CERTPOINT - Vuepoint Debuts Third Release of Integrated LCMS, LMS & Collaboration Offering, VLS 3.0, to Rapidly Deliver and Manage Product & Organizational Knowledge at the ‘Speed of Need’

... Web-based, open and customizable platform adapts to any organization’s structure and offers sophisticated learning objects, plus notification, collaboration and tracking capabilities...

LOS ANGELES, C.A., Oct. 1, 2001 – Vuepoint, an eLearning software and services company that matches speed to knowledge with speed to market, launched its third release of an integrated LCMS, LMS and collaboration offering, the Vuepoint Learning System (VLS) 3.0, at today’s OnLine Learning 2001 Conference & Exposition.  Vuepoint developed the new system with a mission to help organizations more rapidly deliver and manage their products and organizational knowledge at the “speed of need.”

Business Benefits

The goal in creating VLS 3.0 was to arm clients with a competitive weapon that would enable them to align two sets of goals: speed to market of products and services with speed to knowledge, or the pace at which the knowledge of a new product or service is absorbed by those who support, sell and purchase it.

“Today, competitive advantage is gained by the speed at which you deliver the knowledge of your product or service.  If you’re able to educate your sales force, partners and customers about a product even before it gets to market, you’ll dramatically increase sales and brand awareness right out of the gate,” said Ara Ohanian, CEO of Vuepoint.  “Speed was the main driver in this version.”

VLS 3.0 is the third organically developed version of a comprehensive LCMS, LMS and collaboration offering.  This single platform solution eliminates a company’s need to purchase and handle multiple software licenses to achieve all of their objectives.  Additionally, it eliminates the need, and costs incurred, to hire a systems integration company to make the systems work together.  Vuepoint’s systems can also turn off specific functions, enabling easy integration with other software that may already exist within a company’s infrastructure.

“We evaluated over a hundred eLearning companies during our due diligence this year,” said Matthew DeFeo, VP of Training, Recruiting and Sales and Services for Black & Decker/DEWALT.  “Vuepoint’s technology was the most comprehensive and easy to use.  From a cultural point of view, Vuepoint was also the most strategic, responsive and nimble of them all.”

New & Enhanced Features

With VLS 3.0, an author can tag micro lessons to create learning objects for re-use in various courses, while on the other hand learners can call up learning objects to help them complete a specific task.  Learning objects may include text pages, graphics, spreadsheets, video clips, audio clips, and tools such as a calculator, template or chat room.

Learning objects are stored in a central repository and can be re-used rather than copied, enabling authors to make edits only once, instead of multiple times within multiple locations.  Furthermore, authors designate where learning objects can be deployed, whether within specific courses, departments or throughout the enterprise.  Additionally, VLS 3.0 makes it simple for authors to import stylized Word and PowerPoint documents in order to easily convert these document’s content or graphics into learning objects.

VLS 3.0’s automated notification feature provides companies with a tool to proactively resolve scheduling conflicts.  For instance, a course expert trying to reserve an off-line classroom and equipment that are already booked would be automatically notified and given an alternative solution.  VLS 3.0 easily enables companies to create any notification based on their specific needs.

Robust collaboration is also a characteristic of VLS 3.0.  Whether content experts are collaborating to develop a new course or learners and instructors are participating in a virtual real-time workshop, the collaboration capabilities are endless.  Experts and learners can create virtual real-time sessions to chat, share content and applications, as well as perform tasks.  By setting up security rights, an expert can lead a virtual class by pushing live screens to learners for commentary.  The system can also archive a chat session and generate an email with a transcript for all participants.  Experts and learners can also create multiple bulletin boards for asynchronous discussions.

Tracking, measuring and identifying patterns are also unique to VLS 3.0, empowering content experts with an excellent tool for pinpointing and improving upon specific lessons.    In addition to tracking a learner’s progress and measuring the rate of knowledge transferred in real time, VLS 3.0 identifies patterns in order to assess and insure the quality of courses and instruction.  For example, if learners continually fail a specific question, the system will identify the pattern and inform content experts.

An influential analyst group, brandonhall.com named VLS 3.0 to four short lists, including Best Overall Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS), in the recently published report “Learning Content Management Systems: Comparative Analysis of Systems Used to Construct, Organize and Reuse ‘Learning Objects’.” Additionally, brandonhall.com and Online Learning magazine recognized Vuepoint’s Home Networking Course for 3Com Corporation with a silver award for Custom Content during the Excellence in E-Learning Awards ceremony Sunday evening at the OnLine Learning 2001 conference and exposition in Los Angeles.

Standards, Availability & Speed of Implementing

Carefully designed for easy and rapid implementation within as little as a day, VLS 3.0 is IMS and AICC compliant and adheres to specific SCORM standards.  The software is available either as a hosted ASP or behind-the-firewall solution.  Additionally, as with version 2.0, VLS 3.0 offers an offline viewer feature that allows mobile learners to learn anytime or anywhere.

 

About Vuepoint

Vuepoint (www.vuepoint.com), an eLearning company focused on providing a single platform combining a learning content management system (LCMS) and a learning management system (LMS), creates competitive organizations through a business-savvy approach. Vuepoint Learning System (VLS) incorporates dynamic knowledge management into an eLearning environment and has helped leading organizations such as Deloitte Consulting, 3Com, Carlson Marketing Group, A.T. Kearney and Toyota achieve speed-to-market advantages, improve productivity and employee retention and streamline costs.  Incorporated in 1996, Vuepoint’s management team is comprised of experienced professionals who come from the ranks of global leaders such as Procter & Gamble, KPMG LLP and Dow Jones Telerate as well as experts and scholars from the eLearning industry.