Bar-Ilan University of Israel Selects Live eLearning Solution from Centra For Innovative 'Virtual Jewish University'.

Business/Technology Editors

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 2000

Students From More Than 14 Countries Participate in Jewish Studies 

Over the Internet

Centra (NASDAQ:CTRA), the leader in software and services for live eLearning and Internet business collaboration, today announced that Bar-Ilan University, an international leader in Jewish studies based in Israel, will launch its most innovative Jewish studies program to date using Centra 99(TM) to deliver live, instructor-led courses over the Internet. These real-time, interactive classes truly replicate the classroom experience, allowing the University to extend its reach to students across the globe. Bar-Ilan, which has the largest faculty of Jewish Studies in the world, currently has students in the program from over 14 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Russia, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Panama, Switzerland, and Israel.

"This project is very important to us," said Dr. David G. Schwartz, Director of the Virtual Jewish University and Information Systems Division Head at the Graduate School of Business Administration for Bar-Ilan University. "It combines our core competency of designing customized, inter-disciplinary programs with state-of-the-art technology that enables live collaborative learning that is a viable and valuable alternative for our students. It also demonstrates the growing demand in the market for interactive distance learning."

Centra 99's integrated voice-over-IP capability, shared workspace environment, and user-friendly interface enable live conversation and human interaction over the Internet, allowing participants to collaborate and learn just as they would in a physical classroom setting. Unlike text chat, instant messaging, and screen sharing, Centra offers significant advantages in highly structured, real-time interaction with the functionality, performance, and universal connectivity required to support live eLearning and business collaboration in globally dispersed organizations.

Centra 99 also features robust capabilities for the rapid migration of training and education content, centralized online registration, assessment and certification methods, and automated reporting in one structured and secure Web-based system.

"The combination of Centra 99 and the innovative Bar-Ilan University program exemplify what universities can do to augment traditional classroom learning using a state-of-the-art, Web-based enterprise learning technology," said Lawrence Whittle, Vice President of Centra Europe. "We have many global universities such as Stanford University and the University of Tennessee delivering successful programs today with Centra 99. We are committed to making the Bar-Ilan University project a case study example to illustrate our commitment to universities worldwide."

About the Virtual Jewish University

For more information about Bar-Ilan University's Virtual Jewish University, visit its web site at http://www.bar-ilan.edu

About Centra Software, Inc.

Centra (NASDAQ:CTRA) is the leader in software and services for live eLearning and Internet business collaboration. Centra's solutions include Centra 99, an enterprise Internet application for virtual classrooms, online presentations and Web meetings; and the innovative CentraNow Web meeting service. Centra's customers include Fortune 1000 companies such as American Express, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, Compaq, Kraft, Sony, Viacom and Worldcom. Centra has business and software partnerships with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Consulting, Microsoft and Global Knowledge. Headquartered in Boston's technology corridor, Centra has sales offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.centra.com.