Building Block Integration
- 1. Blackboard Extensibility and Integration
- 2. Extensibility and IntegrationExtend the functionality of the user-facing applicationInstitution-specific needs (administrative or pedagogical)Discipline-specific needsIntegrate features of tools developed by third parties (commercial and institutional)Collaboration and CommunicationContent offerings (publisher tools)Integrate enterprise systemsSIS data, inboundReporting data, outbound
- 3. Building BlocksExtension framework using a “drop-in” model – packages of application code can be deployed dynamicallyWell-defined integration points in the UICustom Content TypesCourse-level toolsAdministration Panel ToolsCommunity System Modules… and moreStandard, commodity programming model (Java Web Applications)
- 6. Web ServicesFramework and infrastructure for consistent Web Service developmentManagement consoleCommon authentication, loggingStandard, shipped Web Services (SOAP/HTTP)ContentCalendaringAdministrative data (Users, Courses, Enrollment)Gradebook data…moreFramework for extending set of supported Web Services
- 7. Proxy ToolsExtension framework using a “link to and launch” modelPreferred framework for “distributed” toolsBasis for the IMS LTI specificationIntegrates/Builds on Web ServicesWell-defined UI extension points, similar to Building BlocksTechnology and framework agnostic – tools can be written in PHP, Ruby/Rails, .NET, etc.Only requirement is support for HTTP, SOAP, and basic cryptography
- 8. Standards InitiativesIMS EnterpriseSupport for XML imports for student, course, enrollment dataWeb Services implementation in 9.1IMS Common CartridgeWorking on 1.1 support (incorporates Basic LTI)Actively engaged in defining 1.1 and 1.2IMS Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)Contributed technical specs for Proxy Tools as input to the specification processSpecification is progressing to final draftAccessibilitySection 508
- 9. Developer CommunityFirst commercial VLE with APIs & plugin framework (2001)Large community of ~2000 developers300+ member Open Source Community for Educational Learning Objects & ToolsAlmost 70 open source projects that plug into Blackboard VLEsOrganizes “Open Source Day” – a community driven supplement to Blackboard DevCon
- 10. Developer Community – ExamplesiTunes U Building Block, Vanderbilt UniversitySelf and Peer Assessment Tool, Dundee UniversityAcquired by Blackboard for inclusion in the productSign Up Tool, Durham UniversitySee http://extensions.blackboard.com/ for a more complete list of contributed solutions (community and vendor sourced)
Editor's Notes
- #5: And here are tangible examples of where they show up at in the GUI
- #10: Large, stable developer community over 300 members of which contribute to open source educational tool development, most of which is specifically for Blackboard’s platforms. Join us later this week to get a more hands-on feel for what is possible.