4 States Sign Master Education Agreement with Academic Systems; College Students in Minnesota, Michigan, Oklahoma, Kansas Get Interactive Math/Writing Help.

Business Editors, Education Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--April 5, 2000--At a time when under-prepared students are arriving at the nation's campuses in record numbers, four states have signed master agreements with Academic Systems to provide access to Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English for all students at all two and four-year state campuses.

The states are Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas and Oklahoma. In addition, the State University of New York (SUNY) has provided access to the interactive courseware for students across the State who are enrolled in any one of the system's 64 campuses.

The agreements provide individual program design within each state and at the various campuses. "Now all campuses, regardless of size, sector or location, can equitably access quality, comprehensive mathematics and writing tools for their students," said John Brandon, president of Academic Systems. "Academic Systems is partnering with these campuses by providing course materials and strategies to increase pass rates and retention rates in entry-level courses."

In Oklahoma, where nearly 9,000 students were already enrolled in Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English courses across the state, the three-year agreement includes provisions for a statewide instructor training program. Campuses will learn from Academic Systems consultants and from educators in other schools how to use the programs most effectively.

The Kansas agreement is available to all institutions of higher education in the state -- public and private. With nine campuses across the state now using Academic Systems, "the agreement provides access to Academic Systems' programs for the rest of the State's university and college campuses," said Dr. Ron Sandstrom, chairman of the mathematics and computer science department at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.

Suitable for distance learning as well as classroom settings, the interactive programs give small, rural campuses access to world-class multimedia math and writing resources at the same price that the larger schools pay. Since the larger institutions are typically better funded, the programs help to bridge the digital divide.

"Interactive Mathematics is structured so that students can bypass what they already know and access the material in the way that they really need to. It's extremely helpful in diagnosing students' remediation needs; hence, the student is able to spend more time with those concepts on which he/she previously struggled," said Sandstrom.

Multimedia Courses Focus on Students As Individuals

Academic Systems' media-rich products, with extensive graphics and video components, give under-prepared students a breathing space to review lessons on their own and practice the concepts learned. Wrong answers prompt an explanation of how to solve the question. By making learning personal, Academic Systems courses respond to the needs of learners who are easily bored -- or those who prefer to listen to and repeat the material to themselves.

In the Interactive Mathematics course, each video character represents a different learning style and offers multiple approaches to solving the problem. These run the gamut -- from explaining the solution with a picture or graph, to providing the solution from a theoretical perspective. There are also printed practice materials to help the under-achieving student.

Course design for Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English allows faculty to customize features -- for example, the number of times students can take each quiz. And instructors can quickly set up the exact course they need.

Interactive Mathematics is a comprehensive instructional program that includes content typically covered in four courses: Prealgebra, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra. The program includes Windows-based, interactive multimedia lessons on CD-ROM; an integrated student management system; and extensive print materials for students and instructors.

Interactive English is a process-oriented, multimedia writing environment that provides a combination of instructional resources, online writing tools, and reading and comprehension activities. The flexible curriculum includes writing lessons, readings and grammar activities.

Academic Systems Corporation, the higher education division of The Lightspan Partnership, produces interactive, multimedia instructional programs that offer an enhanced learning environment in mathematics and writing for college students in developmental and entry-level courses. Created in concert with educators, Academic Systems' Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English programs have demonstrated impressive increases in learning and achievement. Academic Systems courses are offered at over 250 college campuses across the United States.

For more information contact Academic Systems Corporation at 800/694-6850, or visit the Web site at http://www.academic.com.