At this year’s BbWorld 2012 event, higher education leaders and officials will get together to trade user experiences and innovative program successes using Blackboard technology with peers from around the world. With each conference, attendees hear presentations and participate in sessions discussing common challenges to identify unique solutions to implement on their campus. For the last few years, it has been apparent that most higher education officials continue to look for ways to better engage the mobile student population. This year is no different, as many mobility-minded sessions are sprinkled throughout the agenda. Depending on the department, university officials and instructors aren’t just looking to know how to utilize available mobile tools and technologies, but many are looking for proven programs using mobile devices to better address the needs of their campus community.

As this year’s Catalyst Award winner for innovation in communication strategies, Dionne Curbeam is familiar with developing and implementing mobile strategies to engage the student population at Coppin State University. Serving an academically promising but financially challenge student population, Coppin State pays special attention to students to help ensure their educational success and that they graduate on time. Having tried various methods of outreach, include email, Coppin State officials decided to utilize text messaging as a way to communicate quickly and effectively with students. Sending text messages out notifying of campus updates or reminding of upcoming events or activities proved extremely successful. The text messages were so popular that Coppin State is looking to institute a similar program for instructors and professors to send out course-specific messages by implementing the Connect for Learn service. Students and instructors alike delivered positive feedback to the more instant and personalized means of communication by the school. Dionne Curbeam and Ahmed El-Haggan will be discussing their mobile communication plan during BbWorld 2012. The session, “ Analyze, Enable and Interact: Using Blackboard Technology to Reach and Retain At-Risk Students” will be held on July 11 at 10:55 a.m. in Room 391. To learn more about this year’s BbWorld Sessions, visit the website. To register, click here.

This year’s BbWorld 2012 event is less than a month away. The annual user and professional development conference provides Blackboard administrators a chance to share success stories and trade best practices with peers from across the world. Traditionally, educators and officials from colleges and universities have a prominent presence at the 3-day event. With last year’s merger with Edline, Blackboard has more K-12 users than ever, and that sentiment will definitely be represented this year with more K-12 presentations and sessions than in previous years. At Blackboard Connect, our K-12 clients have regularly participated in the BbWorld, demonstrating the powerful impact targeted messages and proactive communication can have within their school districts. This year is no different, as we have lined up several K-12 leaders to share their experiences using Blackboard Connect. Where BbWorld 2011 served as an effective stage for the launch of Blackboard Connect 5, this year attendees will benefit from hearing success stories and programs dedicated to demonstrating Connect 5’s expanded feature set and functionality.

As we are putting the finishing touches on this year’s BbWorld 2012 event, many Blackboard users are packing their bags and making the trip down to join us in the Big Easy. We are very excited and doing our best to keep our lips sealed as this year brings many big announcements and surprises. Of course, one thing we can’t help but shout from the rooftop as we gear up is the importance of text messaging for university and higher education institutions. This past year, we have previously demonstrated the value of text messaging to campus communities. At BbWorld 2012, we have arranged a handful of speakers to present their successful and effective uses of texting in the higher education environments. Brian Hipkin, Dean of Students at Regents College, has been especially successful and innovative in using the Blackboard ConnectTxt service (formerly known as txttools) to develop and deploy engaging programs to attract and retain college students. Last fall, Brian served as the keynote speaker at the annual ConnectTxt user even in the UK, ‘Let’s Talk Txt.’ He’ll be bringing his eye-opening presentation to BbWorld 2012 to discuss the ways in which texting has come to serve as the underlying fabric of social connection. Having a solid understanding of texting as a viable and effective communication mode can help shape unique outreach programs and implement similar communication strategies on campus. Don’t miss the session, “Doing More for Less in 160 Characters,” with Brian Hipkin on July 12 at 4:15 p.m. And stay tuned for more announcements regarding the Blackboard ConnectTxt service as we get closer to BbWorld 2012.

The prevalence and heavy reliance on mobile devices has changed how people interact and communicate. At Blackboard, we have been tracking this continuous trend, paying special attention to how traditional teaching and learning practices have been affected as a result. We have seen that students are taking a more active approach to their education, enrolling in courses and participating in the campus community with greater expectations. On college campuses, active students are asking for more from university officials, generally in the areas of service, choice, personalization and immediacy. We have seen that with the adoption of mobile applications and enhanced communication tools, institutions have been able to better address the changing needs of today’s higher education student. As many colleges work to meet the expectations of a more mobile and active student body, we have compiled four examples of institutions positively affecting student engagement through the use of Blackboard tools and technologies:

For most, summertime means sunny days and warmer weather. But for those living in areas near the Gulf Coast and the East Coast, the summer season can bring unpredictable tropical storms and hurricane formations. At Blackboard Connect, we have worked with numerous clients over the years to help local and community leaders effectively communicate with their residents before, during and after a storm. Putting our knowledge and experience to good use, we have produced the Hurricane Playbook, an informative resource to help local officials prepare for the hurricane season. Download it here. Hurricane season officially begins today, June 1^st,and with experts predicting an active season, it is critical to begin preparing response and recovery efforts. Join our upcoming webinar to learn more about planning hurricane communications from the City of La Porte’s Emergency Management Coordinator, Jeff Suggs.  As La Porte’s EMC, Jeff weathered Hurricane Katrina and a direct hit from Ike and recently shared his hurricane communications expertise at the National Hurricane Conference this past March.  This webinar will help you avoid common mistakes and teach us all about the importance of coordinating with other local communities before a hurricane strikes. In the meantime, here are a few steps local leaders can take to help ensure they are appropriately prepared: