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Trends in education: Online learning opportunites

JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Bomgar, the secure remote support solution for the mobile enterprise, today announced that B Virtual has selected its secure and comprehensive remote support solution to provide world-class technical support to the growing number of home-based employees and online education programs. Founded in 2008, B Virtual provides outsourced support products and services to three distinct market segments: traditional technical IT support, support for online learning management systems (LMS) used by educational institutions offering online programs of study, and proctoring services for online exams.

Already familiar with Bomgar, B Virtuals chief operating officer, Tim Dewey, was approached by an LMS client about proctoring exams that students were taking online. Students who take courses online usually dont live anywhere near the institution putting on the program, said Dewey. When the end of the semester arrives and its time for students to take exams, the school needed a way to ensure the integrity of the exam session, just as a proctor would do by monitoring a live exam on campus.

Dewey knew from the start that Bomgar was the right solution to support online proctoring, because of its capabilities. I knew everything the solution could do. To ensure the integrity of the exam session, B Virtuals proctors watch the student on a webcam and need complete access to the students computer to ensure that the student does not have unauthorized applications running, multiple monitors open or someone else taking the test remotely. There are a number of Bomgar features we use to get connected and monitor the students machine. At the end of the day, what we can accomplish with Bomgar is the differentiation point for us. All of the ts have to be crossed and all of the is have to be dotted from the institutions perspective to make this an authentic, proctored environment. Bomgar makes that possible, stated Dewey.

One Bomgar feature that B Virtual uses extensively is canned messaging. With this feature, the B Virtual proctors can send prewritten consent forms and exam instructions to the students via Bomgars web-based chat tool. Dewey explains that having the instructions prewritten saves time and improves accuracy. Bomgars recording capabilities also support B Virtuals ability to ensure exam integrity. We are able to see the students desktop and everything they are doing, so we can prevent unauthorized activities, such as a student taking a screenshot to record some of the exam questions, said Dewey.

The need to support non-traditional students is a rising trend among higher education organizations, said Scott Braynard, VP of public sector at Bomgar. Having the ability to provide remote support to all students, whether they are on campus or studying remotely as part of an online program, increases productivity and success of both students and IT support teams.

Bomgar supports B Virtuals other two business segments as well. For traditional IT support and LMS clients, B Virtual is able to expand resources available to support technicians. The client may have five or six employees in their call center. We make it possible for them to have eight or nine technicians supporting users without having to bring them in-house.

With its unique approach and leading-edge offerings, B Virtual needed a remote support solution that was as innovative and flexible as its business model to deliver the highest-quality technical and online proctoring services to its client organizations. For Dewey, Bomgars feature-rich and flexible solution was at the head of the class.

For a full case study about B Virtuals use of Bomgar, please visit: http://www.bomgar.com/customers.

For more information about Bomgar, please visit: http://www.bomgar.com.

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B Virtual Supports Leading-Edge Online Education Revolution with Bomgar’s Remote Support Solution

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Life Coaching Sessions 1 on 1 : 100% Guaranteed. No risk to you. - Video

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire -06/05/12)- Health 2.0 today announced the winners of the Washington D.C. Health Data & Innovation Week Code-a-Thon: Preventing Obesity, sponsored by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Kaiser Permanente. The event was held at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health in Washington D.C. The center showcases advances in care delivery and offers a forum for innovators, thought leaders, policy makers and other industry stakeholders to work together to improve quality, safety and cost effectiveness of care.

Teams comprised of students, software developers and researchers participated in the two-day event that required contestants to use publicly available data to create online tools and applications to enhance quality of care and prevent obesity.

"The judges had an especially difficult time choosing a winner and extended passes to the Health 2.0 fall conference to the second place team to encourage further development of its app," said Indu Subaiya, Co-Chair and CEO of Health 2.0.

School Fit won first place for developing an app that uses physical fitness data from the California Department of Education to measure and publicize the fitness of children in public schools. The app allows communities to recognize and collaborate to address obesity problems in schools. The team earned $4,000 and two passes to the Health Data Initiative Forum III and the 2012 Health 2.0 Annual Fall Conference.

Healthy Plate placed second by creating a mobile app that educates and improves nutritional literacy by displaying the nutritional information about the user's food they intend to purchase by portion, recipe or grocery list. It won $3,000 and two passes to Health 2.0's annual conference.

