Partnership With Echo360 Takes Lectures Beyond the Classroom
WASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB), a global leader in education technology, today announced the general availability of Echo360 lecture capture as an integrated offering within the Blackboard Learn((TM)) platform. With the partnership, instructors at thousands of institutions working with Blackboard can provide a customized, on-demand learning experience that complements the traditional classroom setting and gives students greater control over their education.
The personal capture solution from Echo360 gives instructors simple tools to record, edit and publish lectures, tutorials, learning modules and course content directly to the Blackboard Learn platform with a click of the mouse. Students can then access lectures and other course materials online at any time, whether they are in a student union, dorm room, on vacation or on the road.
"Lecture capture has become make or break for our students to access their education," said Loren Farr, Coordinator of Media and Distance Learning, Tulsa Community College. "Students would have trouble attaining their degree if not for the flexibility to review or see streaming lecture materials on their own time."
Lecture capture technology enables full motion playback of the entire lecture -- including supporting course visuals and materials -- on a personal computer or mobile device. Students can learn at their own pace by viewing lectures from start to finish, pausing at challenging sections or jumping directly to particular segments within the lecture.
"The classroom experience is no longer limited to the classroom," said Michael Chasen, President and CEO of Blackboard. "Our clients have told us that Echo360 lecture capture and the Blackboard Learn platform are highly synergistic. Together, we are creating new learning opportunities by putting the core elements of the educational process online."
Colleges and universities working with Blackboard in the United States and Canada will receive a limited number of licenses for personal lecture capture at no cost. The service offered through the Blackboard partnership with Echo360 works with any Webcam-enabled personal computer and does not require any additional investments in software or hardware infrastructure.
"We're witnessing a fundamental change in the delivery of education -- we make it possible to extend learning anytime, anywhere at an affordable cost," said Fred Singer, Echo360 Chief Executive Officer.
