New phone application would put Blackboard in student palms

More and more, due to advancements in technology, the American society is becoming increasingly mobile-based. Individuals, businesses and now educational institutions are finding the ability to carry out tasks from the palms of their hands. In the educational world, this is taking the form of educational networking programs, like Blackboard, being made available on Web-enabled cell phones.
“Blackboard Mobile Central is a suite of applications that brings nearly every aspect of campus life into the palm of students’ hands, through a mobile device, enabling students to access resources, including course catalogues, maps, a student directory and campus news wherever they are,” said Kayvon Beykpour, vice president of Blackboard Mobile. “Mobile Central helps build greater engagement between institutions, stakeholders and communities at large.”
The University of Louisville has been using the traditional online version of Blackboard for several years, with varied success. While the online program is designed to offer both professors and students the opportunity to enhance the student learning experience, a surprisingly low number of classes use it.
According to U of L’s Web site, every semester only about one-third of classes taught at the institution have any interaction with the Blackboard site. Of this one-third, some professors reportedly use Blackboard to “simply store course materials, while others create fully-online course environments,” said U of L’s Web site.
This, combined with occasional issues with the reliability of the program, has left many students with a less than positive view of the current system. Senior political science major Kelly O’Malley shares this opinion.
“I have to use it for a lot of my classes,” said O’Malley. “I don’t really find it to be convenient most of the time. It doesn’t work right or it freezes up most of the time.”
Despite the negative aspects of the Blackboard program, a large number of educational institutions use it. Since its release in March of this year, around 60 schools, both K-12 and higher education, have begun to use the Blackboard Mobile application. Currently, U of L does not utilize this mobile option.
In order for the university to make the application available to students, it would have to purchase an extension to their current system, allowing mobile access. Blackboard Inc. was unable to disclose how much the extension would cost for the university, because they only give out that information in competitive pricing situations.
“The cost per institution ranges, based on a variety of factors and capabilities,” said Beykpour. “The application is uniquely branded for each institution, and is available to current students, prospective students and alumni, by downloading through the Apple iTunes app store, the Blackberry App World or through the mobile Web.”
 The potential availability of this application could represent a large relief for some students.
“It would make things easier,” said sophomore undecided major Stanislav Dumstorf. “I already have to deal with Blackboard anyway; it would be nice to be able to do it from my phone.”
For others, like O’Malley, the application would not be very helpful.
“I kind of don’t believe in the Internet-based phone,” said O’Malley. “I am one of those that the only reason I have a camera phone is that they don’t make phones without cameras anymore. I use my phone for calling people, and sometimes texting.”
If the extension was purchased by U of L, it would be available for use on any Internet-based phone.
“The best user experience is available through native apps built for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry devices,” said Beykpour.
For more information on Blackboard Mobile Central, visit the company’s Web site, at blackboard.com/mobile/mobile-platform.aspx.

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