Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning Goes Online via Mediasite

MADISON, Wis. - November 14, 2008 - Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, today announced that the company's Event Services group webcasted the 14th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning last week in Orlando, Florida. The conference provided the latest information on asynchronous learning programs for experienced professionals and interested newcomers to online learning from a variety of work sectors. Recorded sessions include the opening and closing remarks, the keynote speaker, as well as five featured sessions.

In August, Sloan-C conducted a brief survey to gauge member interest in streaming the conference sessions. Results from the survey revealed overwhelming support for webcasting, with 95 percent of respondents expressing interest in having access to the archived sessions, and over half stating they not only would attend the conference, but also sign up to watch the streaming presentations at a later time. Comments accompanying the survey responses clearly supported the value of having a knowledge archive for reference after the conference and the ability to watch sessions that attendees may miss due to scheduling conflicts on-site during the event.

"Sloan-C felt it was time to webcast the annual conference, given that its mission is to make quality online education a part of everyday life, accessible and affordable for anyone, anywhere, at any time, in a wide variety of disciplines," said Patrick Wagner, Manager for the Sloan-C Annual Conference. "By partnering with Sonic Foundry to record and stream important sessions, we can broaden access to the valuable knowledge shared at this annual event, and through Mediasite, it's available on-demand after the conference for our registrants and members."

Moreover, given current economic conditions and increasing budget restraints on travel, several members provided feedback that while attending in person is ideal, disseminating conference material online is now essential to their professional development. "Our institution has cut back on travel expenses, so it would be a way for me to attend without losing out on all on the valuable information," observed one member.

The Sloan Consortium is a professional leadership organization dedicated to integrating quality online education into the mainstream of higher education. Sloan-C assesses program effectiveness using its five pillars of quality (www.sloan-c.org/5pillars): learning effectiveness, scale, access, faculty and student satisfaction. After the event, Sloan-C and Sonic Foundry will evaluate the conference webcasting initiative against these principles.

The International Conference on Online Learning (http://www.sloan-c.org/conference/index.asp) was webcasted by Sonic Foundry's Event Services group, which consists of systems engineers and project managers with an extensive knowledge of audio/video production and webcasting. The group and its strategic partners supply technical webcasting services and expertise to organizations who seek to complement their conference or event with viewing over the web. Since its launch in January 2007, the Event Services group has provided live and on-demand webcasting for clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations and university associations to sporting events and charitable organizations.

Since its introduction in 2003, Sonic Foundry's Mediasite has set the standard as a transformational communication medium for delivering critical information and sharing knowledge. The patented Mediasite webcasting and content management system quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of rich media presentations that combine audio, video and accompanying graphics for live or on-demand viewing.

About Sloan-C
The Sloan Consortium (www.sloan-c.org) supports the collaborative sharing of knowledge and effective practices to improve online education in learning effectiveness, access, affordability for learners and providers, and student and faculty satisfaction. Sloan-C maintains a catalog of degree and certificate programs offered by a wide range of regionally accredited member institutions, consortia, and industry partners; provides speakers and consultants to help institutions learn about online methodologies; hosts conferences and workshops to help implement and improve online programs; publishes the Sloan-C View, the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN), and annual volumes of applied research studies; and conducts research, annual surveys on online learning and forums to inform academic, government and private sector audiences. Sloan-C also offers an awards program and an effective practices database so members can share the lessons they have learned. Members include (1) private and public universities and colleges, community colleges and other accredited course and degree providers, and (2) organizations and suppliers of services, equipments, and tools that practice the Sloan-C quality principles.