Blackboard Advances Online Learning Experience in the Philippines

 

Education is no doubt among the most affected sectors by the pandemic as schools and universities around the world were abruptly thrust in the realm of virtual classrooms despite the limited capabilities of some institutions to go online. 

In the Philippines, it had been a hurdle to familiarize teachers, students, and parents to the new system of online classes and remote learning. Of course, there were more challenges added to the mix of slow internet problems, incompatible devices, and complicated software and cloud applications. 

Fortunately, the options for online learning broadened as more software companies improved on their education technology offerings. Blackboard, a leading EdTech company serving higher education, K-12, business and government clients around the world, provides a comprehensive and integrated suite of tools for an immersive educational experience.

In a virtual media briefing conducted recently on the Blackboard Collaborate video conferencing platform, which is widely used as a virtual classroom tool, Blackboard's Regional Vice President for Asia Philip Murray presented the Blackboard virtual learning environment as used by over 150 million users in more than 80 countries globally.

According to Murray, Blackboard is experiencing strong growth across Southeast Asian markets, including the Philippines, and the company is expecting an increased demand for Blackboard and related capabilities moving forward.

"We are advancing the Philippines' higher education with Blackboard's solutions," Murray said. "Our core solution, the Learning Management System (LMS), is designed with a modern, intuitive and fully responsive interface which engages learners and eases the burden on instructors."

Murray cited the University of Santo Tomas (UST), one of the oldest universities in Asia with over 80,000 students, as one of the champion users of the Blackboard Learn system in the Philippines. "UST has 18 years of partnership with Blackboard. It is one of the first institutions in the Philippines that started to tap us globally, having initially partnered with our North American operations."

The Malayan Colleges of Mindanao (MCM), a college of Mapua University with over 3,000 students in the Davao region, is also another Philippine educational institution utilizing Blackboard's EdTech solutions. Established in 2018, MCM was able to "go digital" from day one, having gained experience from its Luzon counterpart, Malayan  Colleges Laguna (MCL).

According to Murray, the digital transformation of the educational system has accelerated the adoption of Blackboard's digital tools in 2020 compared to 2019. As a web-based software featuring course management, customizable open architecture, and scalable design that allows integration with student information systems and the virtual learning environment, Blackboard registered a 39% increase in the usage of its mobile applications, a 400% increase in Blackboard Learn SaaS usage, and a whopping 4,800% increase in the use of the Blackboard virtual classroom.

For more information on Blackboard and its suite of EdTech solutions, visit www.blackboard.com

Image Credit: photo by stem.T4L on Unsplash

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