Universities and Colleges Embrace Blackboard's Revolutionary Networked Learning Environment
Thursday February 24, 7:00 am ET
Schools Choose Complete Blackboard Academic Suite for e-Learning
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB - News) announced today that eight new universities will use the complete Blackboard Academic Suite(TM), to foster Networked Learning Environments(TM) for their educators and students. Networked Learning Environments are the future of education and make it possible to connect and integrate courses with libraries, research labs, other institutions, advisors, alumni and many other elements of campus life. Blackboard is the leading provider of software and services enabling these types of expansive, fully integrated solutions in education.
ADVERTISEMENT
The latest additions include Georgian Court University, Texas Woman's University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Miami University in Ohio, Montclair State University, University of Connecticut Health Center, Bowdoin College, and Framingham State College, for a total of more than 91 academic institutions around the globe using the Blackboard Academic Suite. Blackboard's e-Learning software products are used by over 2,000 universities and K-12 schools worldwide. Over 12 million users learn from more than 400,000 courses currently taught on Blackboard's software.
"It is so encouraging to see schools taking the initiative towards Networked Learning Environments," said Matthew Pittinsky, Chairman of Blackboard. "We believe this will revolutionize the future of education -- where learning is not limited by the confines of a classroom, but instead incorporates a wide array of educational resources, both traditional and digital."
The Blackboard Academic Suite features the Blackboard Learning System(TM), the Blackboard Community System(TM) and the Blackboard Content System(TM). Together these extensive software products support a Networked Learning Environment where students and teachers can learn, connect and share educational materials and resources from practically any location and at any time.
The Blackboard Academic Suite enables Web-based and Web-enhanced learning.
"e-Learning is a core part of the educational experience at our school," said Carolyn Gard, Senior Director of Academic Technology Services at Miami University. "It made perfect sense from both a quality of service and a return on investment perspective to license the entire Blackboard Academic Suite for an integrated approach. We are very excited about the opportunities these new programs will provide our community."
Bowdoin College in Maine has just launched the Blackboard Academic Suite as part of a pilot program. The school plans to implement it campus wide in the fall.
"In less than two weeks, we were able to install the entire Blackboard Academic Suite, with 20 faculty members and 600 students using it," said Mitch Davis, Chief Information Officer at Bowdoin College. "We are very excited about how smooth the transition has been and look forward to a complete implementation in the fall."
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was previously using a different provider for its e-Learning initiatives and decided to switch to Blackboard.
"We offer more than 500 web-enhanced courses and more than 9,000 students regularly access materials and information online," said Jennifer Vandever, Manager of the Faculty Technology Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. "Students and faculty expect to be able to access whatever they need at any time and from any computer -- ranging from assignments to instructor office hours to class discussion boards. This new expanded relationship with Blackboard makes all this possible."
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. |
