MySyllabiMadison Wins Desire2Learn Edge Challenge 2013

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 11, 2014) - Desire2Learn (D2L), the EdTech company that created the world's first truly integrated learning platform (ILP), today announced that the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Jacob Schieber and Andrew McLean are the winners of Desire2Learn Edge Challenge 2013 for the creation of MySyllabiMadison, a web application that enables students to create, store and download multiple class syllabuses to the device of their choice. The Desire2Learn Edge Challenge 2013 is a competition that challenged post-secondary students to shape the future of education by building apps that improve the experience of teachers, other students and administrators.

"We've been impressed by all of the innovative ideas that have come out of the Edge Challenge this year and I'm delighted to announce that MySyllabiMadison, created by Jacob Schieber and Andrew McLean, has won the contest," remarked John Baker, President and CEO, Desire2Learn. "Their business idea is creative and solves a tangible business problem that frustrates many students. It reminds me of how I came up with the business concept behind Desire2Learn - I was at the exact same stage in my life. I look forward to watching them go to market and grow."

MySyllabiMadison was chosen from four finalists for its tremendous real-life applicability and impact on the student experience. During McLean's entrepreneurship class in his freshman year, he was asked to create a "bug list" of things that annoyed him that could potentially turn into a business idea. One of his classmates was annoyed with how difficult it was to keep track of various different course syllabuses on paper and wanted to create an iPad application that stored them in an app. To address this issue, McLean teamed with Schieber to create MySyllabiMadison, a website that allows users to create and store syllabuses online and then download and interact with them from iPads, iPhones and other web-connected and mobile devices.

When asked what's next, McLean and Schieber noted: "We want to focus on simplifying the website to make it more self-explanatory, and investigate ways to monetize it. We believe that every educational system from middle school to university could use our website and we want to continually make it more appealing to them. We hope to introduce our idea to other college campuses, meet with professionals who see a need for our solution, and grow the MySyllabiMadison brand."

The Desire2Learn Edge Challenge 2013 revolved around the theme of "Build Something that Matters" and invited teams of up to five individuals to create a working software solution on a mobile or web platform to illustrate an innovative approach to creating or collaborating within an active learning experience. The grand prize, sponsored in part by XMG Studio Inc. out of Toronto, awards the winning team a cash prize of $10,000 and grants the opportunity for two team members and a team mentor to travel to Nashville, TN to attend FUSION 2014, Desire2Learn's annual users' conference. Jacob Schieber and Andrew McLean will present their solution to eLearning leaders at FUSION during a demo and question and answer period.

About Desire2Learn

Desire2Learn is helping to transform the way the world learns. Providing the next generation learning environment and solutions to engage and inspire lifelong learners, Desire2Learn helps clients break down barriers to access the highest quality learning experiences and is recognized for its leadership in accessibility. A global leader in online learning solutions, Desire2Learn provides an open and extensible platform to over 750 clients and 10 million individual learners in higher education, K-12, healthcare, government and the corporate sector, including Fortune 1000 companies. Desire2Learn has personnel in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil and Singapore. For more information or to contact us, visit: http://www.Desire2Learn.com.