Clearwater, FL - December 4, 2000

Online Development announces the release of a totally-enhanced version of its best-of-breed Learning Management System, FlexTraining.  The new release brings usability and utility enhancements in its Student, Administrator, and Instructor modules.

FlexTrainingT Web Based software is a complete, flexible Learning Management System which works with any modern web browser over the Internet or a corporate Intranet. The system runs on the NT Server (or Windows 2000 Server) operating system and Microsoft's popular Internet Information Server.

FlexTraining lets customers build, deliver, and manage custom Online Training over a local or distributed network, without programming, utilizing a common web server and browser.

Leveraging these existing tools means that companies don't have to spend time and money installing special client "plug-in" or other software on the personal computers of all students.

It also means greater ease-of-use for online learners, because they are using the same interface, a web browser, that they use for all their web access. FlexTraining even comes with complete Source Code, for customers who need to customize their system beyond the considerable flexibility offered by numerous easily-set configuration options.

Online training tools are well past the stage of merely delivering web pages for students to read. The best WBT systems feature remote signup, online testing, course guides, and web-based setup and administration.

Combined with the version 3.1 release this past April, version 3.2 of greatly expands the utility of this flexible e-Learning solution. For more information, including an online demonstration, proceed to the Getting Started section.

1. FlexVideoT Video Management Support

FlexTraining now includes video management features distributed throughout the Student and Administrator modules, allowing streaming video to be added to courses sections, and mixed with other types of content, without programming.

Streaming Video clips may be presented within a course as a stand-alone-frame, or accompanied by user-defined HTML pages, in either a vertical or horizontal split-screen layout. Video management logic is embedded directly into the appropriate video-display pages, to make sure streaming is optimized and tightly integrated into the FlexTraining framework.

Video clips may also be added to a FlexTraining test, to be played on-demand by the online test-taker.

2. Virtual Document Libraries

FlexTraining now includes a complete Virtual Document Library facility, allowing customers to store course-related or student-related documents for quick retrieval from within FlexTraining. The facility includes both uploading and user-defined search and retrieval functions. Users can set up their own Libraries, Document Types, and Document Attributes, such as Author, Date, Title, Subject, Keywords, and any other required information.

The document libraries can accept and manage any web-deliverable file format, including MS Word or Excel files, Adobe PDF, HTML, charts and photos, plain text or even streaming video. The actual library contents may be maintained on the web server, or at any other web-addressable location.

Libraries for Student-related documents such as Employment Applications and Performance Evaluations are accessible to the Course Administrator and Instructor, while Course-related libraries and material are accessible to the online learners.

The Virtual Document Libraries are integrated directly into the FlexTraining Administration and Student Modules, for ease of use and quick access. In addition, the Administrator can turn the entire set of features on or off instantly, for customers who do not wish to utilize this facility.

3. Automated Course Templates

For quicker setup of new courses, FlexTraining adds Automated Course Templates processing. A course developer can duplicate an entire course with a couple of mouse clicks and by typing a title for the new course. An on-screen option lets the developer choose to replicate the course framework only, or to copy Course Sections, the Course Guide, and Online Tests as well.

For example, a software company might offer one version of a training course for software end users and another one for programmers, with a lot of the material common between the two. Now the course developer can create the second course based on the first, and may elect to keep the course sections and course guide chapters to start with, while discarding the tests and starting fresh.

Course templates processing copies the Lesson Plan and the user-selected content items to a new course structure. From there, the developer may continue to refine and adjust the material for the new course.

4. Multi-Organization Mode

This new feature is an option that may be selected by the Administrator at any time after installation. In Multi-Organization mode, a student sees only classmates and enrollment lists from his or her own company. This allows a FlexTraining customer to develop course catalogs for several different companies or organizations, and have students from each company feel like they have their own training site.

Each online learner identifies his organization at initial enrollment time, and viewable student and enrollment lists are all filtered for that specific organization.

The Course Administrator may still see consolidated reports that show activity across all organizations. Reports built with the FlexTraining Ad-Hoc Report Builder may also choose to filter results for a Single Organization.

5. Instant Performance Graphing

New on-demand graphing capabilities allow the Course Administrator to visually depict test scores and trends.  Instant Line Graphs or Bar Graphs are generated to display trended average (all students) scores from test to test

6. Enhanced Flexibility for Students and Administrators

Various other enhancements throughout FlexTraining improve usability and flexibility, including:

• The ability for students to download and save their course notes from the FlexTraining online student notebook.
• A Student Gradebook feature which displays all test scores and course progress, for current and previous classes.
• A user-defined currency symbol, for when courses are paid for using FlexTraining's optional built-in Credit Card processing, in a foreign currency.