Press Releases ..............................................................................
For More Information:
Christopher Adams, 800-242-2042 ext
225
[email protected]
Rebecca Renshaw, 724-733-8603
[email protected]
Visit www.sciencekit.com/elearning
for more information.
SCIENCE KIT PARTNERS WITH QUANTUM
TO OFFER INTERNET-BASED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TUTORS
Teacher-Developed, Classroom-Tested
Online Learning Software for Math and Science
Atlanta, Georgia – April 1, 2004
– Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories, a leading provider of science
educational materials in the U.S. and Canada since 1957, announced
today that it has entered into an agreement with Quantum Simulations,
Inc., a leading developer of artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring
technologies. Science Kit is offering the Quantum Intelligent Tutors
for middle school mathematics and high school chemistry instruction
over the Internet. Science Kit and Quantum are showcasing the Tutors
at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference in
Atlanta, Georgia, April 1-4, 2004, with full availability for student
education and teacher training for the upcoming 2004-2005 school year.
The Quantum Tutors provide an on-demand,
web-based educational resource that can be used in class, in the computer
lab, and most importantly, at home, enabling students and teachers
to practice at their own pace on any problem they choose to enter,
rather than being limited to a selection of pre-stored problems. Similar
to a human tutor, the Quantum Tutors provide individualized hints,
guidance, and feedback on any problem, based on the student's own
work entered into the software, ensuring a conceptually balanced and
more meaningful understanding of the subject. Collaborative research
and classroom trials have demonstrated that Quantum can improve test
scores by as much as 50 percent.
The Quantum Tutors go beyond simply
offering a correct answer; they use patented technology to help the
student or teacher understand why an answer is correct or incorrect.
Students enter their own problems and their own work just as they
would on paper and the Tutor interprets their work, coaching them
through the problem-solving process. Additionally, the Tutors help
novice through more advanced students, following an individual's progress
and offering tailored feedback as well as an evolving menu of questions
for exploration.
“Quantum's technology is like nothing
else on the market, providing new and innovative learning support
for difficult concepts in applied mathematics for science, chemistry
and physical science,” said Randy Burkard, Science Kit president.
“Science Kit is continually seeking out the best available technology
products to enhance our catalog offerings. For 47 years we have been
dedicated to offering comprehensive and affordable learning products
to improve and strengthen education. The Quantum Tutors are the most
effective educational software programs that we have seen. With their
addition to our catalog, we now offer educators the best tutorial
software on the market today. We are very excited to distribute the
Quantum products.”
“Our dialogue-driven technology takes
educational software programs to a level never available before,”
said Dr. Benny Johnson, president and CEO of Quantum and co-developer
of the company's patented and patent-pending AI technologies. “Science
Kit is now offering a breakthrough technology that has been developed
over the past six years with funding and support from the National
Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. This is a
very timely offering of effective software by Science Kit given the
upcoming focus of No Child Left Behind for improved science education.”
“Combined with Science Kit's trusted
experience in education, students and teachers will have access to
a technology that significantly improves conceptual understanding,
allowing them to experience successful mastery of important and essential
science and mathematics content,” said Rebecca Renshaw, executive
vice president at Quantum.
About Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories
Science Kit and Boreal Laboratories is the leading provider of science
education products to K-12 teachers, home-schoolers, and hobbyists
throughout the United States. Our science education product lines
include over 13,000 products that cover a wide range of disciplines
including Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Forensics, Physics and
Scientific Inquiry. We carry a diverse selection of Scholar Chemicals,
K-6 Science Products, and General Laboratory Supplies. We also offer
our own Boreal Microscope and Teacher Developed, Classroom Tested
product lines. In addition we have hundreds of Recommended Materials
Lists correlating to leading science textbooks. For more information
on Science Kit visit www.sciencekit.com.
About Quantum
Quantum Simulations, Inc. is a business-to-business provider of artificial
intelligence tutoring engines that power existing software, hardware
and distance learning products, inspiring students from middle school
through college to solve science problems. Satisfying an unmet need
for on-demand tutoring, the software uses an interactive dialogue
tool that challenges students to understand why an answer is correct,
measurably improving comprehension and test performance. With funding
from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation
through the Small Business Innovation Research program, Quantum Tutoring
Engines are integrated with Web, wireless and CD-ROM learning products,
providing a strong competitive edge for educational companies. For
further information, please visit www.quantumsimulations.com.
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