SAN LUIS OBISPO -May 30, 2003- I.O. Technologies of Las Vegas, Nev., and the Graphic Communication Institute (GrCI) at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo are working to bring online training to newspaper professionals worldwide. In addition to creating and distributing online courses, the two organizations are working on programs that could have a global impact delivering training to graphic communicators, according to Harvey Levenson, head of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department. The organizations are developing a specific course requested by the Newspaper Association of America and believe it to be the first in a line of programs developed for specific “vertical markets” within the graphic communication industries, Levenson said. “We felt that I.O. Technologies was a good partner for us since they already had developed a unique process and engine for online training,” said Levenson. The process, called “ollé InfoFind,” is a Dynamic Learning System that lets users define their own individual learning needs and objectives in real-time, when immediate support is needed, according to I.O. Technologies Web site. “We are extremely pleased with the integration of ollé InfoFind into the online courses and the amount of interactivity it provides,” Levenson said. “We are very excited about our relationship with Cal Poly,” said Eric Kenly, CEO of I.O. Technologies. “The Graphic Communication Institute provides a credibility and endorsement to our products that will allow us to expand our universe of potential users.” The GrCI at Cal Poly is a non-profit organization that promotes the study of graphic communication technology and management by providing education in both traditional and digital technologies. Cal Poly faculty members, students and industry experts offer training through seminars and workshops, research, testing and product evaluations. I.O. Technologies provides training, courseware development services and consulting to the graphic communication industry. The company was formed in 1997 by two corporate education and training specialists from the Rochester Institute of Technology to provide process-focused, university-level training and educational products and services. Over the last five years, I.O. Technologies has supported print buyers, sales teams, production teams and marketing professionals at more than 30 of the industry's leading firms by providing high-caliber graphic communication training with an emphasis on solving real-world business problems. For more information contact the Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly at (805) 756-2645 or [email protected] or go online to www.grci.calpoly.edu.