Latest news with #Anthology
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anthology Unveils Next-Generation AI and Immersive Learning Innovations in Blackboard, Maintains Position as the Fastest-Evolving LMS for the Fourth Year
BOCA RATON, Fla., July 15, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anthology, the leading educational technology company, today announced a sweeping set of innovations across its award-winning learning management system, Blackboard®, and marked its fourth consecutive year as the fastest-evolving LMS. These advancements are designed to streamline instructional design, lighten educators' administrative load, and support student success at every stage of the learning journey. "We continue to lead the way in the responsible, ethical, and impactful use of AI, delivering real results where it matters most," said Bruce Dahlgren, CEO of Anthology. "By working closely with our customers, we ensure our solutions are solving the realities facing higher education today. These new powerful capabilities support faculty, strengthen student engagement, and advance institutional success." AI That Works for You: Supporting Student Success and Faculty Efficiency Anthology is expanding its AI-powered capabilities in Blackboard with the Anthology Virtual Assistant, AVA, a suite of tools designed to help instructors use their time more efficiently, enhance student support, and promote responsible, transparent use of generative AI. Complementing the existing AI Design Assistant, AVA features deliver meaningful, time-saving support for everyday teaching and learning tasks. AVA Automations are personalized nudges to keep students engaged and on track. With AVA Automations, instructors can set performance- or time-based rules to automatically send personalized messages to students—for example, to celebrate a high grade or remind them to log in. Messages are instructor-written, fully customizable, and logged for full transparency. This feature will be included in the core Blackboard license and available to all users at no additional cost. Instructors spend valuable time each week responding to common student questions. AVA Responses serves as the first line of support by providing students with instant, AI-generated answers based on course content. Whether it's a question about deadlines or grading criteria, responses are linked to the original source and shared with the instructor, who can review and confirm as needed—saving time while keeping students informed. The AVA Feedback Assistant helps instructors deliver high-quality, student-friendly feedback in less time. Summarize Feedback auto-generates a clear summary based on rubric selections and grading criteria. Rewrite Feedback turns informal notes or fragments into polished, constructive messages. With both features, instructors save time on grading tasks while still delivering clear, personalized feedback to students, all while maintaining full oversight of AI-suggested responses before sharing. AVA Playground gives all students equitable access to a range of generative AI models within Blackboard—at no cost to them, and without needing external accounts or tools. This secure, opt-in environment supports AI literacy by allowing students to explore and experiment with emerging technologies in context. All activity is logged for transparency, giving instructors visibility into how AI is being used to support learning. All of the Anthology Virtual Assistant capabilities will be offered as a free trial to current Blackboard customers through June 30, 2026. Driving Student Success Through Recognition and Results New features in the Blackboard experience help institutions recognize student achievement and track learning progress—boosting engagement, driving continuous improvement, and strengthening institutional identity. Blackboard Achievements: AI Badge Creator. Educators can easily design achievement badges within their courses, helping motivate learners and reflect institutional branding. This capability will be part of the core license of Blackboard. Outcomes. The new outcomes functionality for Blackboard helps institutions easily measure, manage and showcase student learning. Faculty will be able to align assignments to learning outcomes and track student achievement over time within the flow of their courses. At the same time, institutions are empowered to assign and relate outcomes across the institutional hierarchy, disciplines, and programs, making it easier to support accreditation, highlight areas of strength, and guide continuous launch builds on Anthology's ongoing investment in mastery and competency-based learning, including tools like the Mastery Gradebook, which helps educators evaluate performance against defined skills and standards. Anthology Outcomes is a Core feature available to Blackboard customers in Canada and the United States. Bringing Learning to Life: Immersive Video Tools That Drive Student Engagement Launched last year, Video Studio was created to help instructors easily create, upload, and share engaging video content without the need for external tools or licenses—and without worry over storage or streaming limits. Today, Video Studio has advanced to support 360-degree video and immersive video experiences through VR-handoff compatibility—giving instructors powerful new ways to engage learners. Whether simulating lab environments or fieldwork, this innovation brings learning to life and prepares students and those continuing their professional development