DynEd International, Inc. and SCS Azioninnova S.p.a. Partner Successfully in One of the Largest English-Language Training Projects in Italian History.

Products used:
New Dynamic English Dynamic Business English Functioning In Business The Lost Secret English by the Numbers

DynEd and its Italian training partner, SCS Azioninnova S.p.a., have won a three-year contract from INPS (Instituto Nazionale Previdenza Sociale), the state-body Italian Social Insurance Service (linked to the Department of Employment), to provide English language training to 2,000 employees per year starting in the spring of 2001. Valued at approximately 1.7 million dollars, this project is believed to be one of the largest distance English-language training tenders in the public sector in Italian history.

This was the DynEd/Azioninnova partnership's third consecutive tender win, and the most hotly contested. Around fifteen different consortia of training organizations and software publishers competed. But Azioninnova's superb organizational management and highly professional teaching staff, combined with the pedagogical and technical superiority of DynEd's language learning software, won the day. The extremely favorable marks given the Azioninnova/DynEd program by trainees and INPS administrators and technical staff during the two previous INPS training programs -- 350 students in 1999 and 1,000 students in 2000 -- no doubt helped, too.

Azioninnova led the project bid with a comprehensive training program built around DynEd's award-winning interactive multimedia courses, with strong support from Azioninnova's team of professional language teachers. DynEd's Business English Advantage Series (BEAS) -- New Dynamic English, The Lost Secret, Dynamic Business English, Functioning in Business and English by the Numbers -- networked at over 250 sites throughout Italy, form the core of the self-study component of the program. Students will also meet every few weeks in small classes. Students have two or more 45-minute self-study sessions each week, and one 7-hour, face-to-face training day a month for a period of 6 months each year. These small classes are held at 8 regional training centers where Azioninnova's teachers provide opportunities for additional oral practice, personalization, and extension lessons designed by Azioninnova's Language Training Department to meet the specialized professional needs of INPS employees. The new training program will be repeated each year from 2001 to 2003.

All trainees will take DynEd's computer-adaptive Placement Test to determine their language level and the best starting point within DynEd's extensive range of programs. DynEd's networked courses, which use QuickTime video and sophisticated Speech Recognition technology specially adapted for language learners, focus primarily on listening comprehension and oral fluency development, backed with a wide variety of skill-building exercises designed to help students achieve true mastery of the language. As students work through the programs several times, the content is constantly being changed by DynEd's patented Shuffler mechanism, which automatically adjusts the depth or level of difficulty of the questions and material presented in response to student proficiency. Reading and writing skills are developed through written follow-up exercises and other tasks assigned by Azioninnova's teachers. DynEd's computer-based Mastery Tests provide regular confirmation of student progress.

One of the greatest technical challenges faced by Azioninnova and DynEd in the initial programs, beyond the immense complexities of managing such a large number of students from all over Italy and supporting over 250 networked installations, was the request by INPS for a centralized record-keeping system. Working closely with Azioninnova's technical support staff, DynEd's engineers have developed a system to gather and collate records from all 250 networked sites into a single centralized database in Rome, which is then redistributed to the 8 regional training centers. At the heart of this is DynEd's Records Manager program, which automatically records details of all student self-study activities, allowing Azioninnova's trainers to monitor student progress, analyze individual learning styles, and provide professional guidance and support.

DynEd's corporate policy of continual reinvestment in the updating of its core multimedia programs means that INPS will benefit from upgrades through the life of the 3-year contract.

About SCS Azioninnova S.p.a.

SCS Azioninnova S.p.a. is a training and consultancy company based in Bologna, Italy, with an additional office in Brussels. It offers management and language training services to small and large companies in both the private and public sectors, and carries out a variety of research projects on a consultancy basis. Its tailor-made solutions in areas as diverse as Quality Certification, Change Management, Information Technology, Safety in the Workplace, and languages have made it one of the leading training and consultancy organizations in Italy.

For more information on DynEd Solutions, please contact us at info@dyned.com.

