Course Technology Hosts Annual IT Educators' Conference in Nashville, TN.

Business Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2003

Course Technology (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC)

8th Annual Conference Connects Technology Educators from Around

the Country for Three-Day Event 

Course Technology, the worldwide leader in computer education products and services and part of the Thomson Corporation (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC), today announced its three-day annual conference in Nashville, TN, which runs from March 19th through March 21st.

Organized and hosted by Course Technology, the Conference for Information Technology Educators will gather more than 600 professors, administrators, and teachers from universities, community colleges, and high schools. Attendees will learn about new trends in technology and software releases, discuss the impact of technology on education, attend hands-on sessions, and have the opportunity to take industry-recognized IT certification exams.

The conference offers 50 unique break-out sessions, numerous opportunities for certification testing, Lunch & Learn sessions, and seven different tracks, including Effective Practices for Teaching Microsoft Office, Information Security & Networking Technology, Multimedia & Web Design, Teaching Technology Online, Programming & Web Development, .NET, and Teaching Technology at the High School Level. The conference's generous sponsors include Microsoft, Adobe, Certiport, CompTIA, and TestOut.

The theme for this year's conference is 360 degrees of Learning -- where technology meets education and education meets learning innovation. This concept will spread throughout the sessions and tracks, as Course Technology and information technology educators have the opportunity to discuss and deliver on this theme. Instructors will be present from various educational levels including K-12, career schools, post-secondary, and international institutions. They will meet to exchange ideas and learn from renowned Course Technology authors and presenters.

"This year's conference is a reflection of the changes we are seeing in information technology education," said David West, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Course Technology. "As technology permeates more and more households, workplaces, and learning communities, the audience of learners is expanding and their knowledge is deepening. Our conference is a great opportunity for instructors who are dedicated to driving and shaping information technology education to explore the latest innovations and assess new opportunities."

For the past seven years, information technology educators from across the country have come together every March to listen to leading authors speak, see demonstrations on new technology from industry experts, share teaching tricks with colleagues over lunch, learn how to integrate new curriculums and courses at their schools, take certification exams, and to create new syllabi and courses to adapt to changes in the technology field. They come to this conference for an opportunity to delve into a wealth of topics that greatly affects both their and their students' experience in the classroom.

This year's keynote speakers include: Bruce Jenner, 1976 Sullivan Award Winner, Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, Track and Field's Male Athlete of the Decade, and Member of the Olympic Hall of Fame; Andre LaMothe, CEO & Founder, Xtreme Games LLC and the Xtreme Game Developer Conference; Martin Bean, COO, New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, Inc., Chair of CompTIA Public Policy Committee, and author of Bean There Done That.

For more information on this and other Course Technology events and training, please visit www.course.com/events.

About The Thomson Corporation and Course Technology

The Thomson Corporation, with 2002 revenues of $7.8 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools, and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research, and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC). Its learning businesses and brands serve the needs of individuals, learning institutions, corporations, and government agencies with products and services for both traditional and distributed learning.

As part of the Thomson Corporation, Course Technology (www.course.com) is the worldwide leader in computing education, offering more than 1,600 print and innovative technology-based products for business and technology training.