WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Collaborate^™, the leading online collaboration platform built for education, now supports IMS LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) specifications, making the platform available to institutions using any learning management system (LMS) compliant with LTI industry standards, the company announced today.

This latest software update enables institutions using any LTI-compliant LMS to provide a better overall learning experience with the addition of web conferencing tools to their online courses, increasing student interactivity and engagement. With the integration, instructors will be able to use Blackboard Collaborate to schedule and deliver live online classes, upload multimedia and presentation content, and store lecture recordings for students who missed class or for follow-up review, all from within the LMS and without having to log into more than one system.  

The integration will be hosted by Blackboard, removing the cost to maintain and support multiple systems. Little to no faculty training is required because the platform will adhere to the familiar look and feel of institutions' LMS of choice, removing barriers for faculty to incorporate online collaboration into their courses and enabling students to benefit from live, synchronous learning.

"The new LTI integration into our institution's LMS will make it much easier for our faculty to use Blackboard Collaborate," said Kent Barclay, Associate Dean of Academic Technology at Endicott College. "With the new integration, we anticipate greater adoption of the technology and look forward to improved academic outcomes for our students."

The company also announced integration updates across the Blackboard Collaborate platform specific to the open-source Moodle LMS. The platform's web conferencing, enterprise instant messaging and voice authoring capabilities are now compatible with Moodle 2.3 and are certified by Moodle Partners Moodlerooms and NetSpot.

"These updates are part of our commitment to support schools in making the technology decisions that are right for them," said Maurice Heiblum, President and General Manager of Blackboard Collaborate. "Blackboard will continue to champion accessibility and open standards by helping institutions broaden the functionality of their learning management infrastructure -- regardless of their LMS strategy."

For more information about Blackboard Collaborate, please visit http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Collaborate/Overview.aspx or follow @BbCollabNews on Twitter.

About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release. Actual results may differ materially as a result of various important factors. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

CONTACT
Matthew Maurer, Blackboard, Inc.
(202) 463-4860 ext. 2860 or matthew.maurer@blackboard.com

SOURCE Blackboard Inc.