Pathlore's PHOENIX NetWorks Is the Industry's First Integrated Online Learning System to Secure Coveted AICC Certification.

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 1999--

Airline industry's online training organization confirms PHOENIX's

ability to track scores in third-party courseware and import

curriculums

Pathlore Software today announced that PHOENIX(R) NetWorks(tm) has become the first integrated online learning system to win certification by the industry's leading independent standards body for computer-managed instruction (CMI) interoperability.

Certification proves that PHOENIX NetWorks' enterprise-level CMI functions support courseware developed in any authoring system. Customers can import and manage any compliant content, regardless of the authoring tool that created it. PHOENIX NetWorks' CMI capabilities include tracking student progress, scoring, supporting structured curriculums, enforcing course order, integrating pre- and post-testing, requiring mastery and setting time limits.

"By adopting AICC/CMI guidelines and being among the first vendors to get their CMI system certified, Pathlore has clearly distinguished itself as a major player in the CMI market," said William A. McDonald of FlightSafetyBoeing, chairman of the Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC) Independent Test Lab Committee. (See the AICC's announcement of the certification at http://www.aicc.org/pages/press-release-04.htm)

The AICC is a pioneer in computer-based training that certifies training products which adhere to its widely disseminated CMI standard. CMI standards give organizations alternatives to proprietary systems that cannot exchange scoring information with other vendors' courseware or support their learning plans. Standards-compliant systems can exchange scoring information and support learning plans with third-party and custom courseware without extensive integration.

"Simply put, the AICC standard allows companies to keep track of who's taking their online courses, where students are in these courses, and what their scores are with any compliant management system," said Brandon Hall, editor of brandon-hall.com, a leading Web site dedicated to technology-based training industry information. "Designing products to the AICC guidelines is crucial for the future of online learning. Pathlore has proven it adheres to the guidelines with certification in the AICC's testing lab."

Pathlore Chief Operating Officer Bruce Duff said customers are increasingly seeking courseware from a variety of sources. "Selecting AICC certified training products will make life a lot easier for these organizations," he said. "The combination of PHOENIX NetWorks and AICC-compliant courseware enables simple, cost-effective curriculum management and student record-keeping across a wide variety of enterprise networks, including client/server, intranets and the Internet. Although PHOENIX has just secured certification, it has been designed to AICC guidelines and other open standards for years. We encourage other vendors to try and do the same."

The AICC's mission is to provide and promote information, guidelines, and standards that result in the cost-effective implementation of CBT for the commercial aviation industry. Founded in 1988, the AICC is composed of a wide variety of industry representatives from airframe and engine manufacturers, CBT tool developers, CBT content producers, and airlines. New members are always welcome. Meetings are held three times a year. Parties interested in joining the AICC or attending the next meeting should visit the group's web site at www.aicc.org or can contact the AICC directly at [phone].

PHOENIX's open, standards-based architecture enables PHOENIX NetWorks to go even further than the AICC standard when it comes to integrating third-party content. Unlike other training management systems, PHOENIX's can take any courseware - AICC compliant or not - and bring CMI capabilities to it.

PHOENIX also enables customers to store third-party and custom courseware in the form of "learning objects" curricula, courses, lessons, modules and their components - in an industry-standard database. Authors can reuse this material and have PHOENIX stream them across the network on demand. No other online training system can do the same.

PHOENIX NetWorks supports Versions 1.8 and 2.0 of the AICC standard, allowing companies to preserve their investments in training and to manage older AICC-compliant courseware without having to rewrite it.

About PHOENIX

PHOENIX is an open, standards-based training system that integrates authoring, testing, content management, delivery, curriculum, third-party courseware, administration and results reporting into a single standards-based platform.

Drawing on its unique database architecture, PHOENIX NetWorks is also the first to provide: -0-

-- database content management,
-- dynamic, on-the-fly courseware delivery to thousands of users with
   minimal bandwidth use,
-- group collaborative authoring over the network, and
-- "active content" access.

-0-

Pathlore has designed PHOENIX from the ground up for online training over the network. This saves companies from having to perform extra programming to retrofit competitors' PC-focused CD-ROM authoring tools to deliver content over LANs, WANs, intranets and the Internet. Likewise, Pathlore built training administration into PHOENIX from the start so customers don't need to perform extra programming.

About Pathlore

Pathlore's PHOENIX for the Enterprise online training products provide network-based and standalone distance learning and CBT solutions for intranet, Internet, client/server, Windows, mainframe and standalone PC environments. PHOENIX is the only training software that automatically integrates authoring, Computer-Managed Instruction (CMI), administration and course delivery to address an organization's complete training needs. PHOENIX's unique Distance Learning Environment (DLE(SM)) provides organizations with an open, standards-based architecture to integrate leading training technology, such as virtual classrooms, with self-paced training.

During and after the sale, Pathlore's Professional Services Group (PSG) helps customers achieve maximum training benefit as quickly as possible through a complete range of consulting services, including project management, instructional design, courseware development and IT integration with complementary training applications.

PHOENIX is currently in use at more than 80 percent of banks with assets greater than $3 billion, 70 percent of companies making up the Fortune 1000, as well as at major telecommunications, financial and utility organizations and government agencies.

Pathlore Software, named one of UPSIDE magazine's Hot 100 private technology companies for 1998, has headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and delivers training solutions worldwide. Pathlore has additional offices in Alexandria, Va.; London, England; Milan, Italy; and Sydney, Australia. For more information, visit Pathlore Software's site on the World Wide Web at http://www.pathlore.com or call 614-781-0036. Headquarters are located at 7965 North High Street, Suite 300, Columbus, Ohio 43235.

PHOENIX(R) is a registered trademark and DLE(SM) is a service mark of Pathlore Software Corporation. All other trademarks and trade names are owned by their respective companies.