Five Trends on Leading LMS Vendor Roadmaps
Three leading learning management system (LMS) vendors hosted user conferences within two weeks of each other last month. Anthology (Blackboard Learn) and D2L (Brightspace) offered in-person and hybrid events, while Instructure (Canvas) maintained the single-day virtual format it introduced at the beginning of the pandemic. The tight timing across the three events allowed for an […]
Anthology Together 2022: The Spectacle of Promise and the Desire to Believe
Anthology Together, the joint conference of EdTech’s power couple Anthology and Blackboard, took place in Orlando several weeks ago. For Anthology and Blackboard customers who have waited through significant product delays and support challenges over the last few years, Anthology’s energetic messaging and early evidence of success are an important step forward. Attendees were collectively […]
Tech Trends for Student Mental Health and Wellness Support in Higher Ed
Mental health is top of mind at many higher education institutions right now. A recent survey of 1,700 college students found that 88 percent believe there is a mental health crisis in higher education, with 70 percent of them personally reporting pandemic-related distress or anxiety. The concerns are not limited to students. Nearly one-third of […]
The Relationship Between Higher Ed, Ed Tech, and the Teaching and Learning Community Needs a Reboot
Congratulatory messages from the teaching and learning community have poured in for Ian Linkletter since last Friday when the former University of British Columbia learning technologist tweeted that the online proctoring company Proctorio had lost its latest appeal in their 18-month court battle. The legal drama is far from over, but many are celebrating this […]
What Higher Ed CIOs Should Know About Preferred Names and Pronouns
Preferred name and pronoun use has been on higher education’s radar for a while now, but interest—particularly in technology support—has increased in the last several years.1 Many of today’s students use preferred names exclusively across public and private settings. Although their reasons vary, the practice is closely associated with transitions in gender identity. Gender-neutral pronoun […]
Tambellini Takeaways: 2021 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference
The 2021 EDUCAUSE annual conference was held in Philadelphia last week. There were far fewer attendees than usual because of the pandemic, and the small numbers moving through the convention center created an eerie but also intimate effect. Long conversations, deep reflections, hard questions, and honest responses were the norm. These engagements led to our […]
Change Is Hard: Humanizing Post-COVID Technology Transformation in Higher Education
Change is hard. Tambellini analysts hear a version of this statement from almost every higher education institution considering a significant technology change. As a recent Harvard Business Review article pointed out, “At the heart of any radical change in higher education is a willingness by the administration and faculty to embrace new governance, processes, structures, […]
Higher Education CIOs Support Student Success by Easing System Navigation
COVID-19 accelerated and emphasized the need for change, but the movement towards a more holistic and humanizing understanding of student success has been in the works for a long time. By now, most higher education CIOs know that expectations for student success in their institutions are evolving. What was once the purview of faculty, advisors, […]
The Anthology and Blackboard Merger
On September 10, 2021, Anthology and Blackboard signed a definitive agreement to merge, creating the most comprehensive ecosystem across academic, administrative, and student engagement applications to date. The subsequent press release outlined most of the agreement’s public details, including: Current Anthology Chairman and CEO Jim Milton will serve as Chairman and CEO of the combined company. Anthology investors Veritas Capital and Leeds […]
Student Success through a Workforce Lens: Hot Takes from the 2021 ASU+GSV Summit
The 2021 ASU+GSV Summit took place in San Diego (in-person!) last week. For those unfamiliar with it, the conference converges on the intersection of education, workforce, equity work, and educational technology. For example, in one of my favorite first-day moments, JFF Vice President Michael Collins challenged higher education to confront their workforce partners about inequitable […]
