blackboard Blackboard Inc. was formed by joining two companies: CourseInfo LLC, founded by Daniel Cane and Stephen Gilfus, and Blackboard LLC, founded by Michael Chasen and Matthew Pittinsky. Originally the Blackboard company began as a consulting firm contracting to the non-profit IMS Global Learning Consortium. In 1998, it merged with CourseInfo LLC, a small course management software provider that originated at Cornell University. The combined company became known as Blackboard Inc. The first line of e-learning products was branded Blackboard CourseInfo LLC, but the CourseInfo brand was dropped in 2000. Blackboard went public in June 2004. Blackboard software is used by over 3700 educational institutions in more than 60 countries. (Excerpt from Wikipedia article: Blackboard) 22 79 1.3 49.4 39 1926.5 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/sites/all/datacharts/hc/1576-chart-wp.html blackboard learning system The Blackboard Learning System is a virtual learning environment and course management system developed by Blackboard Inc. Features include course management, a customizable open architecture, and a scalable design that allows for integration with student information systems and authentication protocols. It may be installed on local servers or hosted by Blackboard ASP Solutions. Its main purposes are to add online elements to courses traditionally delivered face-to-face and to develop completely online courses with few or no face-to-face meetings. (Excerpt from Wikipedia article: Blackboard Learning System) 2 2 0.1 50 1 50 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/sites/all/datacharts/hc/14142-chart-wp.html