MADISON, Wis., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Not long ago Villanova University's College of Engineering faced mounting expenses, stagnant enrollment and the changing tide to offer degrees online. Sean O'Donnell, Director of Distance Education, saw an opportunity to use course capture to transform what was originally a small, regional graduate program into a national online success.
Sonic Foundry, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOFO), the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, will host a webinar in which O'Donnell discusses how launching an online lecture program via Mediasite helped the college increase graduate enrollment by 50 percent and expand their offerings. Now there are four fully online Master's degrees with students in 35 states and four countries. The program that started with a $3,000 grant is now transformed into an educational system that generates over $1 million in gross tuition, all without a single tuition or fee increase.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. Central
WHERE: To register for this complimentary webinar, visit www.sonicfoundry.com/register
Join O'Donnell as he presents:
- Strategies he used to propel this US News & World Report top 10-ranked program into a recession proof, revenue-generating machine
- Methods to launch online courses that not only contribute to the bottom line, but also improve student achievement by raising GPAs, lowering the class dropout rate and reducing failures
- Best practices for using incremental revenue to finance enhanced learning facilities for campus-wide use
Presenter:
Sean O'Donnell is the director of distance education for the College of Engineering at Villanova University. Beyond the technical design of the distance and enhanced education facilities, Sean brought validity to distance education through on-going metrics and studies showing that the technologies of today not only improve the way distance learners receive their courses, but also improve the way the traditional in-class student learns as well. O'Donnell grew up in Philadelphia and now lives in Valley Forge, PA. Outside of work, he is an accomplished musician, athlete, public speaker, traveler and pilot.
Moderator:
Sean Brown, Sonic Foundry's vice president of education
About Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.
Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the global leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, providing enterprise communication solutions for more than 1,500 customers in education, business and government. Powered by Mediasite, the patented webcasting platform which automates the capture, management, delivery and search of lectures, online training and briefings, Sonic Foundry empowers people to transform the way they communicate. Through the Mediasite platform and its Events Services group, the company helps customers connect a dynamic, evolving world of shared knowledge and envisions a future where learners and workers around the globe use webcasting to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance.
Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.
Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.
