ORLANDO,
Fla., July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthology,
the leading educational technology company, revealed the latest
iteration of its Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard, at
Anthology Together 2024. Previously known as Blackboard Learn, the
flagship LMS was recognized for outpacing the competition in
feature development for the third consecutive year. This iteration
focuses on enhancing AI literacy, improving instructor workflows,
and supporting student achievement. Innovations such as AI
Conversations, Content Designer, and Video Studio demonstrate
Anthology's commitment to advancing education through technology by
integrating tools that address the evolving needs of academic
institutions.
AI Conversations in Blackboard sets a new
standard in AI literacy.
"The impact of AI, the enrollment cliff, student retention,
escalating costs, changing student expectations—I don't remember a
time higher education faced so many unprecedented challenges," said
Nicolaas Matthijs, Chief Product
Officer at Anthology. "Our rapid product enhancements and
commitment to working in close collaboration with our customers
reflect our dedication to helping higher education not just
overcome these hurdles but thrive in this dynamic environment."
Leading the way on AI literacy
Following on the success of its AI-facilitated instructional
design tool, the Blackboard AI Design Assistant, Anthology
announced the availability of its student-focused AI literacy tool.
Students will be expected to use generative AI technologies in the
workforce, and it's important they have an opportunity to
experience it and understand its strengths and weaknesses.
AI Conversations is a new activity type in Blackboard to drive
AI literacy and deepen student engagement. Through the tool,
students can have a conversation with an AI persona about a
specific topic. It's a unique way to expose students to generative
AI in a responsible and pedagogically-sound way while maintaining
instructor oversight. The instructor is able to review the
interaction and assess their student's critical thinking while
offering a novel and engaging means of assessment.
Powered by Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service, AI
Conversations sets a new standard in AI literacy not available in
any other LMS. AI Conversations will be a core feature included in
every Blackboard license. All AI-facilitated capabilities in
Anthology solutions are developed following Anthology's Trustworthy
AI Approach.
Deepen student engagement and bolster instructor
efficiency
Customer engagement and co-design is a critical component of
Anthology's product development process. The Anthology
customer community were active contributors to all of the
value-driven features announced at Anthology Together:
- Blackboard Content Designer. To allow instructors to
create more engaging learning experiences, the Content Designer
allows simple, fast, interactive content creation that is mobile
friendly and accessible. Aligned with Anthology's mission to
deliver innovation that is simple and intelligent, the Content
Designer is a core feature of the latest version of Blackboard
included in every license.
- Blackboard Video Studio. In order to create an even more
engaging and multimodal student experience, Anthology also launched
Video Studio. Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Video Studio
allows instructors to add video and audio content to their courses
quickly and easily, with automatic captioning and flexible playback
for use in low-bandwidth areas, to deliver a more engaging and
accessible multimedia experience for students.
- Blackboard Mastery Learning. Blackboard's enhanced
Mastery Learning capabilities allow instructors to design programs
that adapt to each student's individual needs. This personalized
approach deepens student engagement and significantly enhances
learning outcomes, ensuring learners progress and master course
content as they go.
- The new Gradebook Mastery view allows instructors to
easily identify learning gaps at both the course and individual
student levels. This clear, visual representation of student
progress enables instructors to adjust their instructional
strategies as needed. Students also benefit from the Mastery view
by gaining a comprehensive understanding and overview of how their
course assignments contribute to their overall learning
outcomes.
- The new Achievements feature in Blackboard celebrates
student accomplishments. With Achievements, instructors can create
badges for students to earn based on specific performance criteria.
Badging is vital to student learning as it aligns with
evolving student expectations and provides a visual recognition of
achievements and skills mastery.
- Students can showcase their expertise in their life-long
Achievement Studio account. They can display their skills
and badges, including the evidence of their learning, and
incorporate in social platforms and portfolios.
Experience the industry's most modern learning management system
with a free trial at www.anthology.com.
About Anthology
Anthology delivers education and technology solutions so that
students can reach their full potential and learning institutions
thrive. Millions of students around the world are supported
throughout their education journey via Anthology's ecosystem of
flagship SaaS solutions and supporting services, including the
award-winning Blackboard® (LMS), Anthology® Student (SIS/ERP), and
Anthology® Reach (CRM). Through the Power of Together, we are
uniquely inspiring educators and institutions with innovation that
is meaningful, simple and intelligent to help customers
redefine what's possible and create life-changing opportunities for
people everywhere. www.anthology.com.
CONTACT: Erin Mitchell,
erin.mitchell@anthology.com
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