for real-world challenges. Powerful Tools for Efficient Teaching and Streamlined Content Management The AI Design Assistant for Documents expands upon the AI Design Assistant capabilities and makes it easier than ever for instructors and instructional designers to craft engaging, high-quality course materials directly within Blackboard. With a single click, the AI Design Assistant analyzes an existing document and recommends optimized layouts, inserts relevant royalty-free visuals, and suggests formative knowledge checks—each aligned with instructional design best practices. Instructors can review, refine, or regenerate these suggestions, ensuring full control while accelerating the content creation AI Design Assistant for Documents will be available as part of the core Blackboard license and released globally in July 2025. Learning Object Repository (LOR). The Learning Object Repository (LOR) helps institutions save time and ensure consistency by centrally managing key course content across Blackboard. Whether it's a syllabus used by multiple instructors, an academic integrity policy, or student support information, the LOR allows administrators to create and maintain a single version of these important documents—ensuring accuracy and reducing duplication across courses and organizations. Together, these enhancements make it even easier to scale high-quality learning experiences and keep content aligned across the institution. Experience the industry's most modern learning management system with a free trial at About Anthology Anthology delivers education and technology solutions so that students can reach their full potential and learning institutions thrive. Millions of students around the world are supported throughout their education journey via Anthology's ecosystem of flagship SaaS solutions and supporting services, including the award-winning Blackboard® (LMS), Anthology® Student (SIS/ERP), and Anthology® Reach (CRM). Through the Power of Together, we are uniquely inspiring educators and institutions with innovation that is meaningful, simple and intelligent to help customers redefine what's possible and create life-changing opportunities for people everywhere. Note to editors: Blackboard is the fastest-evolving LMS. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, Blackboard released more new features than any other major LMS—191 in the past 12 months alone, compared to 109 for D2L Brightspace and 79 for Instructure Canvas. This pace of innovation is publicly documented in each vendor's release notes: View source version on Contacts Erin MitchellSenior Director of Communications, Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Anthology Unveils Next-Generation AI and Immersive Learning Innovations in Blackboard, Maintains Position as the Fastest-Evolving LMS for the Fourth Year
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anthology, the leading educational technology company, today announced a sweeping set of innovations across its award-winning learning management system, Blackboard ®, and marked its fourth consecutive year as the fastest-evolving LMS. These advancements are designed to streamline instructional design, lighten educators' administrative load, and support student success at every stage of the learning journey. 'We continue to lead the way in the responsible, ethical, and impactful use of AI, delivering real results where it matters most,' said Bruce Dahlgren, CEO of Anthology. 'By working closely with our customers, we ensure our solutions are solving the realities facing higher education today. These new powerful capabilities support faculty, strengthen student engagement, and advance institutional success.' AI That Works for You: Supporting Student Success and Faculty Efficiency Anthology is expanding its AI-powered capabilities in Blackboard with the Anthology Virtual Assistant, AVA, a suite of tools designed to help instructors use their time more efficiently, enhance student support, and promote responsible, transparent use of generative AI. Complementing the existing AI Design Assistant, AVA features deliver meaningful, time-saving support for everyday teaching and learning tasks. AVA Automations are personalized nudges to keep students engaged and on track. With AVA Automations, instructors can set performance- or time-based rules to automatically send personalized messages to students—for example, to celebrate a high grade or remind them to log in. Messages are instructor-written, fully customizable, and logged for full transparency. This feature will be included in the core Blackboard license and available to all users at no additional cost. Instructors spend valuable time each week responding to common student questions. AVA Responses serves as the first line of support by providing students with instant, AI-generated answers based on course content. Whether it's a question about deadlines or grading criteria, responses are linked to the original source and shared with the instructor, who can review and confirm as needed—saving time while keeping students informed. The AVA Feedback Assistant helps instructors deliver high-quality, student-friendly feedback in less time. Summarize Feedback auto-generates a clear summary based on rubric selections and grading criteria. Rewrite Feedback turns informal notes or fragments into polished, constructive messages. With both features, instructors save time on grading tasks while still delivering clear, personalized feedback to students, all while maintaining full