With GoalQuest Heuristics™, Interactive Means More Than a Great Web Site
New Interactive Modules Enhance Student Engagement and Learning Through Innovative Use of Macromedia Flash™ Technology

New York, New York—August 4, 2005

GoalQuest Inc. today unveiled GoalQuest Heuristics™, a series of plug-and-play modules that enhance the user experience in GoalQuest program content by immersing participants in a world of interactive scenarios, self-tests and exploratory games. Developed with the input of thousands of students and parents, the new format was designed to capture the attention of end-users through friendly and engaging user interfaces and editorial narratives.

GoalQuest Heuristics will be made available to all GoalQuest clients as a standard feature in products such as EYOp™ (Enrollment Yield Optimization), FYRe™ (Freshman Year Retention) and PICS™ (Parents Involved in College Selection).

For example, an alcohol awareness module lets students guide a virtual college freshman named Jim. Users make choices on Jim’s behalf, such as whether to go to a particular party or complete a reading assignment for the next day’s class. Jim’s life evolves according to the choices participants make for him—e.g., one decision-point may be a "morning-after" scenario, forcing Jim to choose between getting to class or sleeping off a hangover. Other modules, such as a personality self-test, consider students’ specific motivations and interests and enable them to explore a customized selection of careers and majors.

GoalQuest plans extensive development of these situation-based interactive modules to address a wide variety of real-life issues facing college students, high school prospects and parents of both audiences. Among the interactive modules to be released this summer are:

"Since they were toddlers, students have been told to eat their vegetables," said Jade Smith, Director of First Year Programs at Loyola Marymount University, which two years ago introduced GoalQuest FYRe. "It’s hardly breaking news that college students don’t always make the best dietary decisions. By giving them an opportunity to realize the consequences of poor nutrition choices, we can arm students with information they can then take to the dining hall. The GoalQuest Heuristic modules show even greater potential, however, when they prompt students to explore subjects like substance abuse and sex in a format that truly grabs their attention."

"Commentators have long touted the potential of the Web to spur student learning and knowledge retention," said Peter Tomassi, Vice President of Product Development and Editor-in-Chief at GoalQuest. "To date, however, most student Web sites and learning applications have done little more than polish their printed ancestors—text books, student handbooks, viewbooks, etc.—by sprinkling in multimedia bells and whistles. GoalQuest Heuristics insert students and parents into truly interactive experiences that bear little resemblance to today’s passive Web destinations."

About Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount, a private four-year Catholic university in the Jesuit/Marymount tradition, was founded in 1911. The university is located in Los Angeles, CA and is the only Jesuit/Marymount university in the world. With 5,466 undergraduate and 1,637 graduate students, LMU employs 380 full-time and 427 part-time faculty members. Loyola Marymount is committed to developing the "whole person"—in mind, heart and spirit—through the liberal arts and sciences.

About GoalQuest
GoalQuest, Inc. is a New York City-based software company specializing in innovative solutions for higher education. The Company's proprietary software assists colleges and universities in maximizing recruiting, enrollment yield, retention, parent communication and advancement efforts. Its suite of products, including eCRUIT™, FYRe™, PICS™ and AlumNet™ as well as its Universe™ tools such as UPeers™ and UPortfolio™, are based on a revolutionary technology that immerses participants in highly interactive content. The tools provide clients with a full-featured reporting center and automated activity alerts that monitor the real-time interest trajectory of users. GoalQuest is a NASPA strategic partner. For additional information about GoalQuest, please visit the Company's Web site at http://www.goalquest.com or e-mail info@goalquest.com.