Microsoft and Blackboard form strategic alliance to empower learners and enhance e-learning solutions for education institutions worldwide.
On 24 April 2001 - Microsoft Corporation and Blackboard Inc., the leading internet infrastructure software company for e-education, announced a global alliance to redefine and simplify the e-learning experience for students and faculty in higher education. Students and faculty using Blackboard's learning platform, built on Microsoft® .NET technologies, will be able to more easily integrate a wider array of academic resources in a learning environment tailored to their individual needs and preferences. This alliance is the first global application of .NET-enabled services in higher education.
'E-learning has been held back because students and faculty have to access resources from a variety of systems that don't work well together,' said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft, announcing the alliance to more than 100 CIOs from leading higher-education institutions in the United States and Canada. 'We're transforming the educational experience by fusing the power of .NET technologies with Blackboard's leading e-education platform.'
More and more higher-education institutions view e-learning as critical to their core mission. According to market research from Student Monitor LLC, colleges and universities are the most wired community on the Web, with more than 98 percent of four-year college students accessing the Internet, 71 percent of them daily. Eduventures.com Inc., a leading independent
e-learning industry analyst firm, projects that the higher education e-learning market will grow from $4 billion today
For more information on Blackboard read corresponding article 'Create your own e-learning web free'.
Blackboard 5TM is the definitive e-Learning software platform encompassing a course management system, customizable institution-wide portals, online campus communities, and an advanced architecture allowing easy integration of multiple administrative systems.