The LessBadd and SMS2Live teams tied for third place. Both teams received $1,000.

About Health 2.0Health 2.0: The conference. The media network. The innovation community. The Health 2.0 Conference is the leading showcase of cutting-edge innovation transforming the health care system and is the premiere platform connecting IT innovators to established health care providers. Health 2.0 covers the broadest spectrum of the technology revolution that is shaking up every sector of health care. Learn more at http://www.health2con.com.

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Health 2.0 Announces Winners of the Washington D.C. Health Data & Innovation Week Code-a-Thon: Preventing Obesity

Bangalore, June 6:

Stepathlon Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, a global wellness company, has launched a new initiative to create an ecosystem that promotes health and fitness among employees within their organisations.

The Stepathlon initiative is a mass participation programme that encourages employees to take at least 10,000 steps a day over 100 days. Stepathlon is open to companies across industries and countries.

Companies participating in the Stepathlon can enter as many teams as they want. Each team comprises five employees, called Stepathletes, from single or multiple locations. Participants wear a pedometer (step counting device) and enter their steps on the Stepathlon event Web site. These steps are converted into kilometres and their teams position is mapped on Stepathlons interactive online platform.

The race will be conducted at 40 different locations on the Stepathlon map of the virtual world, and teams will compete to be the fittest team and the fittest company. Stepathlon 2012 begins on September 10, 2012, and runs through to December 20, 2012.

Mr Ravi Krishnan, co-founder and CEO, Stepathlon Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, says that apart from better health for employees, Stepathlon also reduces the costs of absenteeism and presenteeism ( where an individual is physically present but unable to put in 100 per cent effort).

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Promoting employee health one step at a time

Advertising the health benefits of a product like pomegranate juice is one thing, but when you start claiming that it can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and impotence you'd better have the scientific data to back it up. This is a lesson that Pom Wonderful recently learned the hard way when a federal judge ordered the company to halt its current advertising campaign after finding that it lacked sufficient evidence to support any of its juice's purported benefits.

However, while POM Wonderful may be the latest company in the health industry to be convicted of misleading its customers, it certainly isn't the guiltiest. Since the dawn of civilization, product pushers have inflated the medical benefits of their products to woo the self-conscious and the hypochondriacal. For instance, here are five recent examples of egregiously misleading health and fitness ads.

Reebok's EasyTone ShoesIn 2009 and 2010, Reebok ran a series of ads for its EasyTone and RunTone shoes featuring lithe and toned models professing the benefits of the footwear's special toning soles. The ads claimed that laboratory tests had found that Tone shoes were "proven to work your hamstrings and calves up to 11% harder and tone your butt up to 28% more than regular sneakers just by walking!" Apparently, the special uneven sole of the shoe forced you to use more muscles when you moved. The LA Times reported that an FTC investigation found the only thing that EasyTone shoes actually did was make it uncomfortable to walk. As a result, Reebok was forced to refund more than $25 million in purchases.

Airborne Herbal SupplementFor a while, Airborne seemed like a classic American success story. The result of a second grade teacher's research, the herbal supplement became a national phenomenon after it appeared to finally provide the cure/prevention for the common cold that science had yet to figure out. For 10 years it reigned as the leading cold prevention supplement on the market - and then the FTC got interested. According to npr.org, a federal investigation found that the anecdotal benefits of Airborne were just another example of the placebo effect. In reality, the tablets did absolutely nothing to boost the immune system or prevent colds. This incited a class-action lawsuit against the company that Airborne finally settled in 2008 for $23.3 million.

Dannon Activia YogurtJamie Lee Curtis might be enthusiastic about the health benefits of Dannon's Activia line of yogurts, but the FTC isn't. In 2009, a federal judge found that Dannon's claims that a daily serving of Activia would relieve irregularity and help expedite the digestion process were totally unsubstantiated. It turned out the company had been charging a 30% premium on the "probiotic" yogurts over other brands when in reality the contents in the cups were all the same. As a result, the company was forced to pay out $35 million to consumers in a 2009 class-action lawsuit and another $21 million to the FTC a year later, as reported by ABC News.