oversight of AI-suggested responses before sharing. AVA Playground gives all students equitable access to a range of generative AI models within Blackboard—at no cost to them, and without needing external accounts or tools. This secure, opt-in environment supports AI literacy by allowing students to explore and experiment with emerging technologies in context. All activity is logged for transparency, giving instructors visibility into how AI is being used to support learning. All of the Anthology Virtual Assistant capabilities will be offered as a free trial to current Blackboard customers through June 30, 2026. Driving Student Success Through Recognition and Results New features in the Blackboard experience help institutions recognize student achievement and track learning progress—boosting engagement, driving continuous improvement, and strengthening institutional identity. Blackboard Achievements: AI Badge Creator. Educators can easily design achievement badges within their courses, helping motivate learners and reflect institutional branding. This capability will be part of the core license of Blackboard. Outcomes. The new outcomes functionality for Blackboard helps institutions easily measure, manage and showcase student learning. Faculty will be able to align assignments to learning outcomes and track student achievement over time within the flow of their courses. At the same time, institutions are empowered to assign and relate outcomes across the institutional hierarchy, disciplines, and programs, making it easier to support accreditation, highlight areas of strength, and guide continuous improvement. This launch builds on Anthology's ongoing investment in mastery and competency-based learning, including tools like the Mastery Gradebook, which helps educators evaluate performance against defined skills and standards. Anthology Outcomes is a Core feature available to Blackboard customers in Canada and the United States. Bringing Learning to Life: Immersive Video Tools That Drive Student Engagement Launched last year, Video Studio was created to help instructors easily create, upload, and share engaging video content without the need for external tools or licenses—and without worry over storage or streaming limits. Today, Video Studio has advanced to support 360-degree video and immersive video experiences through VR-handoff compatibility —giving instructors powerful new ways to engage learners. Whether simulating lab environments or fieldwork, this innovation brings learning to life and prepares students and those continuing their professional development for real-world challenges. Powerful Tools for Efficient Teaching and Streamlined Content Management The AI Design Assistant for Documents expands upon the AI Design Assistant capabilities and makes it easier than ever for instructors and instructional designers to craft engaging, high-quality course materials directly within Blackboard. With a single click, the AI Design Assistant analyzes an existing document and recommends optimized layouts, inserts relevant royalty-free visuals, and suggests formative knowledge checks—each aligned with instructional design best practices. Instructors can review, refine, or regenerate these suggestions, ensuring full control while accelerating the content creation process. The AI Design Assistant for Documents will be available as part of the core Blackboard license and released globally in July 2025. Learning Object Repository (LOR). The Learning Object Repository (LOR) helps institutions save time and ensure consistency by centrally managing key course content across Blackboard. Whether it's a syllabus used by multiple instructors, an academic integrity policy, or student support information, the LOR allows administrators to create and maintain a single version of these important documents—ensuring accuracy and reducing duplication across courses and organizations. Together, these enhancements make it even easier to scale high-quality learning experiences and keep content aligned across the institution. Experience the industry's most modern learning management system with a free trial at About Anthology Anthology delivers education and technology solutions so that students can reach their full potential and learning institutions thrive. Millions of students around the world are supported throughout their education journey via Anthology's ecosystem of flagship SaaS solutions and supporting services, including the award-winning Blackboard ® (LMS), Anthology ® Student (SIS/ERP), and Anthology ® Reach (CRM). Through the Power of Together, we are uniquely inspiring educators and institutions with innovation that is meaningful, simple and intelligent to help customers redefine what's possible and create life-changing opportunities for people everywhere. Note to editors: Blackboard is the fastest-evolving LMS. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, Blackboard released more new features than any other major LMS—191 in the past 12 months alone, compared to 109 for D2L Brightspace and 79 for Instructure Canvas. This pace of innovation is publicly documented in each vendor's release notes:
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Build Trust: The First Step In AI's Journey Through Higher Education
