EduNeering Partners With Bloomsburg University to Support Institute for Interactive Technologies.

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1999--

EduNeering Inc., an instructional design and technology company, announced today that it has established a partnership with Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA, under which EduNeering has pledged financial support for five years to a new endowment fund at the Institute for Interactive Technologies at Bloomsburg University, and will provide products for the Institute's class work.

In addition, EduNeering will expand their current internship program for undergraduate students to include a full-time Graduate Assistant program.

The first EduNeering product to be incorporated into the school's course work will be EduServer, a systems which allows training to be conducted either through an organization's Intranet site or over the Internet. Students in the EduServer program are assigned passwords that allow them to enter the training area and as they progress through the course content they encounter review sessions that assess their comprehension of key information. The students choose their own training schedule and upon reentering the training area they are automatically led back to the last section they completed. At the conclusion of specific sections, the students undergo a graded examination that determines whether they will progress to the next level. After successfully completing the entire course, the student receives formal accreditation.

In describing the alliance, EduNeering CEO Frank A. Martin said, "We consider Bloomsburg to be a strategic partner. They are recognized as one of the top instructional technology schools in the country. We look forward to a long-term relationship that will keep our technology state-of-the-art."

Timothy L. Phillips, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Interactive Technologies, noted the unique nature of the EduNeering commitment. "A fundamental tenet of our teaching here is that technology can be helpful only if it addresses a human need. In this program, EduNeering is not only making a significant financial contribution but is enabling our students to see how successful companies incorporate technology into their products and services. That kind of insight goes far beyond the short-lived impact of a financial contribution."

Internet-based training offers numerous advantages over traditional classroom programs, most notably: students are free to choose when and where they will study. One novel advantage for Internet-based training is that the system provides new information in a lively multimedia format which is impossible to duplicate with textbooks. Perhaps the most important benefit is that students are able to set the pace for their studies and review content as often as necessary without affecting the learning of other students.

Established in 1980, EduNeering is a leading instructional design and technology firm specializing in Internet and Intranet delivery of computer based learning systems. The company has designed over 350 technology-based training programs that have been used by more than 250 corporations in a variety of industries. Future plans include expansion of the company's training systems to create the most extensive and sophisticated library of titles to provide training and assure compliance within government regulated industries.

The Institute for Interactive Technologies has been in existence for over 14 years at Bloomsburg University using technology to further education. The Institute formerly was part of the Math and Computer Science department, but it had grown so large by 1999 (over 115 students), a Department of Instructional Technology was formed as its own entity to work along with members of the Institute for Interactive Technologies.

The program started in the Math and Computer Science Department by a math professor, Dr. Harold Bailey, who wanted a better method of teaching his students how to utilize technology to teach. He purchased his first videodisc equipment with money from a grant from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania to develop a Computer-Based Interactive Videodisc Instructional Program for the Geisinger Medical Center. The grant money allowed Bailey to buy equipment and to form the Institute for Interactive Technologies (IIT). Through the years, the Institute for Interactive Technologies established relationships with Apple Computer, PP&L and many government agencies.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, founded in 1839, is a member of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. The university's 7,200 students choose from among 63 undergraduate programs and 19 graduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education and health care.