Blackboard Selling Open LMS Business

Blackboard today announced it will sell its Open LMS business to workplace digital learning and talent management company Learning Technologies Group (LTG). The transaction is expected to close in Q2 2020.

According to a news announcement, the move "enables Blackboard to further simplify its business and accelerate momentum in helping clients move to its software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployment of Learn and Ultra," while allowing the Moodle-based Open LMS to "increase its focus on the innovations and services that are core to its client base."

"This further simplification of our business will enable the company to continue accelerating investment and innovation in our unique ed tech platform that will enable a more personalized experience, fueled by data, to advance learning for our clients," commented Blackboard Chairman, CEO and President Bill Ballhaus, in a statement. "We look forward to the continued growth of Blackboard and Open LMS as separate market-leading businesses serving their respective clients."

Blackboard will "continue to provide existing Open LMS clients access to Blackboard products that fully integrate within Open LMS, including Ally, SafeAssign, Collaborate, and Predict," the company said.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at rkelly@1105media.com.

Featured

  • outline of a modern school building as glowing blue geometric shapes, surrounded by binary code streams, with golden orbs and lines representing funding, set against a dark gray gradient with faint grid patterns

    FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Participants Selected

    The Federal Communications Commission has officially selected the participants for its Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot, the three-year program exploring the use of Universal Service funds to improve school and library defenses against cyber attacks.

  • glowing AI text box emerges from a keyboard on a desk, surrounded by floating padlocks, warning icons, and fragmented shields

    1 in 10 AI Prompts Could Expose Sensitive Data

    A recent study from data protection startup Harmonic Security found that nearly one in 10 prompts used by business users when interacting with generative AI tools may inadvertently disclose sensitive data.

  • Google Classroom tools

    Google Announces Classroom Updates, New Tools for Chromebooks

    Google has introduced a variety of features across its products for education, announced recently at the 2025 BETT ed tech event in London. Among the additions are enhancements to Google Classroom and new tools for Chromebooks, "designed to help address the diverse needs of students around the world," Google said in a blog post.

  • open laptop on a child-sized desk in a colorful elementary school classroom with holographic AI icons rising from the screen

    4 Ways Schools Are Using Google AI Tools for Teaching, Learning, and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways schools and districts are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.