Cogito Learning Media and Blackboard Partner to Enhance Educational Opportunity; ThinkFive.com Services, Powered by Blackboard 5, Will Expand Access to AP Courses Nationwide.

Business Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2000

Cogito Learning Media, Inc., today announced a major strategic alliance with Blackboard Inc. Cogito will deliver its recently announced ThinkFive.com(TM) online services -- supporting Advanced Placement (AP) coursework for teachers and students -- via Blackboard's leading software platform, Blackboard 5(TM). The companies will work together on the customization of features and functions for ThinkFive.com.

The ThinkFive.com online learning services are designed to provide all of the state-of-the-art services teachers and school districts need to enhance teacher preparation and student performance, thereby ensuring successful experience in AP courses sponsored by the College Board. Several states, including California, Texas, and Florida, have moved to enact legislation that will mandate AP offerings in all high schools, and five other states are expected to follow. The partnership between Cogito and Blackboard will enable districts and individual schools to successfully meet those mandates, and demonstrates both companies' commitment to equity in learning opportunities.

ThinkFive.com offers rich interactive content, pedagogical support, an array of assessment tools and a supportive community for teachers and students. In addition, teachers of AP courses will have access to rigorous high-school curriculum tools and resources that help manage their demanding course loads. Unlike other online offerings for AP, ThinkFive services are designed to strengthen the student-teacher relationship, whether interaction takes place in the classroom, in the school computer lab, or in distance learning environments.

The AP services are being prepared in collaboration with leading AP teachers, educators, and instructional designers throughout the United States, under the direction of the staff of the Charles A. Dana Center of the University of Texas at Austin; the AVID Center of San Diego, California; and Cogito Learning Media's professionals in multimedia and online education. Blackboard provides the foundation for the delivery of ThinkFive's content, introducing students and teachers in high schools to its comprehensive course management functionality and ease of use.

"Building on our content agreements with the Dana Center and the AVID Center, our technology agreement with Blackboard will enable Cogito to deliver authoritative, reliable AP courses and services to schools that would otherwise be unable to offer them because of budgetary or other constraints," said Linda Chaput, President of Cogito Learning Media. "We chose Blackboard because it offered the most flexible, comprehensive solution, and because Blackboard's management is truly excited to work with us to meet the needs of our various constituencies."

"Since its inception in 1996, Cogito has developed a strong reputation for trusted, high-quality, media-rich materials that engage students and augment teachers' abilities to convey substantive and substantial content effectively," said Lou Pugliese, CEO of Blackboard. "We are pleased to work with Cogito on a project that will help enable teachers to better prepare their students for AP coursework, AP exams, and college."

About Cogito Learning Media, Inc.

Cogito Learning Media, Inc. has pioneered as a leading provider of top quality, e-learning curriculum-based content for higher education and distance learning since 1996. The company works with leading academic authorities and with emerging technologies to create accessible, cutting-edge scientific and technical content in must-know subjects. Cogito's products and services in biology, health, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, business and economics have now been used in more than 1000 colleges and universities and several hundred high schools. The company's technology-based learning services are widely recognized for their effective use of high-quality animation, interactivity, and creative self-assessment tools. Cogito's ThinkFive course services will debut in the fall of 2000, beginning with Calculus, Statistics, English Literature, and American History. For more information, please visit www.cogitomedia.com.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard Inc. is a leading e-Learning infrastructure company powering the online transformation of the global higher education industry - the ".edu" marketplace. Its products and Web properties, including the flagship Blackboard 5 software platform, are used by more than 3,300 colleges, universities, K-12 schools, professional organizations, and corporate and commercial education providers to bring their academic, administrative, community, and other educational services online. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Blackboard currently serves more than 2.1 million unique users in every state and in 70 countries.

Blackboard education partners include Academic Systems Corp., America Online, bigchalk.com, Dell Computer Corporation, Eduprise, FT Knowledge, Harcourt Brace, Houghton Mifflin, Kaplan, KPMG Consulting, McGraw-Hill, Microsoft, NextEd, Oracle, Pearson Education, PeopleSoft, and Sun Microsystems.

Additional information about Blackboard can be found at http://www.blackboard.com.