Blackboard Launches Open Innovation Initiative for Developers
Company removes barriers to facilitate development and deployment of integrations
NEW ORLEANS, July 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Inc., a leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, today announced the Open Innovation Initiative to enable developers utilizing REST or the IMS Global Learning Tools Interoperability® (LTI®) standard to create integrations and customizations for Blackboard’s solutions without incurring upfront costs. The announcement was made at BbWorld 2017, Blackboard's annual conference focused on helping institutions meet the needs of learners, taking place July 25-27 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Through this initiative, developers will receive a no-cost developer license for Blackboard Learn and access to Learn SaaS instances, with additional access to documentation and development tools for creating, testing and demoing REST and LTI integrations with Blackboard solutions. The extensions developed through the new no-cost license will be listed on Blackboard's Extensions Catalog and made available for limited use.
By removing the upfront costs and the need for a formal partnership agreement, Blackboard is further promoting open collaboration with the wider developer community and building on its longstanding commitment to creating the most robust ecosystem of partners to maximize efficiency in teaching and learning.
Blackboard will also continue to offer its tiered Blackboard Member Partnership program, specifically designed for those companies looking to work with Blackboard in a more strategic and robust way. Member partners will be able to leverage the advantages of the Open Innovation Initiative and receive additional benefits, including access to Java APIs (B2), increased partner-level and product support, and B2-enabled development environments. Their integrations receive greater exposure within Blackboard's REST/LTI catalog, with contracted usage and adoption limits.
"Blackboard firmly believes in interoperability standards and openness, and an ever-growing catalog with 3,000 integrations is a proof point of our commitment," said Phillip Miller, Vice President of Teaching and Learning at Blackboard. "The Open Innovation Initiative is one piece of Blackboard's larger effort to drive innovation in education. We are proud to make it easier than ever for developers to partner with us and create innovative solutions to address today's top education challenges."
To participate in the Open Innovation Initiative, visit Blackboard's API Dev portal. To browse our current integrations and to follow the progress of the Open Innovation initiative, visit our Extensions Catalog.
About Blackboard
Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable learner and institutional success, leveraging innovative technologies and services. With an unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, the most comprehensive student-success solutions, and the greatest capacity for innovation, Blackboard is education's partner in change.
CONTACT
Massimo Morigi, Blackboard Inc.
202-303-9314 or [email protected]
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.
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