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When Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) set out this spring to upgrade their learning management system from Blackboard Learn™, Release 8 to Release 9.1, they knew that communication with their faculty would be the key to success. So what exactly did they do to get faculty attention during the end of a busy spring semester? The staff at Tri-C’s Office of eLearning & Innovation created a series of animated videos that highlight new features and functionality in Release 9.1 and, at the same time, demonstrate how the new release “fixes” older issues. The aptly named “teasers” spoke to the heart of Tri-C faculty and staff.

In just over a year, 1,400 institutions have made the move to Blackboard Learn, Release 9.1. Along the way, many clients have asked us how their peers are evaluating Release 9.1 and what they’re finding. What was their approach, and how did they evaluate their options? What did their process look like, and who provided input? We’ve recently shared details about the LMS evaluations at Riverside and San Diego Community College Districts, Skidmore College and Dudley College in the U.K., to name a few. Knowing about their decisions may help, but knowing how they got there can be even more useful. So with the permission of several clients we’ve created a central place to make it easy for you to find some of the planning resources and evaluation tools they’ve used that can inform your own work. Located on the Release 9.1 Evaluation Resource Center, we’ll add to these resources over time with additional contributions from the community.

Guest Post by Misty Cobb, Director of Distance Education, Jacksonville State University Once upon a time…well maybe not.  Last year at this time, Jacksonville State University was considering other learning management systems for their institution. But over the past year, Blackboard and JSU have taken significant strides towards building a relationship that is a true mutual partnership.   What does your relationship with Blackboard look like? Have you evaluated other learning management systems hoping that the grass was greener somewhere?  If so, this panel presentation may bring you hope.

Guest Post by Alison Marcoff, Assistant Director, eLearning Support & Training, Florida Atlantic University Are you totally unfazed by the idea of upgrading from Blackboard Learn™ Release 8 to Release 9.1?  Do you think that your faculty will adjust easily and thank you for making their lives easier?   Do you think your life will be stress-free once you make the switch?  If so, then maybe you should just skip this presentation…. No, wait—maybe this presentation is actually perfect for you.  You need a wake-up call!

Earlier this week, we were notified by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) that we were selected as finalists for the 2011 CODiE Awards. Blackboard has been selected as a finalist in a number of different categories, including six Education Technology categories and one Business Software category, with representation from many of our platforms including Blackboard Learn, Blackboard Mobile and Blackboard Collaborate. With the voting underway, we’re hopeful that we’ll bring home a few trophies when winners are announced in late May.