Bruce Dahlgren is the CEO of Anthology. He's a seasoned technology executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience. I recently had the opportunity to attend a global gathering to discuss the future of education. In a fireside chat on 'Empowering Teachers and the Teaching Profession,' we discussed a central truth: Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a powerful ally in education—but only when deployed with clarity, care and trust. That message is especially relevant in higher education today, where the use of AI is accelerating, but the structures to support it are still taking shape. AI is already reshaping how we work, teach and learn, and higher education institutions are identifying new ways to move forward with clarity and confidence. Recent surveys show a growing divide between student usage and institutional readiness. A study by the Digital Education Council found that 86% of learners globally use AI in their studies, while an Inside Higher Ed report shows most institutions do not have policies for enterprise-level AI use. This gap presents an important opportunity: Before realizing AI's full potential, institutions must first build a foundation of trust, both internally and externally. Understanding The Disconnect AI is rapidly gaining adoption. Learners are using AI to generate ideas, study more efficiently and automate tasks like note taking. Faculty are exploring how AI can support grading, administrative tasks and individualized feedback. These early use cases demonstrate AI's potential, but they're often unfolding in the absence of clear institutional frameworks. The result is fragmented adoption. AI is being used, but often without structure, support or alignment across departments. Addressing this challenge requires coordinated leadership to develop responsible policies, communicate clear expectations and build trust across the institution. Responsible Adoption Begins With Governance Rather than focusing solely on emerging tools, institutions can start by asking clear, foundational questions: • Who sets AI policy? • How will data and ethics be managed? • What systems ensure accountability and transparency? Strong, cross-functional collaboration can help leaders ensure that AI tools are deployed thoughtfully. With shared policies and clear standards, institutions can create consistent, inclusive experiences that benefit all learners. Above all, educators and administrators must remain in control; technology should support, not substitute, human decision-making. AI's Value Across The Education Ecosystem AI offers meaningful benefits for every part of the academic community. Generative AI can improve efficiencies across a university's operations by automating routine tasks, surfacing insights faster and enabling smarter resource allocation. For example, AI can streamline administrative workflows like scheduling, admissions processing and student communications—reducing manual workloads and response times. It can enhance decision-making by analyzing large volumes of data to identify trends, risks and opportunities more quickly than traditional methods. In areas like IT and facilities management, AI can optimize maintenance schedules and predict service needs. By handling repetitive tasks and offering predictive insights, AI frees up staff to focus on more strategic, high-impact work—ultimately helping institutions operate more effectively and deliver better experiences for students and faculty alike. For students, AI provides individualized support; and for faculty, it streamlines administrative tasks and allows educators to focus on teaching and learning. Supporting Literacy And Inclusion Employers are increasingly looking for graduates who can leverage AI—and leverage AI responsibly. Institutions play a critical role in preparing learners to use AI ethically, effectively and with awareness of its limitations in real-world settings. To maximize these opportunities, institutions can prioritize digital and ethical AI literacy. Create environments for faculty and learners that encourage reflection, inquiry and responsible use. I've noticed some institutions are introducing exercises where students engage with AI-generated responses and then evaluate their accuracy and logic, building critical thinking and AI fluency in tandem. Open dialogue, pilot programs and cross-functional working groups can help create strong, campus-wide alignment. When institutions take a proactive and inclusive approach, they can build confidence and readiness for ongoing innovation. A Future Built On Trust AI can be a powerful tool for enabling personalized learning, dynamic assessment and more student-centered support. It empowers educators to focus on creativity and connection, and it helps students prepare for a world where adaptability and digital fluency are key. But as roles and expectations evolve, embracing innovation with care is essential. I think the real opportunity lies in leading with intention. Institutions that prioritize trust today could be the ones best equipped to shape tomorrow's most human-centered, forward-looking approaches to education. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Bloomberg
09-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Anthology Explores Sale as Debt Negotiations Occur With Lenders
Education-software provider Anthology Inc. is exploring a potential sale of the company as it negotiates with lenders about its debt load, according to people familiar with the situation. The Veritas Capital -backed company has been working with PJT Partners Inc. to consider options — which also include selling parts of Anthology — said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter. Indications of interest for assets have been received, they added.
