Blackboard, Discovery Partner on Content Integration for K-12 and Higher Ed

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/01/14

Blackboard and Discovery Education are working to integrate their technology and content offerings for both K-12 and higher ed.

The two vendors will be making the digital services of Discovery's Higher Ed offerings available through Blackboard's learning management system, allowing faculty to search, preview, select and embed 90,000 learning resources directly into their courses. The emphasis is especially on content for the 23 most enrolled higher ed courses. Content, which is optimized to work on PCs, tablets and smartphones, includes videos, images, audio learning guides and writing prompts. The higher education service was officially introduced in 2012 with pilot programs that included Chattanooga State Community College and Bossier Parish Community College.

Blackboard will also be integrating Discovery's digital resources for K-12. That effort is expected to be launched later this year. The integration will enable teachers and students to access 151,000 standards-aligned resources.

"Discovery Education is pleased to partner with Blackboard on this initiative to continue to provide effective resources for educators and students across the country," said Scott Kinney, Discovery Education's senior vice president. "Integrating [our] rich digital content into Blackboard's teaching and learning environment creates powerful new systems that support our shared goal of preparing all students for college, careers and citizenship."

Added Katie Blot, senior vice president of Blackboard's Education Services, "We are excited to partner with Discovery Education to offer a robust, yet streamlined, workflow for teachers and help students access engaging and dynamic content in the learning environment they are in every day and on the mobile devices they use every day."

People in higher education can click here to request a free trial of the integration; K-12 educators can click here to be notified about Blackboard integration as it's being introduced.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.