Blackboard DevEd is designed specifically to meet the need of higher education students. Curricula for Blackboard DevEd courses are based on instructional techniques that are informed by well-accepted educational theory and practices. Blackboard DevEd only hires instructors, educators, and scholars with at least three years of classroom experience to write courses. In addition, all course writers and reviewers, regardless of experience and degree, go through an extensive, 30-50 hour training on methods for crafting dynamic learning environments.
By using a “backward design” approach, writers craft the course starting with the assessments first. This emphasis on the skills and knowledge a student should have acquired by the course’s completion provides writers with a coherent picture of the curricular and instructional goals for the course and what the students are working towards. Educational writers parse through key state and national higher education performance standards to call out the essential learning objectives or “power standards” that the lessons and courses must meet. Since standards, educational methods and technologies change from year to year, established courses are continuously reviewed and revamped, if necessary, to ensure the online courses are in sync with current standards and classroom practices.
Our qualified instructors are the single biggest factor in student success, and therefore, we are committed to finding and hiring experienced educators. Blackboard DevEd instructors are experienced in online teaching, and their qualifications match the requirements of our customers. Once Blackboard has identified an instructor to teach a Blackboard DevEd course at your school, your institution has final hiring approval for the selected instructor.
Blackboard DevEd offers three developmental math courses which may be used as replacement courses, or as part of a bridge program or workforce development:
At the start of each engagement, Blackboard DevEd will work with your institution to align and ensure that our curriculum scope and sequence matches the objectives of your course scope and sequence.
The Blackboard DevEd course will be branded as your institution’s online alternative to the classroom equivalent—the course will appear in your course catalog as an offering from your institution, and our instructors will represent themselves as your institution’s instructors. Blackboard DevEd will be seamlessly integrated and “invisible” to your students.
We have a number of institutions using our courses in a variety of ways, including replacement courses, bridge programs, and workforce development.
The time it takes to implement the program varies by institution. However, once a pilot agreement has been signed, it typically takes an institution two to eight weeks to get a pilot course up and running. The DevEd course itself usually lasts 12 to 16 weeks. For more information, visit our Getting Started page [insert link to web page].
If you would like to speak with someone about getting a pilot started at your institution,
Blackboard will partner with your institution at every step of the way to help ensure a seamless implementation. Blackboard DevEd provides the infrastructure for the program and collaborates with you and your students to ensure measurable outcomes. Prior to the start of each course, Blackboard DevEd hosts a pre-launch call, mentor program overview, course setup, mentor training, and student orientation. In addition, weekly mentor calls and a mid-course review will help support your institution through the course duration.
For information on the Blackboard DevEd pilot process,
For information on Blackboard DevEd pricing,
Flexibility is a key benefit of Blackboard DevEd because students can take our course anywhere and anytime. For students who do not have Internet access at home, your institution may have a computer lab available and open daily during specific operating hours. As many students taking our courses have multiple work and/or family responsibilities that necessitate more flexible study hours, your mentor may want to work with your institution’s computer lab to ensure that it is open during times convenient for students taking one of our courses.
Blackboard has partnered with K12 Inc. (K12), the largest provider of online education in K-12, to deliver a solution that joins award-winning curriculum adapted for higher education and proven online instruction of K12 with the educational technology expertise of Blackboard. After extensive research and pilot testing, we have developed a holistic, online formula that can be another option for students required to take developmental education. Our courses combine the qualified instructors, wealth of experience and a well researched course content/student support investment of K12 with the powerful personalization and interactivity tools offered in Blackboard’s platforms.
K12 Inc., a technology-based education company, is the nation's largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs for students in kindergarten through high school. K12 provides its curriculum and academic services to public and private online schools, traditional classrooms, hybrid school programs, and directly to families. K12 also operates the K12 International AcademyTM, an accredited, diploma-granting online private school serving students in 59 countries plus the U.S.
Founded in 2000, K12 has provided over 1.5 million courses - core subjects, AP®, world languages, credit recovery, and electives - to more than 200,000 students worldwide. Over 95 percent of parents surveyed are satisfied with the K12 program and agree that their children have benefited academically with K12. Students graduating from K12 online schools have been accepted to hundreds of higher education institutions including many of the nation's top-ranked colleges and universities.
Your institution can track student progress real-time with our analytical tools. With this type of reporting mechanism, faculty and mentors will know quickly where students are having trouble with specific concepts, how often they study and for how long, and if they are on pace to finish the course on time.
At the end of your initial Blackboard DevEd pilot, we believe that you will have the data you need to evaluate whether the pilot was a success and whether you would like to proceed with a larger implementation.
Initial student feedback suggests that learners are highly engaged with the online material. O’Donnell & Associates, LLC, an education consulting firm, conducted an independent survey of students who participated in the pilot program to gauge their satisfaction and engagement with the technology and interactivity of the course.
For information on DevEd pilot results,