Blackboard Used By More than 70% of Schools on the 'Forbes.com Most Connected Campuses' List
Wednesday December 1, 7:01 am ET
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB - News) announces that 18 of the 25 most connected campuses in the United States, as reported by Forbes.com, rely on the Blackboard Learning System(TM) for their e-learning needs. Additionally three of the top-five ranked schools, including DePauw University, Temple University and Duke University use the Blackboard Learning System and the Blackboard Transaction System(TM), the company's comprehensive one-card system for student and faculty commerce and access transactions. Overall, Blackboard has a presence at 22 of the 25 campuses on the list.
The Forbes.com list, released on October 22, 2004, is the result of research conducted by The Princeton Review to determine the computing capabilities, technology policies and coursework at colleges around the country.
As technological possibilities expand, colleges and universities are linking students, faculty and campuses in new ways. Whether providing online access to courses and other learning resources, physical access to campus facilities and events or even purchasing access to off-campus merchants, institutions are creating Networked Learning Environments(TM) by connecting all aspects of campus life online.
"With an estimated 34,000 students at Temple University, it became crucial for us to provide a convenient way to connect students to classes, teachers and campus life information," said Tim O'Rourke, Vice President of Computer and Information Services at Temple University. "We are able to do just this through the Blackboard Learning System, the Blackboard Community System and the Blackboard Transaction System. These tools enable us to provide a richer learning environment where students and faculty can access educational resources at any time and from any location."
At DePauw University, ranked third on the Forbes.com list, the Blackboard Learning System is used by more than half of the school's faculty in 226 courses.
"Blackboard is a key piece of DePauw's overall approach to enhancing and enriching teaching and learning," said Dennis Trinkle, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chief Information Officer at DePauw University. "Thanks to a grant from the Lilly Endowment and Blackboard's software and services, DePauw has been able to establish a national model for the successful marriage of digital fluency with the classic critical thinking, speaking and writing strengths of liberal arts education."
The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo is ranked number 13 among the top 25 most connected campuses, and uses the Blackboard Learning System and Blackboard Community System(TM). Rich Lesniak, Director, Academic Services, CIT at SUNY Buffalo says that these e-learning tools have been particularly important during inclement weather conditions.
"Local schools in Buffalo were closed four days last winter due to high winds and other inclement weather conditions," said Lesniak. "Through Blackboard, we were able to keep our students and faculty in close communication and connected to the information and materials they needed to continue learning. Blackboard is an instrumental part of our multi-technology approach to provide students and faculty with the tools necessary to achieve academic excellence."
"It is becoming increasingly important for schools to leverage the power of the Internet and technology to enhance learning possibilities," said Matthew Pittinsky, Chairman of Blackboard. "We are thrilled that so many of the schools paving the way in this area are turning to Blackboard as a trusted partner. As the number of schools offering e-learning capabilities increases, so do the opportunities for broader and deeper networked learning environments."
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard is a leading provider of enterprise software and services to the education industry. The Company's product line consists of five software applications bundled in two suites, the Blackboard Academic Suite(TM) and the Blackboard Commerce Suite(TM). Blackboard's clients include colleges, universities, schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and staff in North America, Europe and Asia. |
