University Is First in Latin America to Implement Comprehensive Institutional Assessment to Meet Accreditation Standards

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2007--Middle States Commission on Higher Education 2007 Annual Conference: During the annual conference of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB), a leading provider of enterprise education software and services, announced that Caribbean University in Puerto Rico has selected the Blackboard Outcomes System(TM) to assess student learning across its system of four campuses, and plan for and measure continuous improvement in institutional effectiveness, to help continue to meet the rigorous accreditation standards set by the Commission.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary and non-governmental membership association dedicated to ensuring the highest levels of performance by education institutions through accreditation via peer evaluation. The Commission accredits degree-granting colleges and universities located in the Mid-Atlantic Region, the Caribbean and several other areas internationally.

Caribbean University, a private university system that offers both undergraduate and graduate courses, has partnered with Blackboard for two years to provide faculty and students with a blended learning environment that combines traditional classroom instruction with innovative e-Learning opportunities. Caribbean has purchased hosting for its system by Blackboard ASP(SM) Services to enable staff members to meet other mission-critical objectives for the university while ensuring system reliability.

With the addition of the Blackboard Outcomes System, Caribbean now licenses the complete and hosted Blackboard Academic Suite(TM), a standards-based product suite comprised of four enterprise software applications which enable the university to teach using advanced e-Learning tools; build community across its four-campus system; share educational content between courses and programs; and improve student outcomes and its institutional effectiveness.

"We are proud to be the first university in Latin America that will install the Blackboard Outcomes System," said Caribbean University's chief information officer, Dr. Gustavo Sanchez, Ph.D. "This opportunity is a great privilege and enables us to serve as a guide to our sister Spanish-speaking schools throughout the region who seek to obtain or maintain accreditation from the Middle States Commission and other agencies in North America."

"Caribbean University is leading the way in terms of using institutional assessment as a tool for continuous improvement and to meet accreditation requirements," said Juan Lucca, president of Blackboard's international business group. "The public depends on accrediting agencies like the Middle States Commission to ensure higher education institutions meet their stated purposes, and the Blackboard Outcomes System will enable Caribbean to demonstrate to the Commission measurable links between the university's core competencies and the abilities of its graduating students."

The Blackboard Outcomes System, launched last January, is a comprehensive platform for managing continuous improvement processes across a higher education institution or a multi-campus system. It enables institutions to streamline the aggregation of assessment data, make evidence-based decisions, and improve student learning outcomes.