and others are using our online learning software, call 212-533-1775 or visit the company’s website at http://www.horizonlive.com.
About eCollege
eCollege is an eLearning software and services provider. Comprised of educators and technologists, eCollege partners with colleges, universities, schools and corporations to design, build and support high quality learning communities. eCollege’s Educational Partners include such institutions as National University; Seton Hall University; University of Colorado; DeVry University, Inc.; Kentucky Virtual High School; and Microsoft Faculty Center. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Denver. For more information, visit < href="http://www.ecollege.com" target="blank">www.eCollege.com.
This release may contain forward-looking statements, as well as historical information. Forward-looking statements may involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the company’s actual results and performance to differ materially from the company’s outlook. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. The company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statements found herein to reflect any changes in company expectations or results or any change in events.
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