About us

We've come a long way…

Follow our journey, where innovation and passion for learning are the common themes.

At the start

It all began in 1998 when Dan and Cathy Sivak, college-lecturers, saw the potential of emerging digital technologies to deliver distance learning. Constrained by their traditional learning environment, they set up shop and started building a team of tech experts to realise their vision. CDSM was born.

The Millennium

The early 2000s saw CDSM go from strength to strength, spurred on by successful and innovative ideas such as The Runner, an interactive 3D learning game commissioned by UfI LearnDirect to address adult literacy deficiency. We also developed Fish Faction, a multi-user online 3D chat environment. Our ideas were ahead of their time, none more so than our 2003 Technology Wales award-winning social networking portal for Swansea University Alumni. It allowed people to get in touch with old friends, manage their online profile, create groups and post up pictures and memories. Sound familiar?

Platforms for Schools

The mid-2000s saw the birth of our learning platform technology through the development of My Learning Space. Built with partners in City Learning Centres across the UK, our goal was to transform the online learning experience for schools across the nation. This was extended with ‘MLS Junior’, the first fully-interactive, narrative-driven learning platform for younger learners. In this period, we also introduced Pedagogue, an e-learning authoring tool designed for teachers, where a high-quality output could be achieved with little effort.

Success in the Commercial World

Around 2008-9 we consolidated our learning platform community through the BSF initiative, giving us access to hundreds of schools and learners. This period also saw us successfully bring our education experience into the commercial world through relationships built with Cambridge University Press and the Atlas authoring platform.

Onwards and Upwards

2010-onwards has continued the trend of applying our learning science, forged in the hotbed of schools and government, into commercial application - and to great success. Use of our platform technologies in several local authorities saw a dramatic rise in GCSE results. An overhaul of Honda's e-learning practice has seen big returns culminating in a gold medal in the National e-learning Awards 2014.

Growth is continuing, and our success has attracted the best and brightest, with a strong 'can-do' culture and a passion for solving our clients’ problems. Our drive knows no bounds as we, alongside our clients, strive to achieve maximum potential.

Learn to succeed!