Lightspan's Higher Education Division Signs Contract for Missouri Statewide Initiative
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 2001--
Missouri Joins Minnesota, Michigan, Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington and
New York in Partnering with Academic
Systems through Widespread System and State Agreements
Academic Systems, the higher education division of Lightspan, Inc. and leading provider of interactive, multimedia instructional programs for college students, has signed a Statewide Master Agreement in Missouri to provide the company's instructional technology offerings to students at all public and private two- and four-year institutions. The contract is similar to agreements already under way in Minnesota, Michigan, Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington and New York. The agreement gives tens of thousands of additional students access to Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English, the company's flagship products.
"We're pleased to expand our relationship with institutions in Missouri, where we have enjoyed a long relationship," said Jim Dredge, CEO of Academic Systems. "Missouri institutions already using the materials report that Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English are helping them reach more students, in particular those who excel through learning styles not easily reached through traditional classroom efforts."
The agreement is hosted by the Missouri Community College Association, the key association serving the needs of community colleges across the state, in collaboration with many four-year institutions. Executive Director and CEO Dr. James Kellerman says the agreement is important because it helps span the digital divide by giving students - regardless of the size of their campus - equitable access to quality, comprehensive mathematics and writing materials from Academic Systems to help them be successful in their college courses. All campuses will now pay the same fees for the materials, whereas previously larger campuses benefited from economies of scale.
"It's our job to explore and invest in alternative instructional methodologies we think can help students learn," said Dr. Don Doucette, vice chancellor for education and technology at the Metropolitan Community Colleges, the second largest community college district in Missouri. "We have had success with students using Academic Systems' materials, and this agreement will make those materials available to more students, especially at smaller institutions."
Several campuses that have been using the materials already will benefit from this new agreement, including the Metropolitan Community Colleges, Southwest Missouri State University and Crowder College. Additionally, new campuses have already signed on to begin using the materials through the agreement, including Missouri Southern State College, North Central Missouri College and Three Rivers Community College.
"I've been a strong proponent of expanding usage of Academic Systems' materials more fully throughout the state because of the success I've experienced first-hand," said Dr. John Rucker, dean of instruction at Crowder College, which has 1,900 students. "I was the guinea pig at Crowder who first used Academic Systems in a class of twenty-four students. This semester, we have ten instructors with about two hundred fifty students. We look forward to continuing to expose more students here to the mathematics and English instructional materials and are excited to see more campuses be given the ability to offer their students the same opportunities."
Academics Systems is known for its expertise in instructional design. Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English courseware are designed to serve developmental students in higher education. The company also offers academic.com, an interactive online content library that supplements faculty teaching and supports student learning in classrooms, learning centers and distance learning environments. academic.com is appropriate for all college students across the general education curriculum. |
