SAN FRANCISCO, CA and CHAMPAIGN, IL — (Marketwired) — 03/04/15 — , a new way for anyone to create engaging online learning experiences, and , one of the world–s most respected computer, web, and cloud software companies, today announced a partnership enabling a new level of interactive digital courseware.
Under the terms of the partnership, which includes joining the Versal Board of Directors, Wolfram and Versal are making it easy for educators to embed content based on Wolfram technology directly into courses they create on Versal. Deeper integration is planned for the future, including making Wolfram resources readily available in the Versal platform.
“Computation-based interactive content should be a part of every classroom, whether it–s rotatable 3D models of molecules or fully controllable interactive diagrams that explore physical models or analyze real-world financial data,” said Stephen Wolfram, founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, the creators of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha and the new Wolfram Language. “Teachers have been using Wolfram technologies for many years to create engaging course content and inject computation into their curriculum. With Versal and our new cloud-based capabilities there–s an amazing opportunity to bring a new level of interactivity and computational knowledge to a very wide range of educational settings. We–re excited to partner with Versal to make this happen.”
Wolfram continued, “Our company has always been deeply committed to education, and our evolving products have been central to technical education for 25 years. When I first met Gregor over a year ago, I was pleased to meet another entrepreneur who shared the vision of moving technology for education forward. I–m pleased to join Versal–s Board of Directors.”
“Stephen Wolfram and his team of scientists, mathematicians, developers and educators have set the standard for interactive online learning,” said , co-founder and CEO at Versal. “They–re technologists of the highest caliber, and have built an incredible set of tools for educators. Offering our teachers direct access to Wolfram content in the Versal course creator is not only a convenience but will radically strengthen the quality of math and science courses. We–re honored to have Stephen join our Board of Directors and look forward to his insights and expertise as we continue to grow.”
With Versal, teachers are empowered to create and publish highly interactive and customizable learning experiences — no coding required. From full courses to short lessons, authors may easily write engaging online educational material and embed it in websites, blogs and LMS platforms. Today, thousands of teachers use Versal for flipped classrooms, blended learning with online homework, and project-based learning, where students take the lead and create their own courses to facilitate deeper information retention.
Teachers will be able to add their cloud-based Wolfram materials to the Versal course creation canvas via the product–s gadget catalog. Gadgets are the building blocks of a Versal course. Beyond text, video and images, gadgets are customizable interactive elements such as timelines, diagrams, interactive whiteboards, quizzes, and more. Teachers drag and drop gadgets into the course creation canvas to create and organize instructional content.
Initially, teachers will be able to create their own sophisticated content with the and embed that content into their Versal course. In the future, deeper integration could give educators immediate access to Wolfram Demonstrations, Wolfram|Alpha widgets, and other Wolfram resources through the Versal gadgets.
Versal is an interactive publishing platform for online learning — free and open to anyone with knowledge and the desire to share it. Versal is ideal for individual teachers, educational institutions and organizations who want to create online courses, lessons, product tutorials, training courses and more. Based in San Francisco, Calif., the company first began pilot testing of its course creator and gadget technology in July 2013. For more information visit or connect via and .
Founded by Stephen Wolfram in 1987, Wolfram Research is one of the world–s most respected computer, web, and cloud software companies — as well as a powerhouse of scientific and technical innovation. As pioneers in computation and computational knowledge, Wolfram has pursued a long-term vision to develop the science, technology, and tools to make computation an ever-more-potent force in today–s and tomorrow–s world. Learn more at .
Versal:
John Snedigar
+1 408-705-7518
or
Marie Domingo
+1 650 888-5642
Wolfram Research:
Dana Flynn
+1 217-621-3665
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