PULLMAN, Wash. – A committee of faculty, staff and students has recommended Blackboard Learn as the learning management system to replace Angel, which is being phased out by its parent company.
A series of virtual open forums about Blackboard is planned. Connect through http://tinyurl.com/liamsoffice or by calling 866-290-9533, passcode 562 301 0714 .
Forums will be:
Wednesday, April 30, 3-4 p.m.
Thursday, May 1, 9-10 a.m.
Friday, May 2, 9-10 a.m. and 2-3 p.m.
The review committee maintains a website at http://lmsevaluation.wsu.edu at which it posts announcements and updates. Interested faculty are encouraged to visit the site regularly.
The committee recommended Blackboard to Washington State University President Elson S. Floyd and Vice-President for Information Services Viji Murali for a variety of reasons. It was found to have the most useful set of tools, greatest degree of flexibility and best support of the three systems compared.
The committee contrasted Blackboard against two other systems, Instructure Canvas and Desire2Learn.
Attractive features of Blackboard include anti-plagiarism tools; data analysis capability; easy-to-use yet flexible exam accommodation settings; and a broad range of social interaction options. Blackboard interfaces easily with some of the software packages being considered to replace Skylight. The committee also expects Blackboard to be a stable product for the foreseeable future.
A transition team, consisting of some of the faculty and staff from the review committee, will begin developing a plan to migrate faculty from Angel to Blackboard.