Indianapolis, IN October 29 2001 – At the EDUCAUSE 2001 Conference here today, ABT revealed plans for enhancing its IQ.Web content management system to enable the administration and support of Internet-based teaching and learning.  Institutions that license ABT PowerCAMPUS and IQ.Web will have the ability to use document imaging systems and to access external Internet content and services, thereby enriching the context of traditional campus resources. The new ABT system is currently scheduled for beta testing at Mount Union College (Ohio) in the Spring.

The entire campus community will benefit from IQ.Web content management interfaces. Admissions staff, for example, can use the new functionality to pull together pieces of an applicant’s file, combining electronic and paper-based submissions so that other decision-makers in the institution can view the information.  Students can create an electronic multimedia portfolio of academic projects, achievements and related performance information for review by their faculty advisors and, ultimately, their prospective employers.  Presently, faculty can access the IQ.Web content management system via the Course Manager Media-File Wizard, which  facilitates the organization, keyword indexing, assignment of access rights, and the presentation parameters of course/class Web-site learning materials.
Client-Centered Development Plan

“We are working closely with our clients to develop an application platform that system administrators can configure to meet the unique academic and administrative needs of their institution,” says David Moldoff, President of ABT.  “It’s our view that the benefit of a content management system today is measured by the usefulness of its interfaces in supporting the respective needs of students, faculty and administrators and its ability to handle a wide variety of electronic file formats.  The institution’s faculty and administrators are in the best position to decide what content and which Internet providers are appropriate.”
Only One System to Support

“Academic and administrative systems interoperability is the latest battleground for IT vendors serving the higher education market,” Moldoff continued.  “Many vendors have chosen to address this issue by partnering, but piecing together two system architectures doesn’t really address the need to help administrators and faculty work together more efficiently serving the needs of students.  Also, given that user support continues to be the number one issue for campus IS staff, one system is considerably more cost-effective for the institution.”

ABT’s PowerCAMPUS provides an enterprise-wide, back-office administrative solution.  By deploying the integrated IQ.Web Course Manager solution, institutions benefit from an application designed specifically to support academic and administrative systems interoperability.