Better Enabled Distance Learning, White-Boarding, Application Sharing, Virtual Office Hours Key to Degree Program Success

PHOENIX (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) April 24, 2008 -- When Creighton University launched the nation’s first Web-based entry-level doctor of pharmacy program in 2001 it didn’t have the powerful Web collaboration tools it needed to satisfy the distance-learning students’ needs. A Jesuit university located in Omaha, Neb., the school’s Web conferencing technology allowed for some basic features, but offered very little interactivity beyond the basics. Worse, the technology only supported one session at a time, which clearly wouldn’t satisfy the broad learning and collaboration requirements of the program.

iLinc had the tools we needed - interactive white-boarding, desktop and application sharing, and other robust features

Plus, the pricing met our needs for concurrent seat use and was very fair.

Beyond phones, e-mail, and IM, iLinc gives our off-site students a strong collaboration tool to work on projects together in real-time

They can even do class presentations just like campus students. It's a more positive experience for the distance students than we could offer before.

Universities are under as much pressure as corporations when it comes to improving productivity, growing enrollment and improving the bottom line

We work with them to find ways to leverage our technology across the administration, faculty and student populations to meet these growing demands. And since we have such a flexible suite of products and licensing options we make it easy.

Outside the classroom, students jumped right into using iLinc as well, quickly learning how to set up sessions for class-related activities such as presentations and study groups

Creighton’s School of Pharmacy and Health Professions looked at a variety of major Web conferencing providers to meet its arduous requirements and selected a suite of solutions from iLinc (AMEX:ILC), a leading developer of Web conferencing software and audio conferencing services.

“iLinc had the tools we needed – interactive white-boarding, desktop and application sharing, and other robust features,” said Tracy A. Chapman, M.Ed., Executive Director for eLearning and Technology for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at Creighton University. “Plus, the pricing met our needs for concurrent seat use and was very fair.”

Additionally, iLinc met a critical requirement that other vendors could not provide. The university required that the Web conferencing solution integrate with Active Directory to enable single sign-on and authentication.

“Beyond phones, e-mail, and IM, iLinc gives our off-site students a strong collaboration tool to work on projects together in real-time,” Chapman said. “They can even do class presentations just like campus students. It’s a more positive experience for the distance students than we could offer before.”

Creighton is one of a growing number of colleges and university systems benefiting from the ability to offer degree programs and distance learning courses to students no matter where they live. According to statistics published by the National Center for Education, more than 3 million students enrolled in distance education courses in the 2000-2001 academic school year and it expects this number to increase to 18.2 million by 2013.

"Universities are under as much pressure as corporations when it comes to improving productivity, growing enrollment and improving the bottom line,” said James M. Powers, Jr., iLinc’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We work with them to find ways to leverage our technology across the administration, faculty and student populations to meet these growing demands. And since we have such a flexible suite of products and licensing options we make it easy.”

iLinc’s business model is working in the higher education market, as evidenced by long-term users such as Creighton, Tulane University, the State University of New York and Kent State University. Earlier this year California State University, Fullerton selected the iLinc software suite as the backbone for a host of projects that will connect students and faculty across its multiple campuses.

At Creighton, students and faculty have found multiple uses for iLinc. Instructors at the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions teach some courses on campus and online at the same time. The faculty also relies on iLinc for virtual office hours and exam reviews. School administrators have even used iLinc to interview potential employees.

“Outside the classroom, students jumped right into using iLinc as well, quickly learning how to set up sessions for class-related activities such as presentations and study groups,” said Chapman.

The case study detailing how Creighton University is using Web conferencing is available online at http://www.ilinc.com/resources/casestudies/creighton-university

About iLinc

iLinc is a leading developer of Web conferencing software and audio conferencing solutions for highly secure and cost-effective online meetings, presentations, and training sessions. The Company's technology allows people in diverse locations to communicate and collaborate online while avoiding the expense, environmental damage, and productivity losses associated with travel. iLinc provides an award-winning, enterprise-wide suite of Web, audio and video conferencing solutions that can be scaled up or down to meet the needs of any size organization. Offering the industry's most flexible pricing models, iLinc gives organizations the power to choose an on-premise installed, on-demand hosted, or hybrid solution—whichever model delivers the highest ROI for the customer. iLinc is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with offices in Troy, New York and Salt Lake City, Utah.

iLinc, iLinc Communications, iLinc Suite, MeetingLinc, LearnLinc, ConferenceLinc, SupportLinc, EventPlus, and their respective logos are trademarks of iLinc Communications, Inc. All other company names and products may be trademarks of their respective companies.

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