(Emantras interview for the National Educational Computing Conference)
Sep 1, 2008
Written by: Supra Manohar
Executive Vice President, Emantras, Inc
How many different software packages does your school use? How much time is taken up by needing to have your teachers learn how to use the new package? And how many times do you just brush off this new package because it becomes too difficult and time-consuming to effectively use? Those are just some of the questions many administrators ask themselves when evaluating the need for new software packages. Now you no longer need to ask yourselves these types of questions, as a global leader in the digital education marker Emantras has been developing custom eLearning solutions for over 8 years and has the experience and capacity to build a solution that meets your specific needs.
Emantras has experience in developing custom eLearning solutions for clients all over the globe and has an established reputation for delivering exactly what the client wants, quickly, and cost effectively. Now you no longer need to go through demo after demo and then have to settle on several packages to address the different needs of your students and then have a variety of reporting tools, various IT needs, and the learning curve for your students and teachers to learn how to effectively use the new package. Emantras builds what you need and want.
Emantras is a global digital education company. What does that mean?
Emantras staffs over 350 employees around the world. Our corporate headquarters is located in the Silicon Valley and we have business and project development offices all over the globe. We work with corporations, publishers, and schools all over the world, helping our partners create distance learning plans, strategies, and content. Emantras has over 20,000 hours of worldwide eLearning content experience giving us the edge in working with your needs.
Sounds like your experiences and partners have been very dynamic. What are some of your most interesting projects to date?
We've excelled in custom learning content and delivery technologies for academic education and enterprise learning/performance. In today's technology and learning landscape, better usability means better accessibility, so if your child is most likely to carry a Nintendo DS, Sony PSP or iPod everywhere they go, why should their learning opportunities be tethered to a computer? Our most interesting projects have been in creating ubiquitous learning strategies that complement the everyday habits of learners. Usability also means creating content that actually captures the imagination and interest of today’s visually enhanced learners.
Must schools and corporations have a distance education plan or learning management system in place when they partner with Emantras?
Some partners come to us with a plan, and some don't. Two great examples from both sides of the coin are Danfoss and West Coast University. Danfoss is currently using our proprietary learning management system to push content and activities to employees worldwide, so they didn't have an existing plan when we partnered. West Coast University is using the eCollege LMS and is working with Emantras to develop consistent and engaging courses, online admissions and FA applications, demos, and orientation materials to identify and train online faculty. WCU had a plan that we built upon. The real strength of Emantras is being able to collaborate on the right solutions.
Publishers provide some very good online content. Why not use their materials exclusively?
Many of our partners are big publishing houses. We've found, through personal experience and partner feedback, that although materials from individual publishers are impressive, the student has a different experience with every piece of publisher content. To draw a parallel to face-to-face education, it's like going to math class and sitting in chairs, and then going to English and standing on your head. With so many factors affecting student success, the last obstacle a student needs is inconsistent resources and courses. We frequently bridge the gap between the publishers and the educators to deliver the "last mile" solutions required to deliver effective and easy to comprehend learning material. Having custom content mapping to your own learning objectives also allows you to use publisher content more effectively by providing greater control of the quality and consistency.
