The Untied States Distance Learning Association (USDLA – www.usdla.org) celebrated its first annual National Distance Learning Week (NDLW – www.ndlw.org) with productive ideas for distance learning and the use of technology to facilitate learning. Maintaining the theme and spirit of the week-long event, NDLW used a new technology to allow easy access to information and also pushed small knowledge pieces to the participants through a product called HALO (Highly Accessible Learning Objects). HALO is a product designed and developed by the digital education company Emantras.

A large financial institution wanted to license a learning management system. This organization required a simple e-learning portal that would provide online courses to its 10,000 learners. In addition, the company needed a system that could manage classroom-based training. Members of the selection committee had read that the average three-year cumulative price for a locally installed LMS managing 10,000 users is approximately $357,000, and they were hoping they could find a solution for less.