Blackboard Asserts Commitment to Open Source

In the wake of news of its split from Moodle, Blackboard has reaffirmed its commitment to its Moodle-based Software-as-a-Service product and the open source community. "Our decision to leave the Moodle Certified Partner Program does not affect in any way our unwavering support of open source and open standards," asserted Kathleen Vieira, Blackboard chief portfolio officer, in a blog post today. "We have a very strong admiration for Moodle Pty and its contributions to education and the open source community."

Vieira cited the product's recent growth, with "more than 1,000 clients using our Moodle-based product and 20 percent of them have joined in the last year with a growing pipeline." The company will continue to invest in the product in a number of areas, she said, including:

  • Better support of IMS Global standards;
  • Enhanced in-product help and support features;
  • Continued focus on universal access; and
  • Deeper integration with third-party partners.

Vieira also pointed out that Blackboard has contributed new tools to the open source community, including its Ally accessibility checker and SafeAssign plagiarism detector.

A new name and branding for Blackboard's Moodle-based product is coming soon, according to the company, but in the meantime, Vieira stressed, it's business as usual: "Exiting the Moodle Certified Partner Program will not have any impact on our support of the open source community and there will be no change in our ability to utilize updates and enhancements from the community," she stated. "Additionally, there will be no change in the current user experience for clients and no drop-off in our pace of innovation and development. We will continue to contribute code and features back to the Moodle community — and work to move the community forward together."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • university building surrounded by icons for AI, checklists, and data governance

    Improving AI Governance for Stronger University Compliance and Innovation

    AI can generate valuable insights for higher education institutions and it can be used to enhance the teaching process itself. The caveat is that this can only be achieved when universities adopt a strategic and proactive set of data and process management policies for their use of AI.

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • soft-edged digital blocks and AI imagery on a muted background

    OpenAI Launches GPT-4.1 with Upgrades in Coding, Context Processing, Efficiency

    OpenAI has announced GPT-4.1, offering stronger performance across software development, instruction following, and long-context comprehension.

  • hand touching glowing connected dots

    Registration Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Thriving in the Age of AI

    Tech Tactics in Education has officially opened registration for its May 7 virtual conference on "Thriving in the Age of AI." The annual event, brought to you by the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal, offers hands-on learning and interactive discussions on the most critical technology issues and practices across K–12 and higher education.