Virginia State University Selects GoingOn Academic Engagement Network

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Nov 8, 2011) - GoingOn Networks, Inc. announced today that Virginia State University has selected its Academic Engagement Network to foster deeper levels of collaborative learning and student engagement at the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business (RFLSB). GoingOn's academic social platform enables RFLSB students and faculty to more effectively connect, collaborate and share information utilizing a powerful online environment that combines self-service communities, a virtual commons with intelligent message streams and integrated academic networking. The initial rollout includes both in-person course communities, as well as program and faculty-level communities within VSU's Reginald F. Lewis School of Business.

"The GoingOn platform supports a 2010 VSU strategic initiative to build a learning environment that increases collaboration not only in courses, but also around broader cross-disciplinary studies and projects at its business school," stated Dr. Mirta M. Martin, Dean of the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business at Virginia State University. "Engagement in the learning environment has been high; since implementation in August 2011, students and faculty have generated more than 1,500 pieces of content, including blog posts, forum posts and bookmarks."

Extending beyond stand-alone LMS models, GoingOn provides a more engaging and participatory environment, fostering informal collaboration and learning. The platform is highly configurable, allowing users to build rich online collaboration spaces with the GoingOn Community Builder and delivering live streams of aggregated content, activities and events through the GO Virtual Commons. Additional features include Campus Channel, which provides the fastest, easiest way to publish any type of content for distribution to individuals, groups and communities on the network, and Identity & Network tools that enable users to curate their academic identity, portfolio and connections, while keeping them separate of their personal social networks.

"It was important to us that we find a partner that could help us create a richer learning environment that would enable easier, more meaningful interaction between both students and faculty, as well as supplement and enhance the classroom experience," said Andrew Feldstein, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Director of Digital Programs at the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business at Virginia State University. "While our LMS limited communication to the course, the GoingOn platform allows students to interact freely and breaks down barriers to communication, promoting better engagement and making students, faculty and information more accessible."

At the foundation of the GoingOn Academic Engagement Network is smart stream technology, allowing users to discover and share content using Facebook-like activity streams that are generated from GO Communities and Channels, and can also be fed from existing portals, learning management and student information systems.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business at Virginia State University and support their efforts to create a dynamic learning environment," said Jon Corshen, CEO of GoingOn Networks. "VSU understands that to engage their students they can not rely solely on course-centric modalities and systems. The GoingOn Academic Engagement Network provides them with a fast and affordable way to leverage new social web technologies to create a thriving online environment that encompasses new models of information sharing, collaboration and online academic life."

To learn more about GoingOn or its Academic Engagement Network, visit www.GoingOn.com.

About GoingOn Networks, Inc.
GoingOn is an innovative academic social networking platform that enables students, faculty and administrators to more effectively connect, collaborate and learn. GoingOn offers the first fully integrated platform for higher education that enables institutions to build an internal academic network where students and faculty can more easily share resources, create online communities and curate their academic connections, while keeping them separate from their personal social networks. The GoingOn platform combines a powerful community-building environment with integrated academic networking features and a modern stream-based architecture that allows any type of information, activity or event to be easily published to communities, user groups or to a user's personalized Virtual Commons. Delivered as an on-demand solution leveraging open source foundations and incorporating leading-edge social web technologies, the GoingOn platform can easily be integrated into existing LMS and SISs and deployed as a single community or an institution-wide network. For more information, please visit www.GoingOn.com.

About the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business at Virginia State University
The Reginald F. Lewis School of Business (RFLSB) at Virginia State University is accredited by the International Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Less than five percent of the world's business schools bear this distinguished hallmark of excellence. The RFLSB is the first school in the country to develop a system to deliver an integrated core curriculum in a predominantly digital format. This initiative earned the RFLSB the prestigious 2011 "Governor's Technology Award for Innovation in Higher Education." The Reginald F. Lewis School of Business is committed to develop global business leaders through a market-driven, integrated curriculum. The faculty, who exemplify teaching, research and service excellence, is dedicated to working collectively to build effective communicators, critical thinkers, ethical decision makers and professional scholars. The RFLSB emphasizes the importance of experience-based learning and technological innovation to help its students gain a competitive advantage and be successful in a changing marketplace. For more information, please visit www.vsubusiness.org.