Penn often makes major renovations on campus over the summer. This summer, the University’s infrastructure will be getting a facelift — on the web.
The Penn Library System, which administers Penn’s Blackboard system, plans to unveil Blackboard Learn 9.0 to students and faculty after the spring semester, according to Penn Libraries Director of Public Services Marjorie Hassen.
Because the system must be shut down before the new version is installed, programmers decided to proceed with the update when the program is at its minimum usage. The update is tentatively scheduled for May 21, according to Hassen.
“Penn never really closes,” Hassen said. She explained that this timeframe gives programmers a small window in which to shut down the current system and upload the new program to Penn’s server.
Though programers do not plan to release Blackboard 9.0 throughout campus until May, program testing will begin at the end of February or in early March. According to Hassen, the procedure will include upgrading local servers, uploading and installing the new system and running it, all in order to “anticipate anything” that may delay its release. The system will then go through a multitude of tests, including trials by selected faculty members, before it is released to the Penn community.
Once released, Blackboard 9.0 will present a new, more interactive user interface with a “drag-and-drop” feature, customization capabilities and a user “dashboard” that will provide users with course notifications and alerts, Courseware Manager and Educational Technology Librarian Amanda Chudnow said.
“Instructors can set up tasks, groups, blogs [and] group-specific assignments,” along with other features not available on the current version, Chudnow added.
Though not all of Penn’s schools use Blackboard, the system has become increasingly popular over the last few years. From the School of Engineering and Applied Science to the Dental School, Blackboard course sites at Penn have expanded from 1,123 in the 2002 fiscal year to 4,241 in fiscal year 2009.
Apart from a rise in course site numbers, Blackboard 9.0 may also see an increase in users on mobile devices. The new version offers an iPhone and iPod Touch application through which students can receive notifications about grade postings, read discussion boards and view assignments.
Release 9.0 of Blackboard “goes beyond the conventional course management categories and boxes to help bridge the gap between the way students live and the way they learn,” President and CEO of Blackboard Michael Chasen said in a press release announcing Blackboard’s new version in January 2009.
