ARMONK, N.Y. and KITCHENER, Ontario, April 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Desire2Learn Incorporated (Desire2Learn) today announced new consulting services and software offerings that take the power of predictive analytics to improve outcomes in education. The new education platform will address the needs for schools, colleges and universities to improve the quality of education for students, enhance the effectiveness of teachers, and empower administrators to create more personalized learning environments.
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To deliver this new platform, IBM is collaborating with Desire2Learn, a learning solutions company that provides the Desire2Learn® Learning Environment and related products and technologies to schools, higher education, and organizations around the world. These range from individual schools, to district- and state-wide clients, to some of the world's largest education entities, such as The New York City Department of Education.
The result is the Smarter Education Solution from IBM, combining Desire2Learn's engaging, student focused learning environment with IBM's deep analytics, case management, and workflow to create instructional improvement systems for districts, departments of education, colleges and universities.
The U.S. Department of Education has allocated $5.3 billion for Race to the Top programs that support education transformation. Based on experiences drawn from hundreds of education engagements, IBM has combined innovations developed by its education services practice with leadership in enterprise analytics, content management and collaboration technologies. The Smarter Education solution has been designed to directly meet the needs of Race to the Top state initiatives and projects, while creating a foundation for any educational institution to improve its academic outcomes.
"Working with our user base of over 8 million learners, we've gained tremendous insight about the way students learn today," said John Baker, President and CEO, Desire2Learn. "The Smarter Education Solution will offer educational organizations the opportunity to combine that type of data, and the existing capabilities of the Desire2Learn Learning Suite, with IBM's analytics to offer new levels of insight to school administrators, teachers and students alike to develop more personalized and engaging learning paths and ultimately improved outcomes."
IBM will significantly broaden the access to deep analytics and actionable recommendations for educators, extending IBM's leadership in education.