Israeli Ministry of Education Launches Online Study Project Using Mentergy’s TrainNet to Help Students Prepare for Exams
Mentergy, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MNTE), formerly Gilat Communications, a global leader in blended e-Learning techniques and technologies, recently announced the 2001 Online Study Project will reach 1000 students via their TrainNet virtual classroom solution. The Online Study Project is a marathon distance learning class designed to prepare students in remote communities for matriculation examinations in mathematics, English and Hebrew.
The Online Study Project is being carried out for the third consecutive year by Mentergy and the Shachar Institute. This year, the project, administered by the Israeli Ministry of Education’s Welfare Services Department, will encompass 50 study groups reaching 1000 students, compared with 30 study groups involved in last year’s project. Many schools that wanted to join the project last year were turned away for lack of space.
The project is being operated this year with an advanced version of TrainNet, which has been upgraded to allow full connectivity to broadband communications networks and has a particularly high reliability of service standard. The combination of broadcast quality video and Internet delivery makes the TrainNet experience highly effective. Teachers at the Shachar Institute, who also taught last year, have particular praise for the innovations that have been introduced into the system, and say that it is friendly and convenient for the teachers to use. Live TrainNet lessons are supplemented by guided, self-learning sessions and practice exercises on the Internet. All the students can review lessons, practice exercises, or catch up on assignments on their own.
According to the head of the Welfare Services Department at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Avi Levi, “Graduates of previous classes expressed considerable satisfaction with this method of study and praised the teachers and the innovative technology. The examination success rates and the grades achieved by graduates were higher than the average grades achieved by students in traditional classes.” Dr. Avi Levi added, “The degree of cooperation of the teaching staff that include TrainNet live e-Learning in their learning activities has increased significantly over the past year. Infrastructure in the schools has been considerably improved and almost all the schools are linked up to the Internet.”
Ahuva Feinmesser, Mentergy’s Senior VP of Business Development and Knowledge Management, one of the initiators of the project, said, “Using the exclusive TrainNet live e-Learning method developed by Mentergy, young people throughout the country learn in a virtual classroom, with interactive lessons given by top teachers from the Shachar Institute. The students see the teachers on high-quality video transmitted via Mentergy’s broadband technology. The lessons are accompanied by study materials, with full interaction between teachers and students, who can talk to each other, ask and answer questions and correspond by email.”
About Mentergy, Ltd.
Mentergy, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MNTE), formerly Gilat Communications, Ltd. (NASDAQ: GICOF), is a full service worldwide e-Learning company, providing e-Learning products, consulting, and courseware development services for large enterprises. With over 21 years of expertise in the learning industry, Mentergy assists businesses worldwide to make a cost-effective shift from traditional learning to a blended e-Learning approach. Mentergy, Ltd.’s North American operations comprise the Allen Communication Learning Services division and the LearnLinc Live e-Learning division (Mentergy, Inc.), in addition to John Bryce Training in Israel and Europe (Aris Education), and a global sales and marketing operation which includes Mentergy Europe. Allen Communication Learning Services has provided courseware development services and authoring and design tools to more than 60 percent of the Fortune 500. LearnLinc Live e-Learning features live, collaborative Web-based training via the LearnLinc(R) virtual classroom and TrainNetb, a live broadband training platform delivered via computers, telephone, Internet connections and broadband communications. John Bryce Training is Mentergy’s IT training and content company, serving the Middle East and Europe with over 200 IT programs and courses. Mentergy’s customers range from mid-size companies to Global 2000, including Aetna, WorldCom, Nestle, Citibank, Countrywide, Rockwell Collins, British Telecom and other industry leaders. www.mentergy.com
About John Bryce Training
John Bryce Training is a leading IT training company in Israel and Europe and a fast-growing enterprise in this field since 1994. The company offers over 200 different programs and courses, each tailor-made to suit its clients’ rapidly changing needs. John Bryce trains IT professionals, managers, developers and infrastructure personnel in a wide range of subjects, and is an authorized training solution provider for companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, CA, Compaq, BEA, Cisco, Novell, and others. www.johnbryce.co.il
MentergyBryce is a trademark and LearnLinc> is a registered trademark of Gilat Communications. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
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