BBBB Blackboard (MM)

Blackboard's Proven, Innovative Learning Platform Will Enhance Student Experience WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) today announced a multiyear agreement with Westwood College to make Blackboard's innovative learning platform the standard for enhancing the student experience at Westwood's nationally recognized online school. As part of a strategic partnership, Blackboard's Professional Education group and Westwood -- which also operates 17 physical campuses nationwide -- will provide a next generation online experience to students pursuing associate, bachelor's and master's degrees online in Westwood's Schools of Business, Justice, Design and Information Technology. The Blackboard Learn(TM) platform will enable Westwood to keep students actively engaged, make it easier for faculty to assess student learning, and provide a more personalized learning experience that will help increase overall student success and retention rates. By selecting Blackboard, Westwood joins a growing number of elite education institutions that have partnered with Blackboard to support their online education programs, including many of the nation's leading colleges and entrepreneurial institutions. Over the next several months, Westwood College Online will convert more than 400 courses to Blackboard Learn, which makes full use of Web 2.0 contextual menus and a fully personalized, flexible and media rich course environment that is tailored to meet student needs. The Blackboard platform will be rolled out to Westwood's online students nationwide with Blackboard Managed Hosting(SM) a fully managed, enterprise level hosting environment that is reliable and secure and offers 99.9 percent uptime. "We are very excited to work with Blackboard and join the company of other institutions who have come to rely on their learning management platform to provide high quality online education," said David Harpool, President of Westwood College Online. "The depth and breadth of Blackboard's platform will enable us to deliver to our students and instructors the best overall teaching and learning experience and an incredibly robust assessment system for our deans and academic leaders." "Our experience in the career college market helps us truly understand the changing landscape for today's adult learners," said Tim Hill, President of Blackboard Learn, Professional Education. "Blackboard is excited to partner with Westwood College, whose commitment to improving the overall student experience is much like our own. Westwood has been a proven leader in driving student success and we are excited to join with them to more effectively advance their educational mission with Blackboard technology." For more information about Blackboard's solutions for career colleges, please visit: http://blackboard.com/careercolleges. About Blackboard Inc. Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBB) 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. About Westwood College Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 17 campuses across the country, as well as a top-ranked online school. Alta College, Inc. (Alta) is the parent organization for Westwood College. Since its inception, Alta has been a leader in career-focused education, meeting workforce needs in high-demand employment fields. Westwood offers a unique hands-on, career-focused curriculum providing three-year bachelor's degrees in in-demand fields. More than 20,000 Westwood graduates have transformed their lives by obtaining the skills, tools, experience and connections necessary to achieve meaningful careers. Westwood College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), depending on the campus. Westwood is also a candidate for regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed on November 6, 2009 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of December 22, 2009. 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 forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to December 22, 2009. DATASOURCE: Blackboard Inc. CONTACT: Matthew Maurer, Blackboard Inc., +1-202-463-4860, ext. 2637, Web Site: http://www.blackboard.com/

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