Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 19, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Quark Inc. today announced a new university package designed to increase the appeal of QuarkXPress beyond design faculties at universities throughout Europe. Quark now gives universities the opportunity to purchase a special package that allows them to make QuarkXPress available to students in every faculty and on every campus computer, while offering students free courses, flexible licensing and affordable student prices.
Desktop-publishing software has traditionally been used primarily by students on professional design courses. However, as presentation and design become increasingly important in modern business, students in every discipline are expected to acquire additional skills for presenting their knowledge, ideas and research in a visually appealing format. With Quark’s new University Package Program, students writing business reports, dissertations or market analyses can now use QuarkXPress 8 without previous design knowledge to create these documents with high-quality layouts. Given the current economic climate, it is more important than ever that graduates possess a broad range of skills to find employment and stand out in intense competition. Expertise in QuarkXPress helps them do so.
Creative students in particular will benefit from the latest improvements in QuarkXPress 8, as they can create an impressive portfolio of print, web and Flash projects without programming knowledge. They can also integrate motion, sound, animation and interactivity into their work, create and edit graphics directly in the page layout, and use design-oriented typography features to create impressive layouts.
As part of this initiative, Quark education specialists will work with universities to train lecturers in the use of QuarkXPress so they can adopt new techniques for their lectures and course materials. They will also develop courses aimed at the general student body. QuarkEd training covers all the essential functions of QuarkXPress 8. Its modules consist of individual learning units with information on the fundamentals of a function and instructions for more complex uses. Universities also have access to the Teacher Resource Guide, a reference for instructors aimed both at students learning the software for the first time and experienced QuarkXPress users. The Teacher Resource Guide is available as a downloadable file for both Mac and PC.
“We know the budget constraints universities face. The University Package Program takes this into particular account by offering more flexible payment plans. Universities can now purchase QuarkXPress 8 from €2,483/CHF 4,016 plus VAT per year for 350 seats as part of a three-year service and payment plan covering both new purchases and updates. They also benefit from flexible educational licensing and receive Quark License Administrator, which makes it easy to manage QuarkXPress licenses. Under the University Package, students can also take advantage of affordable student prices for QuarkXPress starting at €99/CHF 149 plus VAT. After graduating, they can even upgrade to the commercial version at the regular upgrade price. They also have access to free technical telephone support, online chat and web-based troubleshooting as 24-hour support,” commented Peter Schaebbicke of Quark European Channel and Education.
“We welcome Quark’s University Package Program because it enables us to equip all students with additional skills that improve their job-market prospects after graduation. It also gives us greater budget flexibility. The university package payment plan allows us to spread the cost over three years, which is enormously beneficial for a university,” commented Chris Priestman, head of the Faculty of Media Arts and Design at Staffordshire University. “This initiative demonstrates Quark’s commitment to education. We are delighted by the level of support we receive to help us deliver this offering to students smoothly.”
“Quark’s University Package Program enables us to offer students in all faculties access to the latest versions of QuarkXPress, as well as free courses from Quark specialists. This is a major advantage for our students because they need numerous skills when entering the job market. Expertise in QuarkXPress gives them a decisive competitive advantage. Quark’s new payment plan and flexible licensing also mean that we can control and manage our costs better, which is an important benefit for us,” said Jost J. Marchesi, IT manager at Allgemeine Berufsschule Zürich. “We are genuinely impressed by QuarkXPress 8 and particularly like the new, simplified user interface. Quark has introduced some truly excellent improvements in this version, and we are certain that our lecturers and students will enthusiastically adopt the program.”
More information at http://8.quark.com/de/education/
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