Extenze"Male enhancement" products are a dime-a-dozen these days, but none have enjoyed as much success as Extenze. Manufactured by California-based Biotab Nutraceuticals, the little purple pill has been a staple of late-night television ads with its innocuous theme song and pep talks by NFL personality and former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson. According to the National Council Against Health Fraud, in a ruling that surprised nobody, the Orange County District Attorney's office found in 2010 that Biotab completely fabricated all of its scientific and clinical evidence regarding the "enhancive capabilities" of Extenze. Biotab was forced to pay out $6 million in damages and offer another $6 million in Extenze Racing merchandise as a refund to its customers.

The Bottom LineLooking at the amount of misleading advertisements that pervade modern media, consumers should be wary any time they hear that a product is "scientifically proven" to work. Unless the , there's no reason to trust any purported medical benefits of any piece of merchandise, whether it's shoes or cold medicine. Often, these health and fitness products are just modern interpretations of the snake oil that bankrupted early settlers in the Wild West. So the next time you're tempted to buy a product that looks too good to be true, just save your money because it probably is.

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4 Examples Of Misleading Health Ads

Stroke Detection Plus

STROKE SCREENING: This mobile vascular screening company uses ultrasound technology to find blockages in the bodys blood vessels that could lead to a stroke. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday. Dr. John Bryant Center, 601 21st St. Fees: $135 for a complete wellness profile or $45 for individual tests. Appointments are required, call (877)732-8258.

Taoist Tai Chi Societyof the United States

TAI CHI BEGINNER CLASSES: Beginner classes last three months, during which students learn the complete sequence of the Taoist Tai Chi set, which incorporates stretching and turning within a sequence of movements that improve the health of body, mind and spirit. Diligent practice can reduce tension, improve circulation and balance and increase strength and flexibility. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays starting June 11 and 13. Prospective students can attend their first class at no obligation. Monthly fees: $40 adults, $25 seniors. DeKoven Center, assembly hall, 600 21st St. (enter on Wisconsin Avenue side of property). Call (262) 902-0725.

BloodCenter of Wisconsin

BLOOD DRIVES: Donors must be in good health, weigh at least 110 pounds and have a photo ID. To schedule an appointment, go to http://www.bcw.edu or call (877) 232-4376.

June 11. Tichigan Lake Civic Center, 6710 Highway F, Tichigan, 2-6 p.m.

June 12. Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington, 252 McHenry St., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

June 16. Family Video Racine, 2065 Lathrop Ave., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

June 19. Atonement Lutheran Church, 2915 Wright Ave., 2-7 p.m.; Veterans Terrace, 589 Milwaukee Ave., Burlington, 2-7 p.m.

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Health & Fitness File, June 6

SAN DIEGO and ATLANTA, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (OREX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, and Sharecare an interactive health and wellness social platform providing people with access to expert-developed answers, information and programs to live their healthiest life, announce their partnership for WeightMate, a comprehensive weight management program developed for participants in the Light Study. Delivered through an internet-based platform by accredited health and fitness professionals, WeightMate provides a convenient, progressive nutrition and exercise program with goal setting and tracking tools. The Light Study (www.lightstudy.com) is a long-term research study designed to assess the cardiovascular health outcomes associated with an investigational drug, Contrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), which is being evaluated as a new treatment for obesity.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120606/NY19799LOGO )

"WeightMate provides participants in the Light Study with a robust coaching and information platform that is designed to help them make changes in their diet and lifestyle to help them lose weight," said Dr. Mike Clark, Chief Science Officer of Sharecare. "We are excited to work with Orexigen to launch WeightMate, which combines Sharecare's digital expertise in providing expert health knowledge and interactive fitness programs with Orexigen's focus on developing safe and effective new treatments for obesity, which is one of the biggest health care problems facing the United States."

"At Orexigen, we believe weight loss medicines should be used with an effective behavior modification program that is designed to help people make the necessary changes in their lifestyle and diet and provides them with the opportunity to optimize their weight loss," said Michael Narachi, CEO of Orexigen. "We partnered with Sharecare to build WeightMate for all participants in the Light Study to provide comprehensive and personalized weight management tools to assist study participants in achieving their health goals. We are very excited to be partnering with Sharecare on WeightMate."

About the Light Study The Light Study (www.lightstudy.com) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cardiovascular outcomes trial evaluating the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients participating in the study. An interim analysis and NDA resubmission is planned once approximately 87 MACE events have occurred, which is anticipated to be less than two years from the start of the trial. If marketing approval is received for Contrave, the trial will continue toward the final analysis in the post-approval setting. It is expected to enroll up to 10,000 study participants at approximately 300 research sites nationwide.

About ContraveContrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR) is an investigational medication being evaluated for weight loss. Contrave has been studied to date in clinical trials enrolling more than 4,500 people and was developed by Orexigen to reduce appetite, help control cravings, increase metabolism and improve control over eating behaviors. Contrave has been shown to help people lose weight and keep it off for up to one year. In previous clinical trials, 53 percent of study participants taking Contrave and 21 percent of those taking placebo lost five percent or more of their body weight over the 12 month trial duration. Those who took Contrave for six months, combined with a structured weight management program, lost an average of 25 pounds, compared with 17 pounds for those using the weight management program and receiving placebo. Many patients saw noticeable improvements in cholesterol levels, and blood sugar control, as well as smaller waistlines. Those who combined Contrave with diet and exercise experienced the most reduction in body weight. There is no guarantee that Contrave will make patients lose weight.

Contrave was generally well tolerated in clinical trials. In the Contrave clinical development program, the most frequent adverse events on Contrave were nausea, constipation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, dry mouth, and diarrhea. These were mostly mild to moderate in severity and short in duration.

About WeightMateWeightMate is a comprehensive weight management program developed in partnership by Orexigen and Sharecare. Delivered through an internet-based platform by accredited health and fitness professionals, WeightMate provides a convenient, progressive nutrition and exercise program with goal setting and tracking tools designed to help users achieve their health goals.

About Orexigen Therapeutics Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity. The Company's lead product candidate is Contrave, which has completed Phase III clinical trials and for which a New Drug Application has been submitted and reviewed by the FDA. The Company has also reached agreement with the FDA on a Special Protocol Assessment for the Light Study, the Contrave cardiovascular outcomes trial. The Company's other product candidate, Empatic, has completed Phase II clinical trials. Further information about the Company can be found at http://www.orexigen.com.

About SharecareLaunched in 2010 and based in Atlanta, GA, Sharecare is an interactive, social Q & A platform that allows people to ask, learn and act upon questions of health and wellness. Created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz, in partnership with Harpo Studios, Remark Media (MARK), Sony Pictures Television, and Discovery Communications, the company's innovative approach provides the consumer access to a wide array of health and wellness experts ranging from hospitals to doctors, specialists to non-profits, to healthcare companies and active health consumers, creating a thriving community where healthcare knowledge is built, shared and put into practice.

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Orexigen® Therapeutics and Sharecare® Announce Partnership for WeightMate™, a Comprehensive Weight Management Program

If, like me, you spent most of the past weekend working in the yard, pulling weeds, cutting grass, and clipping bushes, then maybe you've started to fantasize about the ideal place to live in retirement. Where would it be? What would it look like?

A few intrepid souls may want to move to the country. I know one woman who left Washington, DC, to go live in the outback of New Mexico. But she's an exception. The reality is most of us currently living in the suburbs will probably stay in the suburbs. Certainly, plenty of retirement homes, independent living facilities, and age-restricted developments (sometimes disguised as gated communities) have cropped up in the past decade to cater to aging baby boomers. Most of us are ready to give up the basement, big garage, tool shed, and all the paraphernalia that goes with them.

My own fantasy is to downscale to a little patch of lawnabout as big as an average-size bedroomwhere I can grow a few flowers and a tomato plant to two and not cut any grass at all. I'd like to live in a small town that is not too big or bustling, but with sidewalks and a coffee shop down at the corner where I could walk in the morning. I worry about the noise. I've had problems with noisy neighbors in the past. But the older we get, the less we're able to hear, so maybe the ambient noise from cars and kids and dogs won't bother us.

My friend moved to the New Mexico mountains, but many more people are drawn to the sea. Most of us cannot afford waterfront property in Cape Cod, Myrtle Beach, Sarasota, or San Diego. But as long as we're fantasizing, we can dream of retiring near the seashore. My brother-in-law was able to do it. But he had to trade in a four-bedroom house with an acre of yard for a two-bedroom bungalow with less than a quarter acre, but its also about 200 yards from the Atlantic Ocean.

