WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Inc.
(NASDAQ: BBBB) today announced the launch of Blackboard Learn™ –
ANGEL Edition 8.0, which brings a range of key product
enhancements driven by input from ANGEL clients and follows through
on another commitment from Blackboard to support ANGEL institutions
with continued development and support.
The new release includes simplified course functionality for
instructors, with the addition of rubrics to discussion forums that
let instructors provide feedback and grade student discussions more
quickly and consistently. Functionality for Blackboard Mobile™
Learn for ANGEL is also upgraded, which lets users upload
multimedia content to courses directly from mobile devices. The
release also adds certification for Safari and Chrome to give users
greater flexibility and an improved experience in their choice of
Web browsers.
The release is part of Blackboard's ongoing effort to maintain a
high quality experience for ANGEL clients and users since the
company merged with Blackboard in 2009. Since then, Blackboard has
maintained high service and support levels for ANGEL clients, some
of which have actually increased in the last two years.
"We're excited to see the enhancements in ANGEL 8.0," said
Julie Rorabaugh at Cowley College.
"These improvements give us confidence that we will continue to
have a stable and supported platform for the next couple of years,
enabling us the time to take a measured approach to considering our
LMS options for the future while still operating in a familiar, but
upgraded system."
Consistent with previous releases, ANGEL 8.0 was designed
through continued partnership with clients. The release provides
improved functionality in a highly stable product that requires
very little change management and allows ANGEL clients to be fully
supported through October 2014.
"Delivering on product quality has been a core execution focus
for us, and we've invested much to maintain an excellent experience
for ANGEL institutions," said Ray Henderson, President of
Blackboard Learn. "We're pleased to continue that investment with
this release and to further demonstrate our ability to bring new
value to ANGEL clients even as they plan for the future."
ANGEL 8.0 also includes new features that help users share
course content, including a batch export tool that lets users
transfer course content without associated student data and can
make the transition smoother for institutions that choose to move
to Blackboard Learn 9.1.
For more information about Blackboard Learn ANGEL Edition 8.0,
please visit: www.blackboard.com/angel.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise
technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of
millions of students and learners around the world every day.
Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12,
professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend
teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and
security, and communicate more effectively with their communities.
Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia
and Australia.
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 discussed in the "Risk Factors"
section of our Form 10-K filed on February 18, 2011 and Form 10-Q filed on
August 4, 2011 with the SEC. In
addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press
release represent the Company's views as of September 14, 2011. 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
September 14, 2011.
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.