Questionmark Perception Integrates with uPortal

For Immediate Release

Questionmark Perception Integrates with uPortal
Partnership with Unicon, Inc., Enables Delivery Of Assessments
Via Popular Open Source Portal

NORWALK, CT – March 29, 2006 – A new partnership between testing and assessment software provider Questionmark and Unicon, Inc., has brought about the integration of Questionmark™ Perception™ testing and assessment software through uPortal, a free, open source, sharable portal for institutions of higher-education.

Educational institutions can download uPortal and customize it to present information in aggregated dashboard views and provide easy access to the systems that are most appropriate for individual users. Customization allows each user to define a unique and personal view of the campus web. Community tools, such as chat, forums, and surveys, build relationships among campus constituencies.

The Questionmark Portlet is an integration that makes it possible for a learner’s scheduled assessments to be displayed within a “portlet” of an organization who has adopted uPortal or Unicon’s Academus Portal. Once participants have logged in to the portal, they can move freely from one activity to another. Now learning events and assessments can be part of someone’s daily routine without having to log into a specialist system. The learner sees a list of the quizzes, tests and surveys that have been scheduled for them. Clicking on one of the assessment links causes the assessment to start. When the assessment is completed, the results are stored within the Questionmark Perception database for future analysis, and the user can be given any appropriate feedback. The integration is the result of a partnership between Questionmark and Unicon.

“Web portals make it easy to combine Perception with other best-of-breed applications to create customized information and activity centers to suit many different types of institutions and situations,” commented Questionmark CEO Eric Shepherd. “By providing the Questionmark Portlet, Questionmark is demonstrating its continued commitment to open standards and working with the open source community to provide the solutions required by the marketplace.”

“As the use of online assessments in higher education continues to grow, so does the need to enable easier, centralized access,” said John C. Blakley, CEO of Unicon, Inc. “We’re pleased to partner with Questionmark to expand the possibilities available to academic institutions that have deployed uPortal or Academus Portal.”

The Questionmark Portlet offers:

• Simplified administration, with uPortal IDs automatically generating Perception IDs
• Single sign-on for users through uPortal
• Easy access to Perception Assessments
• Use of the features of uPortal to customize placement and appearance of the assessments

For more information about integrating Questionmark Perception’s with uPortal, click here.

Complete information about uPortal can be found at www.uportal.org.

About Unicon
Unicon is a provider of enterprise portal, collaboration, learning, and integration technology for higher education institutions and is the leading commercial supporter of the uPortal open source Web portal initiative. Unicon solutions are based on open source and community source technologies to increase productivity while reducing costs. The company is the developer of the Academus Enterprise Portal and Web Content Management Solution and creator of the Academus Open Campus Web site www.academusopencampus.com, which allows academic instructors and IT personnel to try new online technologies, products, and services in a low-cost and risk-free environment. Unicon is also a Sakai Commercial Affiliate and maintains and supports applications for the Cisco Networking Academy Program. More information about Unicon, Inc. is available at http://www.unicon.net/.

About Questionmark:
Questionmark has been providing testing and assessment software since 1988, and some 2,500 customers in 50 countries now use Questionmark products. The Questionmark Perception assessment management system enables educators and trainers to create, securely administer and report on surveys, quizzes, tests and exams. Multiple authors can work together in a distributed learning environment with seamless connections to existing systems and infrastructure. Options include a secure browser and proctoring security. Powerful content management capabilities make it easy to organize, store, secure and publish assessment content.

Perception applications include pre/post tests, practice quizzes, course evaluations and certification exams. The software can be licensed or used as a hosted solution. Questionmark provides extensive documentation for users of the software in addition to comprehensive learning resources focusing on the effective use of assessments. Complete details are available at http://www.questionmark.com.

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