A lot of us like to play golf. There are certainly plenty of golf communities to fulfill those dreams. But golf as a sport peaked about ten years ago, when everyone thought they could be the next Tiger Woods. Now people don't want to be the next Tiger Woods, and the allure of the golf community has perhaps dimmed a little. Nevertheless, most retired people want a social life. So if you're going to move away from your old hometown, then you want a place where there are other newly retired people who are open to new friendshipsnot a town where everyone has been friends since 4th grade and aren't interested in meeting new people.

You might want your new home to have access to parks and other recreational venues. If you dont play golf, then perhaps youd be interested in a marina, bike trail, or shuffleboard court. Even when you're retired, you should remain active and involved. Your new town might offer a vibrant local library. Maybe there's a book club you could join. Many people dream of retiring to a university town, from Newark, Del., to Athens, Ga., to Tempe, Ariz.

You might be tempted to buy an older home with lots of charm. But be careful. Older homes require more repairs. You don't need anything too big. Two or three bedrooms might be enough. Thats probably enough room for the kids to visit, but not so spacious that they'd want to stay for too long. You might want to choose a one-story house. You likely will not want to have to climb stairs when you get older and your knees start to go. Maybe you could compromise on a place with the master bedroom on the first floor, and a guest room or two on a smaller second floor. Its also prudent to have a good medical facility nearby.

You probably want your new place to be accessible so the kids will visit now and then. So consider places that arent too far from an interstate or major airport. If you're going to get the kids to visit, there have to be some attractions that would appeal to them, such as the beach, some nightlife, a multiplex theater, and some live music. A mild climate thats not too hot in summer or cold in winter could help ensure year-round comfort.

Is this retirement vision completely unrealistic? Maybe. But it's an ideal, a prototype to get you started. It's still in the planning stages. First, we've got to get through next weekend, and another afternoon of cutting grass.

Tom Sightings is a former publishing executive who was eased into early retirement in his mid-50s. He lives in the New York area and blogs at Sightings at 60, where he covers health, finance, retirement, and other concerns of baby boomers who realize that somehow they have grown up.

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Dreams of the Ideal Retirement Home

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As attention to the importance of creating retirement income grows, a new MetLife study finds that plan sponsors of the largest workplace retirement plans and their recordkeepers have taken the first steps to help participants secure retirement income but a lot more work needs to be done to pave the way for participants to begin to take action.

MetLifes Retirement Income Practices Study: Perspectives of Plan Sponsors and Recordkeepers for Qualified Plans, released today, examines the dynamics of the plan sponsor-recordkeeper relationship with regard to the provision of lifetime income options in qualified plans. The study assesses whether, and to what extent, plan sponsors of defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) plans, and recordkeepers are communicating about and closely coordinating their efforts to offer retirement income education, strategies and solutions for their participants. A full copy of the study, which includes considerations for plan sponsors, recordkeepers and policy makers, can be found at http://www.metlife.com/retirementincomestudy.

Retirement Income Will Emerge As Biggest Retirement Practice Trend

Both plan sponsors and recordkeepers agree that a focus on retirement income will be one of the biggest retirement practice trends to emerge in the near future. Ten of the 12 recordkeepers surveyed said an increasing focus on retirement income is among their top predictions for the next three-to-five years and one-third of plan sponsors agree it was the most frequently cited prediction among this group.

While recent actions by the U.S. Treasury Department are expected to pave the way for millions of Americans to have better and more accessible retirement income options, plan sponsors and recordkeepers need to work together to facilitate participants ability to understand their retirement income needs and use their plan(s) to generate a paycheck for life, said Cynthia Mallett, vice president, Product & Market Strategies, Corporate Benefit Funding, MetLife.

Plan Sponsors Favor Self-Service Approach for Projecting Retirement Income but Few Participants Interact With the Tools Provided

While many tools have been developed that will show the amount of monthly income a participant might receive during retirement, the research found that such projections are not automatically shown to participants when they view their account balances online, nor are they routinely provided to plan participants on statements summarizing their total and vested account balances. Instead, plan sponsors appear to favor a self-service approach to modeling retirement income projections for their plan participants.

Plan sponsors and recordkeepers recognize that this do-it-yourself model is not taking hold among participants. The majority of recordkeepers surveyed estimated that 25% of plan participants or fewer have made the effort to project their retirement income.

Plan Sponsors Say Participants Want Guarantees

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Plan Sponsors and Recordkeepers Agree That Retirement Income Will Be “The Biggest Trend” Over Next Five Years