In line with our vision to change the way the world learns, Class is pleased to announce that we have added Blackboard Collaborate to the Class family. The future of learning is virtual, and together these tools, capabilities, and teams will take online learning to the next level.

Q: What are Class Technologies and Anthology announcing?

A: Class Technologies Inc., which adds teaching and learning tools to Zoom, announced it has acquired the Blackboard Collaborate virtual classroom tool following an agreement with Anthology, a leading provider of education solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle.

Together, Class Technologies and Blackboard Collaborate will serve over 1,500 institutions representing higher education, K-12 and corporate learning & development teams around the world.

Q: Why is Class Technologies acquiring Blackboard Collaborate?

A: Class Technologies is a company that focuses on synchronous virtual classroom technology. Class Technologies will continue to support and develop both Class as well as Blackboard Collaborate. The future combination will bring the best of both products together:

• Class Technologies brings its expertise leveraging the scalability of Zoom and the extensibility of the Zoom SDK to build large, stable synchronous video experiences enriched by teaching and learning tools.
• Blackboard Collaborate brings an industry leading integration with Blackboard Learn and a large global user base to help shape and guide future product development.

• Both bring industry leading teams of educators and technologists together to build the next generation learning platform for hybrid, hyflex, and online learning.

Q: How does this impact accounts?

A: Class Technologies will continue full support for both Class as well as Blackboard Collaborate. The companies will also partner to build a tight integration between Blackboard Learn and Class to promote student success.

The agreement has protections in place to ensure that there is no immediate impact to clients. Clients will have the opportunity to continue using Collaborate and Class under their existing terms and conditions during a transition period designed to support a seamless client experience and minimize disruptions to the way they rely on virtual classroom technology today.

Q: What is the plan with the Blackboard Collaborate product going forward?

A: It is business as usual, Class Technologies will continue to support and develop both Class and Blackboard Collaborate as separate products.
The long-term vision is to bring together the best of both products to develop a learning platform that can support all the ways in which institutions want to engage in synchronous learning online now and into the future.