News story

Learning Tree International launches RealityPlus™: full line of management education for the real world

Reston, VALearning NewsLearning Tree International

Learning Tree International (NASDAQ NM:LTRE), a leading worldwide provider of education and training to managers and IT professionals in business and government organizations, today announced the introduction of its RealityPlus™ curriculum of management courses, based on the principles of performance-based learning. With these courses, characterized as management education for the real world, Learning Tree introduces a revolutionary approach designed to significantly improve the effectiveness of employees of public and private sector organizations worldwide.

Nicholas R Schacht, Learning Tree President and CEO
Nicholas R Schacht, Learning Tree President and CEO 

RealityPlus course participants are immersed in real-world scenarios where they apply new knowledge and skills under the guidance of expert facilitators. These experiences reflect the challenges, stimulus, and expectations of the contemporary workplace, and include computer simulations, interactive multi-media scenarios, real-time data acquisition and analysis, and many collaborative activities.

"With RealityPlus, we have created a dynamic learning experience that is much more relevant to today's organizations than traditional approaches to management training," commented Nicholas R. Schacht, Learning Tree President and CEO. "Our instructional designers have created experiences which stimulate the cognitive engagement of our participants, leading to improved subject matter retention, better skill mastery, and a greater willingness and ability to apply new skills back on the job. With RealityPlus, we are significantly advancing the state of management education, and therefore we are truly excited about this innovative series of courses."

Mr. Schacht added, "Much of the management training that exists today is topic-based, focusing simply on acquisition of new knowledge. In addition, most management training happens in a relatively low-stimulus environment that is not representative of today's media-rich workplace; and is usually delivered in a heavy lecture-based intensive environment. The advantage of RealityPlus to a learner and their organization lies in the fact that the result is performance-based. Knowing about things is important, but doing things successfully is what really generates value within an organization. We've turned the traditional model upside down in that our courses are 70% activity-based and only 30% lecture. RealityPlus builds employees' skills through realistic world simulations so they can perform better; it is a win-win scenario for everyone involved."

Learning Tree's first set of RealityPlus titles includes Project Management Skills for Success, Project Leadership: Building High-Performance Teams, Developing User Requirements, Project Scheduling and Budgeting, Project Quality Management, Project Risk Management, Managing Complex Projects, User System Requirements for Successful Software Development, Project Management for Software Development, Software Configuration Management, Assertiveness Skills, Communication Skills, Influence Skills, and Negotiation Skills.

Learning Tree offers RealityPlus course titles in North America and in the United Kingdom. For further information and the latest course dates and locations, call 1-800-THE-TREE (1-800-843-8733) or visit www.learningtree.com.