BBBB Blackboard (MM)

Blackboard Content System Release 2.0 Available Now Enhancements Include Improved Search, Reuse and Customization Capabilities WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBB) announced today the launch of the Blackboard Content System(TM) (Release 2.0), in time for the start of the 2004-05 academic year. The Blackboard Content System is a key product in the Blackboard Academic Suite(TM), a comprehensive family of integrated applications for teaching, learning, community-building and knowledge-sharing. With Blackboard's common platform, students, instructors and other community members quickly acclimate to a look and feel that makes the online environment as familiar as the offline campus. "The ability to efficiently create, access and share content through the Blackboard Content System has drastically reduced our administrative overhead and made getting information to our users infinitely more manageable," said Pam Montroy, Director of User Services and Internal Systems at Spectrum Pacific Learning Company, an Affiliate of the National University System. "In just six months, we can already see a significant increase in productivity that is tangible both financially and academically." Other institutions that have recognized the value of the Blackboard Content System and are implementing it include: Binghamton University, Clemson University, Cambridge University, Hudson Valley Community College, University of Melbourne, University of Dundee, University of Durham and Ryerson University. The Blackboard Content System provides students and faculty with better ways to track and navigate learning resources and showcase the work products and milestones of their educational careers through e-Portfolios. Blackboard's commitment to the content management category, critical for e-Learning, is demonstrated by the many new features in Release 2.0. In addition to key stability fixes and usability enhancements, Release 2.0 contains new features aimed at improving overall content management in an enterprise learning environment, including: Enterprise Learning Object Catalog Capability * Learning Objects Catalog -- allows institutions to store and describe learning objects in a central open repository. Learning objects are instructionally useful curriculum resources that can be used independently (such as documents or images), or combined to form a larger resource (such as a SCORM object). Through the Blackboard Learning Object Catalog, faculty can locate and import high quality education content for use across course sections, departments and even institutions Blackboard Building Blocks(R) API Support for the Blackboard Content System * Blackboard Building Blocks APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) -- enable institutions to extend the Blackboard Content System by taking advantage of a robust set of more than 100 newly published APIs. As a result, the community of more than 250 institutions and commercial vendors that are members of the Blackboard Building Blocks program can now develop extensions to the Blackboard Content System. Facilitating Content Management, Sharing and Reuse * External Link Item Type -- enables institutions to store more than just digital files. Now faculty can store and manage links to external references (such as library databases), enabling them to reuse these resources in multiple courses, etc. * File Copy -- allows faculty to copy files that already exist in Blackboard Learning System(TM) courses into the Blackboard Content System, so they can be managed, reused and shared. * Course Copy Enhancements -- automatically update permissions on all links to items in the Blackboard Content System as part of the Course Copy process. * Link Checkers -- ensure that links from courses, organizations and e- Portfolios to items residing in the Blackboard Content System are valid, and that users have the appropriate permission to view those items. * e-Portfolio Copy -- enables users to copy existing e-Portfolios so that users can create a new e-Portfolio based on an existing one. * Share with Course Group Permission -- allows students to share files and folders with members of course and organization groups. "The Blackboard Content System was introduced in March 2004 to lower costs and increase simplicity associated with managing learning content online," said Michael Chasen, CEO of Blackboard. "As it gains momentum in the market, we continue to invest in new functionality that increases its effectiveness and improves our clients' overall success with learning content management. Many of the enhancements in this release are directly attributed to client suggestion and experience." On an ongoing basis, Blackboard will continue to make new features and system maintenance available through Application Packs between major releases. Clients can download Release 2.0 of the Blackboard Content System from Behind the Blackboard(TM), a password-protected area of the Company's website. About Blackboard Inc. Blackboard is a leading provider of enterprise software and services to the education industry. The Company's product line consists of five software applications bundled in two suites, the Blackboard Academic Suite(TM) and the Blackboard Commerce Suite(TM). Blackboard's clients include colleges, universities, schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and staff in North America, Europe and Asia. 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 most recent 10-Q filed with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of August 23, 2004. 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 August 23, 2004. DATASOURCE: Blackboard Inc. CONTACT: Investors and Corporate: Michael J. Stanton of Blackboard Inc., +1-202-463-4860 ext. 305; or Media: Kris Coratti of DBC Public Relations Experts, +1-866-774-4720, for Blackboard Inc. Web site: http://www.blackboard.com/

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