The University of the Aegean Selects WebCT Vista to Promote Online Learning in Greece; Relationship Highlights WebCT's Growing Presence in the European e-Learning Market.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LYNNFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2004

WebCT, one of the world's leading providers of e-learning solutions for higher education, today announced that the University of the Aegean in Greece is implementing WebCT Vista(TM) to introduce e-learning across the university. With a single instance of the WebCT Vista academic enterprise system (AES), the University will now host e-learning services to share content and information across 17 departments situated on five different campuses (located on five different Greek islands). This agreement further strengthens WebCT's leading position in the European e-learning market. The announcement was made at the Third Annual WebCT European User Conference held on Feb. 16-18 at The Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The University of the Aegean considers e-learning a competitive advantage and a powerful means of achieving its strategic institutional goals of improving the learning environment, recruiting and retaining unparalleled faculty, and attracting high-achieving students. WebCT Vista was selected following a rigorous evaluation process carried out by a university committee comprised of faculty members, support professionals and IT staff. The purchase of WebCT Vista was jointly funded by the European Union (European Social Fund) and the Greek State.

"WebCT Vista will provide us with the ability to network our different university sites and share content and information across the university," said Professor Sokrates K. Katsikas, rector at the University of Aegean. "The system will be centrally administered, placing little pressure on our IT resources. WebCT Vista will also allow us to store vital information in a central repository and help with document distribution to different sites. The implementation will encourage distributed learning and promote the university as one of the leading educational establishments in Greece."

WebCT Vista is an academic enterprise system specifically designed to address the mission-critical challenges of enterprise-wide deployment with targeted course development, delivery and content information management capabilities. The system includes features that simplify course development for teaching staff of all levels of experience and will accelerate campus- and system-wide e-learning deployment. WebCT Vista will provide The University of Aegean with an expanded set of Web services interfaces, which will allow the university to customize the system to ensure that each school retains its own identity and control over its information. The student information system and portals currently in development will encourage data exchange across courses.

Founded in 1984, the University of the Aegean is one of the newest universities in Greece. Centrally administered at Mytilene, it also has departments on the islands of Chios, Rhodes, Syros and Samos. With 395 academic staff, the University boasts a population of 5,000 in total, making it one of the largest higher education institutions in Greece.

"We are extremely pleased that the University of the Aegean has selected WebCT Vista," said Carol Vallone, President and CEO of WebCT. "The University is promoting the use of e-learning in Greece, and we are looking forward to working closely on this initiative. We are also pleased to be making this announcement at our annual European user conference where we highlight many of the institutions throughout Europe that have turned to WebCT to expand the boundaries of teaching and learning through e-learning."

For more information about the Third Annual WebCT European User Conference, please visit the conference Web site at http://www.webct.com/europe2004.

WebCT Vista was supplied to the University of the Aegean by Comarsat SA, a WebCT representative based in Athens, Greece.

About the University of the Aegean

The University of the Aegean was founded in 1984, and its schools are located on various islands in the Aegean, Greece. Its central administration offices are situated in Mytilene (Lesvos) and its University Schools and Departments in the towns of Mytilene (Lesvos), Chios (Chios), Karlovasi (Samos), Rhodes (Rhodes) and Ermoupolis (Syros). Currently, having completed the second phase of its development, the University of the Aegean boasts 16 departments, 16 postgraduate programs and one extended university program. With a population of 5,906 undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students, an academic staff of 395 members and administration staff of 215 members, it is rated among the largest universities in the country. At the same time it is the first Greek university to fully incorporate information and communication technologies in its daily practices. The distinguishing characteristic of the University of the Aegean is that its departments offer education and research in new areas, usually interdisciplinary, which respond to the needs of modern society, thereby providing excellent career prospects, along with an education of high scientific value. http://www.aegean.gr.

About WebCT

WebCT has set the standard for e-learning systems in higher education. Based in Lynnfield, Mass., WebCT provides a highly flexible e-learning environment that empowers institutions across the educational spectrum with the ability to achieve their unique objectives. Thousands of colleges and universities around the world - from community colleges to large university consortia - are using WebCT to expand the boundaries of teaching and learning. For more information, please visit www.webct.com.