Case Study : The Open University April 2, 2003 FirstClass Focus On Learning, Not Just Learning Technology. The Open University offers distance learning, including undergraduate and postgraduate courses, to around 200,000 part-time students. Learning and Teaching Solutions ( LTS) is responsible for the production and distribution of all Open University course materials and services. Part of their remit is the administration of the FirstClass system which they began using in 1994 and have since developed into one of the largest and most successful online learning communities in the world. For details on how FirstClass enhances the communication and collaboration in this learning communities, please click this OpenU.pdf (224K). About the FirstClass Division of Open Text The FirstClass Division of Open Text is a leading provider of cost-effective, highly scalable, feature-rich messaging and collaboration solutions to enterprises, learning organizations, governments and service providers. Since its inception in 1989, they have committed FirstClass products to developing highly scalable and reliable technology that evolves with customer's needs and enables them to break-free of traditional communication barriers and work on their own terms. The company develops, markets and sells the FirstClass Communications Platform. They have more than 8 million users now. The FirstClass Platform combines the award-winning Collaborative Groupware and Unified Communication technologies into one Common Communications Platform to provide users with a variety of solutions ranging from basic email and voice mail - all the way to advanced Unified Communications. FirstClass products are distributed by B.E.L. Distributions Ltd. in Hong Kong/ China.  For further information, please contact B.E.L. at Tel: +852 2187 3113, Fax: +852 2493 1153 or email: info@belhk.com.