Moodle-Blackboard Integration Software in Development

##AUTHORSPLIT##<--->

Blackboard has partnered with Iowa State University to develop technologies that will allow Blackboard's learning environment to integrate with the open-source Moodle learning management system. Iowa State will lead the development effort, with Blackboard providing support.

This is not the first time Blackboard has partnered with an academic institution to integrate its software with open-source solutions. Back in July, the company partnered with Syracuse University to create software (called a "Connector," which is a Blackboard Building Block) that would link Blackboard's LMS with the Sakai open-source learning platform. The partnership, according to Blackboard, is part of its Project NG, a multi-stage effort deliver the new learning tools that couple traditional LMS technologies with new capabilities, including social networking and social learning. This project also included the development of the Learning Environment Connector, on which Iowa State's Blackboard-Moodle Connector is based.

For the new Connector, Blackboard will offer "design guidance and support" to Iowa State, which will head up overall development. The final software will allows students and faculty in multi-platform environments to access courses in both Moodle and Blackboard from a single location using a single login.

"We are pleased to partner with Blackboard in this effort that will bring new flexibility and ease of use not just to our own campus but to our peers in the Blackboard community," said Randal Dalhoff, assistant director of Academic Technologies for Iowa State's Information Technology Services, in a statement released this week.

The underlying technology for the forthcoming Connector is available now. The final product, whose anticipated release date has not been announced, will ship as open-source software. Further information can be found here.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • blue AI cloud connected to circuit lines, a server stack, and a shield with a padlock icon

    Report: AI Security Controls Lag Behind Adoption of AI Cloud Services

    According to a recent report from cybersecurity firm Wiz, nearly nine out of 10 organizations are already using AI services in the cloud — but fewer than one in seven have implemented AI-specific security controls.

  • stacks of glowing digital documents with circuit patterns and data streams

    Mistral AI Intros Advanced AI-Powered OCR

    French AI startup Mistral AI has announced Mistral OCR, an advanced optical character recognition (OCR) API designed to convert printed and scanned documents into digital files with "unprecedented accuracy."

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Personalize AI

    Microsoft has introduced a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.

  • teenager interacts with a chatbot on a computer screen

    Character.AI Rolls Out New Parental Insights Feature Amid Safety Concerns

    Chatbot platform Character.AI has introduced a new Parental Insights feature aimed at giving parents a window into their children's activity on the platform. The feature allows users under 18 to share a weekly report of their chatbot interactions directly with a parent's e-mail address.