Blackboard Blogs

Blended Learning Provides New Models for Engaging Students

Last week over 1,500 K-12 educators gathered in Austin, TX for the Virtual School Symposium hosted by iNACOL. Though the event is branded for virtual schools, one of the most popular topics was blended learning – the intersection between face-to-face and online learning.

We discovered that blended learning can be a confusing topic as definitions vary based on institution. To help, Blackboard K-12 embarked on projects to shed light on the model and practices around blended learning. At VSS, we launched our newest eduviews K-12 leadership publication: Blended Learning: Where Online and Face-to-Face Instruction Intersect at a breakfast featuring a panel of practitioners.

Introducting Jim Chalex

As we kick off this new Assessment topic on the Blackboard Blog I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself. My name is Jim Chalex; I’m the product manager for Blackboard Learn for Outcomes Assessment. I previously worked at ANGEL Learning as a product manager where I was responsible for the assessment-related aspects of our products. Before starting at ANGEL, I spent several years at Pearson Education in a variety of product management and user experience roles, all with a focus on professional and higher education. Throughout all of these positions I’ve had the good fortune to work with and learn from many talented educators and technologists who continually strive to improve their learners’ experiences and outcomes.

Virtual Schools: Expanding Learning Opportunities

Recently, I attended a luncheon honoring the success of Fairfax Public Schools (VA) in providing a first-class education to their students – including the incorporation of technology in education. One of the district’s many accomplishments is the creation of a district virtual school to serve a diverse student population. Fairfax is not alone in this effort. Many districts across the country have created virtual schools to enable students to access courses they can’t get at their school or that just won’t fit into their schedule. This summer, Blackboard K-12 captured a few district leaders on video as they discussed the benefits of district-based virtual schools, including the ability to deliver an engaging, personalized educational experience to students.

American Graduation Initiative: Grant Opportunities Tied to Outcomes Assessment

From Donna Jones, EdD, Senior Pedagogical Solutions Engineer-Assessment

It’s a great time to be a community college! 

America’s community colleges, now more than ever, are educating today’s workforce in basic skills and job preparation training, allowing our country to better compete in a global economy. This past summer President Obama announced his American Graduation Initiative, a 10-year, $12 billion plan to improve the community college system. The main objective of this program is to graduate 5 million students from community colleges by 2020 in an effort to improve the American economy by supplementing our own labor pool with a higher skilled workforce.