MADISON, Wis., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ SOFO ]), the trusted market leader for [ lecture capture ], enterprise and [ event webcasting ], today announced Tilburg School of Economics and Management received new honors for its lecture capture program centered on the Mediasite platform.

The school, located in the Netherlands, is a finalist for the Learning Impact Leadership Award from IMS Global Learning Consortium (GLC), and has also received the 2012 Dutch e-Learning Award.

"Mediasite by Sonic Foundry helps us connect with what I call the YouTube generation -- students who constantly have technology at their fingertips," said Bob van den Brand, adjunct associate professor at Tilburg School. "With Mediasite, we're able to make lectures time and place independent and offer mixed learning routes online, which has improved the performances of both students and professors. Sonic Foundry's support in this initiative has meant a lot to the program, and I look forward to our continued working relationship."

IMS GLC's Learning Impact Leadership Award recognizes the most impactful use of technology across the globe to improve learning. Tilburg School, represented by van den Brand, is recognized as a finalist for its iSTAR Learning Project, which uses for the Mediasite platform as its core educational technology for lecture capture and flipped instruction. iSTAR has increased the pass rate among students from 58 percent to 79 percent, and student satisfaction ratings have increased dramatically.

iSTAR stands for "Interactive web lectures, Snippets-practice, Try and test, Ask questions, and Results" and focuses on in-depth applications of blended e-learning in the introductory courses of management accounting & financial accounting. The iSTAR program starts with short studio-recorded lecture blocks that quickly dive into the learning material with case studies and self-guided student exercises. Students receive bonus points for taking practice tests through Blackboard and are immediately able to check their answers through yet another lecture block. This model has since been introduced into more schools at Tilburg, including Liberal Arts, Social Sciences and International Business Administration, and recordings are done in multiple languages.

The project will be evaluated by a panel of judges at the IMS annual Learning Impact Conference and Summit on Global Learning Industry Challenges May 14-17 in Toronto, Canada. The Learning Impact Awards are unique in that nominations include information about technology solutions and also how that technology is used by an educational or training organization. The entries are evaluated according to eight criteria of impact, including improving access to learning, improving affordability of learning and improving the quality of learning.

The Dutch e-Learning Award 2012 recognized iSTAR as the "Best Practice e-Learning" program. According to the Dutch e-learning Award jury, iSTAR enables students, besides going to lectures, to study at a time that is appropriate for them, to repeat specific topics when necessary and to be more actively involved in classes.

Bob van den Brand recently presented the webinar, "[ Improving Student Outcomes with Lecture Capture Technology ]," which explained the iSTAR program and results Tilburg achieved. The project was also recognized with a 2011 [ Rich Media Impact Award ] for Excellence in Education which honors outstanding achievement in creating innovative rich media rooms and facilities. Van den Brand's submission can be viewed at [ http://sofo.com/fac75 ].

"The Tilburg School of Economics and Management is an excellent example of how universities are making a real impact on learning outcomes by using Mediasite to increase both the pass rate and student satisfaction," said Gary Weis, chief executive officer of Sonic Foundry. "Sonic Foundry is proud to partner with a school of this caliber to realize our shared vision of using lecture capture technology to enhance the learning process. Tilburg's continued recognition this year is well deserved."

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.
Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, [ www.sonicfoundry.com ]) is the trusted market leader for enterprise webcasting and lecture capture, providing video communication solutions for education, business and government. Powered by the patented Mediasite webcasting platform and Mediasite Events group, the company empowers people to transform the way they communicate online, using video webcasts to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.

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Tilburg School of Economics and Management Again Recognized for Increasing Pass Rates and Student Satisfaction with Mediasite L

Tilburg School of Economics and Management Again Recognized for Increasing Pass Rates and Student Satisfaction with Mediasite Lecture Capture and Flipped Instruction

Netherlands school named a finalist in the IMS Global Learning Consortium Awards and receives Dutch e-Learning Award