FYI...

________________________________

From: Carl O'Keefe [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thu 19/08/2004 18:07
To: Carl O'Keefe
Subject: Blackboard Launches Enterprise Learning Object Repository


http://www.blackboard.com/about/press/prview.htm?id=604710



News Release



Blackboard Launches Enterprise Learning Object Repository

Blackboard Content System Enables Faculty to Access Educationally Rich
Learning Materials

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq:
BBBB) announced today that it has released an enterprise Learning Object
Catalog as part of the newest release of its Blackboard Content
System(TM) (Release 2.0). The Blackboard Content System is part of the
Blackboard Academic Suite(TM), a comprehensive family of integrated
applications for teaching, learning, community-building and
knowledge-sharing.

Educational institutions throughout the world are developing
educationally valuable "learning objects" -- often with great investment
-- and seek to share and re-use these resources among a broader
audience. Learning objects are instructionally useful curriculum
resources that can be experienced independently, or combined to form a
larger resource. For example, learning objects can be individual pieces
of content (such as documents, images or multi-media assets), or
standards-based self-paced learning modules (such as SCORM objects).

As part of Release 2.0 of the Blackboard Content System, institutions
can now store and describe learning objects in a central open
repository. Through the Blackboard Learning Object Catalog, faculty will
be able to locate and import high quality education content for use
across course sections, departments and even institutions. Content
developers can share their Learning Objects with the public and
institutions can share learning objects with other institutions. With
the release of the Learning Object Catalog, Blackboard is introducing
advanced cataloging and workflow features to support a more automated
and scalable process for reviewing and publishing learning objects.

"In our traditional model of managing course content, our instructors
build courses using their own content," stated Terrence Verity, CIO of
Seneca College. "The Blackboard Content System expands this model
through the use of the Learning Objects Catalog. Now our instructors can
improve the quality of their courses by tapping into the wealth of
materials that their colleagues have created."

"I am excited to see Blackboard making significant headway toward giving
faculty an effective way to share the resources they have developed into
a repository where others can discover, review, and reuse them," said
Gerard Hanley, Executive Director of MERLOT, an international consortium
of higher education institutions that has been building a shared digital
library of learning objects since 1997. "With this new release of the
Blackboard Content System, Blackboard joins MERLOT in the vision of
improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning by increasing the
number of easily available, high quality learning resources."

"Soon Blackboard will be releasing a service that will enable our
clients to publish their learning objects to multiple search engines and
educational repositories as well as a centralized public Learning Object
Catalog hosted by Blackboard," said Michael Chasen, President and CEO of
Blackboard. "Our entire client base of more than 2,000 institutions will
be able to contribute to this centralized repository, as well as
identify valuable learning content and easily import it into their
online courses."

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.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans
and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words
"believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar
expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may
differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking
statements as a result of various important factors, including the
factors stated in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent 10-Q
filed with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included
in this press release represent the Company's views as of August 17,
2004. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments
will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may
elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the
future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.
These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as
representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to August 17,
2004.





--
Phil Barker                            Learning Technology Adviser
       ICBL, School of Mathematics and Computer Science
       Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS
       Tel: work - 0131 451 3278    home - 0131 221 1352
       Web: http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/~philb/