Minnesota’s First Ever “E-Learning Summit” To Take Place In May 

ST. PAUL, Minnesota – January 17, 2002 – Minnesota Virtual University (mnVu) announced today the convening of the first ever “E-Learning Summit” to take place in May.

The Minnesota E-Learning Summit will be a one-day forum for Minnesota's educators, students, administrators, legislators, and others involved or interested in electronic-learning. The forum will bring together participants from K-12, higher education, government, and industry to share their experiences, discuss future directions, and create the synergies to meet market demands for flexible educational choices.

E-learning is a growing segment of the education field in which learners use network technology such as the Internet in place of or in conjunction with traditional methods of delivering learning opportunities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, education and training accounts for $700 billion a year in the U.S. economy alone, with distance education acquiring an increasing slice of the pie. Merrill Lynch forecasts the total e-learning market to be $25 billion by 2003, and a recent study by IDC (International Data Corporation) concluded that the market is projected to approach $30 billion worldwide, compared to $2 billion at the end of 1999.

There is a great deal of e-learning happening in Minnesota. Innovative programs and initiatives abound, ranging from Mindquest, the nation's first online high school, to Internet 2 initiatives for e-learning at Minnesota's institutions of higher education. However, currently no forum exists for Minnesota's e-learning innovators across K-12 and higher education to come together to discuss policies and directions. The Minnesota E-Learning Summit will address this need for across-the-board collaboration and strategy.

Today from the Capitol, Governor Jesse Ventura applauded the effort; “We need to make it easier for the people of Minnesota to access all of the state’s educational options – and e-learning will be a model for the future. This summit is a good start towards developing technology that delivers services in a better way, plus it shows what can happen when government partners with education and private organizations.”

Access to e-learning options is the thrust behind Minnesota’s Virtual University, a partnership of Minnesota education providers and state agencies, located on the web at www.mnvu.org. mnVu enables users to search a comprehensive database of courses offered from numerous higher education institutions including the largest listing of Internet-based courses in Minnesota.

According to Dr. Gary Langer, Executive Director of iSeek Solutions, the developer of mnVu, “E-learning provides academic institutions with a capacity to reach more students and life long learners. E-learning can also enhance workforce and economic development. mnVu’s sponsorship of the E-Learning Summit is an attempt to energize the major players to work together to provide more access and quality in e-learning products and services for Minnesota.”

The Minnesota E-Learning Summit will be held on Thursday, May 23 at Hamline University and is being sponsored by Apple Computer Incorporated and Vubiz.com. To register for the summit, visit www.mnvu.org.

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