TestOut Launches Academic Learning Solution
Plug-and-Play Multimedia Instruction, Practice Simulations, and Comprehensive Testing Software Raises the Bar for IT Certification Training at the Academic Level
PLEASANT GROVE, Utah June 26, 2002 — TestOut Corporation, the leading provider of experienced-based training and simulation products, today released its TestOut Academic Learning Solution, a simulation-based learning program developed specifically for the academic information technology (IT) certification and training audience. The product release falls immediately after winning CompTIA’s “Partnership” award of excellence for its Computer Skills competition, the TestOut Challenge, at the CompTIA Strategies 2002 IT Training Conference.
The new Academic Learning Solution program offers customized lesson plans, lecture tips, activities, homework suggestions, and question bank. Bundled with TestOut’s Exam Builder™ software, instructors have an all-in-one tool set for both instruction and quiz/exam design using a variety of question types including, drag & drop, hot spot, fill in the blank, and multiple choice.
“When we designed the Academic Learning Solution, we wanted to address the growing trend of certification training at the academic level, with the added value of simulation technology,” said Noel Vallejo, president of TestOut. “This new solution offers students a hands-on, safe environment to practice real-life networking tasks until skills are mastered–liberating instructors and teachers from the frustrating complexities associated with training students on their existing network and the obvious risks associated with that method.”
The Academic Learning Solution also serves as a comprehensive software-training tool that can help instructors help students prepare for the TestOut Challenge. Now in its second year, the skills competition is designed to provide students and instructors with a formal venue to compete and demonstrate their computer networking skills, earn scholarships and IT certification test vouchers, and encourage high school and applied technology students to pursue technology careers and industry certifications. Challengers test their skills on some of the IT industry’s leading certification exams including: CompTIA A+ and Network+, Cisco CCNA, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), and Novell Certified Network Administrator (CNA). TestOut Challenges have been held this year in Orem, Utah; Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio; and are scheduled to be held in Washington state and Michigan this fall.
“The new Academic Learning Solution provides secondary, vocational, and higher education institutions and students with a cost-effective, robust learning
solution to gain the skills and knowledge required for the TestOut Challenge competitions and to work toward other academic or professional pursuits,” added Vallejo.
The Academic Learning Solution was developed with TestOut’s core products, incorporating TestOut’s CourseSim™, for multimedia instruction; LabSim™ for practicing skills in realistically duplicated software networking environments; and ExamSim™, for assessing practical knowledge of actual certification exam objectives. The academic solution includes more than 20 training titles for certifications, including:
· Windows 2000 MCSA · Windows 2000 MCSE
· CCNA · A+
· Network+ · NetWare CNE
Designed for easy use and implementation, the simulation-based software is developed to meet the needs of high school, community college, and vocational technology instructors and students. The software is available in a “plug-and-play” site license version that is activated by simply plugging a supplied hard drive (pre-loaded with all purchased TestOut software) into the school’s server and mapping it to the local area network. The robust software is also available on a CD for students, enabling them to learn concepts on their own or as supplement to classroom instruction.
The TestOut Academic Learning Solution incorporates the latest in simulation technology, proven to increase retention rates. According to the Dispatch newsletter, published by brandon-hall.com www.brandon-hall.com, “In a traditional instructor-led course, learners can forget half of the information in as little as 24 hours. Compare that with the nearly 90 percent retention rate achieved by many simulations, and it doesn’t take much deliberation to choose simulations when skills are vital – or mistakes are costly1.”
Availability
The CourseSim, LabSim, and ExamSim portions of TestOut’s Academic Solution are available today, with ExamBuilder and other additional components coming on line later this summer. Over 11,000 individuals, schools, and corporations use TestOut’s training materials worldwide. Site license pricing is based on the quantity of titles selected; the software is shipped on a hard drive with the capability to map to every desktop for easy plug-and-play installation. Student course CDs are priced at $79 per title. For more information contact Kent Christensen at 800/877-4889 ext. 235 or at kchristensen@testout.com.
About TestOut Corporation
Founded in 1991, TestOut Corporation www.testout.com is a pioneer in developing and applying multimedia technologies, applied simulation technologies, instructional animations, and technical graphic images into sophisticated learning and exam environments. TestOut is a privately held corporation with headquarters in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Its experienced-based training curriculum and LabSim™ and ExamSim™ simulation products are used by the academic, publishing, and IT certification vendors including Microsoft, Novell, Cisco and CompTIA. TestOut’s product line currently includes computer based training for Microsoft’s 2000 MCSE; Novell’s NetWare 5 CNE; CompTIA’s A+ and Network + certification and Cisco CCNA certification.
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Press Contacts:
Quinn Sutton
TestOut Corporation
(801) 785-7900
qsutton@testout.com
Paulette Brown
TestOut Public Relations
(770) 577-3881
browncom@bellsouth.net
1 “E-Learning Simulations: Tools and Services for Creating Software, Business, and Technical Skills Simulations,” March 20, 2002 Dispatch from Brandon-Hall.com. www.brandon-hall.com/simulations.html.