DynEd and LiveEnglish Help Portuguese Companies Increase their English Language Effectiveness and Reduce Training Costs.

DynEd International, Inc., has provided educational consultancy and worked closely with company training departments, training organizations, and Ministries of Education in a variety of countries throughout the world. One such collaboration has been at LiveEnglish, where, according to LiveEnglish, students are experiencing up to a 50% reduction in the time required to reach the level of the Cambridge First Certificate (FCE) in English.

LiveEnglish, based in Lisbon, Portugal, has implemented a multi-method English training system built around DynEd's core CBT solutions. Customers study independently on DynEd's networked multimedia and consult as needed with a LiveEnglish language professional. After reviewing each student's detailed study records in the DynEd Records Manager, the language tutors are able to effectively coach learners in the areas where they most need help. This combination of CBT with support from language professionals has become the strategic training solution of choice in many Portuguese corporations and at the LiveEnglish language institutes.

The success of the LiveEnglish and DynEd Learning Solutions is a result of the strong pedagogical underpinnings of the program for language learning, combined with flexibility and cost-effectiveness. DynEd's networked multimedia and records management enable employees to study at their own pace, anytime and anywhere. When studying at home or on the road, students can e-mail study records to tutors anywhere in the world. Convenience leads to increased study frequency, which in turn results in an accelerated language acquisition process. The occasional meetings with tutors and other trainees provide crucial opportunities to practice, personalize, consolidate, and extend the learning into the industry-specific language areas trainees require. This combination of directed self-study and classroom follow-up minimizes total training time, and face-to-face employee-trainer time, significantly reducing overall training costs.

In a recent interview, LiveEnglish's Director, Maria Concepcion da Gracia said, "We have training contracts with some of the largest and most recognized companies in Portugal, and are pleased to say that all these companies continue to renew their contracts. This success can be credited to our hard work and to the LiveEnglish's methodology where DynEd courseware plays an essential role. DynEd has been a great help from the outset by providing LiveEnglish not only with superb materials and training, but also great professional advice in the organization of our curriculum and programs. The Portuguese corporate market has been very receptive, especially organizations where time management, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and customized solutions are important issues."

Maria went on to say, "Our data over the last 4 years shows that students using this powerful combination of software and LiveEnglish tutoring achieve the Cambridge FCE in up to half the number of hours it takes by other published methods."

Trainees benefit in particular from DynEd's revolutionary scope and sequence that builds language in an ever-increasing spiral from the beginning to the advanced levels, leading to true language mastery. Each title in the Business English Advantage Series (BEAS) -- New Dynamic English, Dynamic Business English, The Lost Secret, Functioning in Business and English by the Numbers-- offers motivating content diversity while still adhering to this powerful, integrated curriculum.

English training can be deployed using individual CD-ROMs or enterprise networks, and includes computer-adaptive Placement Tests and Mastery Tests, and a comprehensive Records Manager system that enables trainers and learners to get started quickly and achieve their goals sooner.

About LiveEnglish

LiveEnglish is an effective, flexible, motivating, customized and cost-effective solution for the learning of the English language in corporations and in schools. LiveEnglish, based in Lisbon, Portugal, is a multimethod system for the learning of English as a foreign language. It employs several carefully-selected methods and strategies in order to improve learning at all levels, by generating environments capable of providing participants with a wide range of experiences that will facilitate the learning of English. The LiveEnglish concept integrates different synergistic components to boost the effect on the development of English language skills which, in turn, increase the motivation of the student. LiveEnglish uses DynEd courseware as a powerful and irreplaceable method to develop students'' English language skills from early stages to advanced levels.

LiveEnglish Contact Info:

Mr. Domingos Pesquita
Director
LIVE Center Saldanha
Praca Duque de Saldanha, n.1 - 3 C
1050-094
Lisboa, Portugal

Phone: 351-21-351-1600
Fax: 351-21-351-1609

e-mail: dpesquita@hotmail.com

For more information on DynEd Solutions, please contact us at info@dyned.com.