Johannesburg-based software company CUDA Technologies (Pty) Ltd - an associate company of Hi-Performance Learning - has significantly lowered the barriers to entry for e-learning in SA since the launch of its enhanced learning software, CUDA Version 3 early this year.
CUDA Learning Software is highly configurable, scalable and capable of delivering e-learning within the boundaries of complex technical environments. Since its launch in April, CUDA has made great strides in enabling content-rich and bandwidth-light e-learning across geographically diverse and remote locations, creating new hope for the roll-out of e-learning programmes throughout the developing world.
Dayne Falkenberg, MD of CUDA Technologies, says the CUDA platform is able to send information via satellite to CUDA content servers in remote locations, where learners can interact with heavy multimedia content, before sending their completed assignments back to the CUDA central server via WAN.
"Using a combination of satellite downloads and WAN infrastructure cuts expensive satellite uploads and enables extremely fast and cost-effective distribution of multimedia learning content," he says.
Falkenberg believes CUDA is set to revolutionise the way that e-learning is conducted in South Africa and other developing countries. "Not only is CUDA highly scaleable to meet simple or complex requirements, but it can be used as a holistic learning management system for a whole range of learning courseware, as long as it is SCORM or AICC compliant.
"For the first time in South Africa, companies can adopt one centralised learning management system for all their learning courseware needs."
Falkenberg says the CUDA Learning Suite was developed over several years to ensure it would meet even the most complex learning management requirements. The suite comprises:
* CUDA Learning Framework, which enables organisations to launch, track and distribute learning.
* CUDA Learning Manager, which managers, administers and delivers learning within the organisation.
* CUDA Content Manager, which enables organisations to centralise, manage and deploy learning content via content servers, thereby overcoming major bandwidth delivery constraints.
* CUDA Author, which enables in-house training staff to rapidly develop courseware, assessments and simulations, with limited technical knowledge.
* CUDA Performance Support Tools, which map process flows in the workplace, deliver information at point of need and write information into linked operating systems.
The success of CUDA Learning Software can largely be attributed, says Falkenberg, to the fact that it was developed with worst-case technical assumptions in mind.
"CUDA was designed and is supported by a South African team, which fully understands our continent`s realities. Even our most advanced clients experience different technical realities from the US and Europe. In order to ensure relevance, our development took into account restricted bandwidths, unreliable connectivity, a diversity of technical platforms and varying hardware and software realities. We have also had to assume low technical literacy within our learning target audience."
At the other end of the spectrum, says Falkenberg, CUDA was also developed to allow companies to scale up their learning requirements to leverage off advanced technical possibilities, such as satellite transmission.
Falkenberg says that unlike many technology product developers, CUDA Technologies is not a box-dropping company. "We partner with our clients and help them tackle the inevitable complexities that come their way so that learning can truly work for them. We have also ensured that CUDA is highly intuitive and practical to use, so there is little organisational resistance to its implementation."
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