Blackboard Accelerates e-Learning in China

Blackboard Accelerates e-Learning in China

Company's Learning System Software Achieves Widespread Adoption in Joint Venture's First Year of Operations

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBB) announced today that it is helping to bring teaching and learning online throughout the People's Republic of China. More than 40 universities and schools across China have chosen The Blackboard Learning System(TM), provided by CerBibo Corporation, to power their online learning environments. Established in late 2003, CerBibo (http://www.cerbibo.edu.cn/) is a joint venture company established by Blackboard and CERNET Corporation, a spin-off of China's Ministry of Education. CerBibo provides e-learning software solutions, including the Blackboard Academic Suite(TM) and related services, from its headquarters in Beijing.

A number of China's most prestigious universities, including Renmin University of China, Peking University Medical School, Sun Yat-Sen University, Ocean University of China, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Nankai University have chosen CerBibo's e-Learning software solutions. In addition, schools such as Shanghai Minhang Second Middle School have taken the lead in implementing e-Learning at the K-12 level.

At Renmin University of China, Dean of the Business School Xu Erming led the decision to purchase Blackboard. "Within two months of our decision to implement, we had more than 2,000 students and 120 professors using Blackboard in more than 200 courses," said Xu. "During the first semester, students visited their online courses on average more than twice a day, and at the end of the semester our survey showed that 93% of professors wanted to continue using Blackboard. e-Learning provides a way to accelerate some of the trends we want to foster in Chinese education, such as greater interaction among students and professors, greater flexibility in course delivery, and more innovative thinking among our students. Our surveys show that Blackboard is a true catalyst for each of these goals."

"CERNET's comprehensive understanding of the needs of Chinese educational institutions, combined with Blackboard's e-Learning experience worldwide, have enabled CerBibo to quickly engage with a diverse set of clients here," said Karl Engkvist, COO of CerBibo. "With enrollment in Chinese post-secondary education growing from just over 6,000,000 students in 1998 to more than 15,000,000 in 2005, demand for e-Learning will continue to grow dramatically."

During the last decade, CERNET Corp. has led the development of campus networks throughout China, utilizing more than 10 regional offices to provide local support and services. CERNET provides network services and other education related products and services to more than 1,300 education institutions and 18 million registered users throughout China.

CERNET and Blackboard formed CerBibo in response to the rapid growth in demand for leading education technology solutions in China. The Ministry of Education's policy of "Informatization" explicitly endorses and helps to fund the use of technology to modernize educational institutions.

"As has been true with so many other technologies, China's adoption of e- Learning is occurring at a very rapid pace," said Michael Chasen, CEO of Blackboard. "As communities of e-learning practices grow worldwide, we welcome the opportunity for Blackboard's Web-based software to facilitate many of the Sino-foreign university partnerships that have developed in the last two decades."

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard is a leading provider of enterprise software and services to the education industry. The Company's product line consists of five software applications bundled in two suites, the Blackboard Academic Suite(TM) and the Blackboard Commerce Suite(TM). Blackboard's clients include colleges, universities, schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and staff in North America, Europe and Asia.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent 10-Q filed with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of January 12, 2005. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to January 12, 2005.


Source: Blackboard Inc.

CONTACT: Blackboard Public Relations Manager: Melissa Chotiner of
Blackboard Inc., +1-202-463-4860 ext. 2404, Mchotiner@blackboard.com, or Media
Inquiries: Stacey Finkel of DBC Public Relations, +1-202-298-7600 ext. 219,
stacey@dbcpr.com, for Blackboard Inc.

Web site: http://www.blackboard.com/


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