Washington, DC (USA), July 2015 - Blackboard has announced the acquisition of X-Ray Analytics, a research-based, predictive analytics technology that helps instructors and organisations meet the learning needs of their students. The technology will first be integrated into Moodlerooms and Enterprise Moodle, Blackboard's services and solutions to institutions and organisations that leverage Moodle, one of the most widely used learning-management systems (LMSs) in the world.
The announcement marks the latest investment made by Blackboard in learning-analytics solutions to provide institutions, faculties, and students with information and insights that can enhance learning outcomes, retention, and success. It also reiterates the company’s commitment to further develop its open-source platforms in line with its renewed strategy of putting learner’s needs and success at the center of all it does.
X-Ray Analytics enables instructors to support learners more efficiently by providing visualisations on past behavior and performances at the course, cross-course, and institutional levels. It also empowers instructors through the provision of statistically based predictions on likely future behaviors, academic outcomes, and risk factors so they can engage with learners in a way that is targeted to their actual activity. For example, instructors can step in when they see a potential area of risk and provide greater support.
Similar to Blackboard’s open-source platforms, X-Ray Analytics is delivered in the cloud and leverages existing data generated within the LMS, making the addition of analytics easy to implement.
"Learning analytics is a strategic approach that institutions across the world are increasingly adopting to make more informed decisions and take more effective actions to support learners," said Mark Strassman, vice president of industry and product management at Blackboard. "X-Ray Analytics technology will provide insights and recommendations directly within the learning environment that have statistical validity and levels of certainty that are not provided through standard reporting. We’re thrilled to offer it to all of our open-source customers and meet their needs to improve learner success and retention."
X-Ray Analytics technology will also be used to enhance analytics capabilities of other Blackboard applications and analytics solutions to empower students and teachers with knowledge and insights, support instructors, and improve the overall learning experience.
