New iCohere Case Study Highlights ASAE’s Online Professional Learning Program

Walnut Creek, CA, October 27, 2011 --(PR.com)-- iCohere Inc., an online collaboration platform provider that enables online communities, conferences, courses, and webcasts, has just published a case study describing their successful work with ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership.

In 2005, as part of their educational program known as “ASAE University,” ASAE began developing 6-week self-paced online courses on association core competencies. Their goal, according to Tammy Blosil, VP of Online Learning at ASAE, “Is not just to provide products and programs, but to actually provide a curriculum whereby an association member can glean what it is they need in order to do their jobs better.” Starting off with a shoe-string budget and a volunteer-run model, ASAE decided to cut costs and maximize outreach by offering courses online through the iCohere® Collaboration Platform.

In the last 6 years, utilizing iCohere’s flexible, feature-rich platform, ASAE’s virtual courses have had the chance to flourish and grow. ASAE University is now a paid-faculty operation with multiple 6-week and 2-week courses that enroll thousands of participants every year and report an average satisfaction rating of 4.3 out of 5. Furthermore, though many people may find themselves feeling uncomfortable or less motivated to learn in an online educational environment, ASAE and iCohere have created a course site that greatly facilitates the learning process for participants. Consequently, over 75% of people who enroll in ASAE’s online courses successfully see them to completion.

Part of ASAE’s phenomenal success can be attributed to their method of structuring courses. Each online course is divided into six modules (or less in a 2-week course) that focus on specific topics, thus simplifying the process of setting up a self-study schedule. If participants fall behind at any point, every module is kept accessible 24/7, so it is not difficult to make up the work. ASAE also administers ample guidance in the site. For example, prior to the start of a 6-week course, ASAE offers participants a 6-day orientation period to familiarize themselves with the iCohere site and set up an online profile. Once the course begins, participants are helped by experienced faculty and a course administrator who provide such services as sending out personalized progress reports and initiating live online discussions. Additionally, a help desk is available 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. EST to assist participants with any technical issues.

Through these various site features, ASAE has been able to accommodate the needs of hard-working professionals and association members who need or want to continue their education. Online education is becoming more and more commonplace, and ASAE is an example of an organization that has taken great advantage of this technology, creating highly successful, personalized curricula that have provided genuine benefits to its members.

iCohere has made this case study available on its website at: http://icohere.com/CaseStudies/ASAE_Case_Study.pdf

About iCohere
iCohere is a customer-focused technology company that provides a proven, cloud-hosted platform with facilitation, media production, and support services for professional online collaboration projects and events. Our “all-in-one” integrated system is flexible enough for online conferences, collaborative eLearning courses, large-scale webinars, and online communities of practice. iCohere offers training and support through every step of the planning, configuration, and execution process, ensuring that clients fully understand and maximize their experience with iCohere’s feature-rich platform.

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