Learning Technology Partners (previously known as Convene) is an early
distance learning company and the largest company in that market. The software company
was founded in the late 1980s by Larry Allen when he created collaborative seminary training programs. Although Convene still has collaborative software for use by some 15,000 religious leaders, it expanded into an international distance learning software company in 1993. It uses specialized software to facilitate online classes for over 100 universities.
Learning Technology Partners International
Between 1989 and 1993, Allen discussed the company with Jeffery Stein, who had founded an information process company called On-Line Business Systems. Working with Reda Athanasios, Stein, buoyed by his experience founding a computer-based service company, played the largest role in turning the early software company into Convene International. As part of its transformation, the company began offering
asynchronous distance learning software in Windows (instead of DOS) and eventually added 24/7 phone tech support. The first major client to offer the service was the
University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree lev ...
online campus, then in its fledgling years. Convene International then expanded to over 45,000 students at more than 100 universities in the United States and elsewhere.
Stein left the company in 2000 to form a corporate advisory services company, Peyton Investments. He is the chair of the
IT History Society
The IT History Society (ITHS) is an organization that supports the history and scholarship of information technology by encouraging, fostering, and facilitating archival and historical research. Formerly known as the Charles Babbage Foundation, ...
. In 2002, the Learning Technology Partners, a similar company, bought Convene in 2012 for an undisclosed sum.
References
{{Reflist
Sources
* Jeffery R. Young.
Distance Education Transforms Help Desks Into '24-7' Operations ''
The Chronicle of Higher Education
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to rea ...
''. May 26, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
* Ann Hill.
One Company’s Impact On The World Of On-Line Learning ''ALN Magazine''. March 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
* Ann Hill.
Convene Appoints Reda S. Athanasios President and Chief Operating Officer (Press Release).
Business Wire. August 25, 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
*
Learning Technology Partners buys Convene ''San Francisco Business Times''. September 5, 2002. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
Companies based in San Francisco