REDMOND, Wash. — Respondus, Inc. announces the release of StudyMate Class Server, a web-based collaboration tool that lets students and instructors create interactive study materials from within online courses. StudyMate Class Server creates a social learning environment that is both fun and effective. Simple templates are used to enter course content, such as glossary terms, facts from lecture, or multiple choice questions. Students can then view each fact or question using a variety of Flash-based learning activities, ranging from simple flash cards to full-featured game shows. Students can edit each other’s work and instructors can monitor activity, correct items, or contribute materials of their own.
“StudyMate Class Server is one of the most exciting products we’ve ever developed,” says David Smetters, President of Respondus, Inc. “Unlike a traditional study group, StudyMate Class Server lets students collaborate without having to arrange meeting times and locations. Instructors can participate at varying levels too, making this the ultimate study group for students.”
Over 60 higher education institutions participated in the 6-month beta release. “The response from students has been tremendous,” adds Smetters. “They like being able to develop study materials in a collaborative environment, while still being able to review materials on their own using whichever activities are preferred.”
StudyMate Class Server integrates seamlessly with Blackboard courses and offers single sign-on and gradebook integration. Instructors can also copy questions created by students directly from StudyMate Class Server to the assessment tool in the Blackboard system. This adds an entirely new dimension to social learning.
The StudyMate Class Server software is available for institutions running the Blackboard Learning System (Enterprise 6.3+, Vista 4.0+, or CE 6.0+). Educational institutions can request a free 3-month pilot license. For more details, visit www.respondus.com.
About Respondus, Inc.
Respondus(R), Inc. develops assessment applications for the e-Learning market. Instructors at over 2,000 colleges, universities and K-12 institutions in more than 50 countries use Respondus software to enhance the capabilities of their course management systems. Respondus also partners with publishers, including Pearson Education, Cengage Learning and McGraw-Hill Higher Education, to distribute question banks for over 2,000 of the leading textbooks in higher education.
For more information, visit http://www.respondus.com/
Send2Press(R) is the originating wire service for this story, Copr. 2009.
[tags]Respondus, StudyMate Class Server, David Smetters, social learning environment, web-based collaboration tool[/tags]