Los Angeles Times
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Jim Jarmusch gets dark: Indie filmmaker reveals his latest artistic turn in L.A. show
Jim Jarmusch can't stop collaging. The celebrated independent filmmaker, known for movies such as Cannes Grand Prix winner 'Broken Flowers' and 'Stranger Than Paradise,' has been dabbling in the art form for decades, amassing hundreds of works. Creating collages is almost a compulsion, a way for Jarmusch to escape from the world and nestle into self-reflection. He scours newspapers for faces, tears them out with his hands and mounts them to sparse, solid-colored backgrounds. Jarmusch never imagined anyone would see the works, but in 2021, he had his art-world debut with an exhibition, 'Some Collages,' at James Fuentes gallery in New York. That show coincided with a book of the same name, published by Anthology. Since then, Jarmusch has stepped further into the art world. His band Sqürl, a collaboration with his producer and composer Carter Logan, created a new original score for a restored quartet of Man Ray's experimental short films, releasing 'Music for Man Ray' last May. In November, Jarmusch added curator to his multihyphenate list of talents: To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Surrealism, he selected 34 images from the Grand Palais' collection to highlight at Paris Photo, one of the most renowned photography art fairs in the world. And, of course, Jarmusch has continued to collage. In the last few years, his collages have taken on a darker tone — figuratively and literally, as he now affixes his delicate compositions to black paper instead of a warm manila — and he has sent them to art fairs in France, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Now he's presenting his second formal exhibition, 'Some More Collages,' which opens March 29 at the James Fuentes gallery in Los Angeles with a book signing. We caught up with Jarmusch to ask him about his collage process, Surrealism and his future as an artist. The following Q&A has been edited for clarity. You've curated a show and now you've had two art exhibitions. Do you feel like you are now officially in the art world? I move through different worlds. I grew up in rock 'n' roll clubs, I went through hip-hop worlds, and I obviously went through the film world. I've had a lot of friends who are artists since I was young, so I'm sort of in that world without being part of it. What encouraged you to do another collage exhibition? My first book was 'Some Collages,' which I got to design with Arielle de Saint Phalle and the people from Anthology, who published it. I wasn't expecting to have a book or a show, but Arielle de Saint Phalle encouraged me during the pandemic. I've been making these minimal newsprint collages for quite a few years now, and I did it mostly for a kind of solitary escape, a form of automatic writing, but with reappropriating visual things. I wanted a new show and hopefully a new small book. The previous show was about reappropriating things and replacements, mostly the heads. The new ones I've been making for the last year or so are a little more somber and involve removal with black left behind. They're sort of a different feel. But I don't analyze them. They are what they are. I also have a few lithographs in the show. Why did they get more somber? Are you affected by the state of the world? I'm sure that has some effect, but they are pretty intuitively created. I don't like to think about them much when I'm making them. They come out of somewhere that's not analyzed. When I opened my first show, if the collages seemed overtly political or proselytizing in some way, I would remove them. I tried not to be too obvious about anything, Why are all the faces removed? I'm interested in juxtapositions that are not obvious. I worked on a film about William Burroughs many years ago, in the late '70s, by Howard Brookner, called 'Burroughs.' We spent a lot of time, over a year or more, with Burroughs, and I used to sit with him when he was working on his scrapbooks, which were cut-ups from newspapers, magazines and different sources. He would find these unexpected juxtapositions. That was a lingering inspiration. I've always loved Surrealism. I love the disruption of logic. I love masks, and when I switched heads around, it was like playing with masks as well. But now, removing [the heads], they seem stronger. I like my new show more than my previous one, but I don't look back on anything I do. For example, once my films are completed, have reached a paying audience and [are] distributed, I never look at them again. There's just one collage in the show that has faces in it. Could you talk more about that work? That sneaked into the show, and it's maybe a little doorway into the next series. I always use text from where the image is sourced. There are two faces, I think they're some kind of billionaire, AI entrepreneur guys. The text refers to them. I don't know what they mean. I think e.e. cummings said you can understand the poem without knowing what it means. That's true probably of all my work. Are you tearing out the faces with your hands, or are you using a tool? My little tool kit can fit in a briefcase. It has tweezers, whatever backgrounds I'm working with and cutting tools that are usually ballpoint pens that have run out of ink. What materials do you use? I love newsprint, because when I was very young, my parents gave me a microscope and the first thing I looked at was the edge of a torn newspaper. It was a jungle of thread. It was very striking, and I still have the image in my head. The fragility of newsprint appeals to me as a tactile substance. Where are you sourcing the newspapers? Mostly from the New York Times, but I'll take them from anywhere. For a while I was making some only from Chinese newspapers that I got from Chinatown. I like the idea that I'm subverting the idea of information and making something else. What attracts you to this minimalist, highly edited approach? I love the idea of taking things from other places and making something else out of them, which is why I love sampling and hip-hop or certain schools of poetry that involve game structures. I've always loved these head removal and replacements that I find in a lot of artists that I love, like Bruce Conner, Richard Prince, Ray Johnson, John Baldessari and David Wojnarowicz. I saw that one of the lithographs uses Picasso's 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.' Could you talk about that? A lot of my collages refer to art. There's a Frank Stella reference in my book and a number of Warhol references. I use images of art, then basically damage them. I'm not a huge Picasso fan — I respect him, but he's a little too ego-oriented for me as an artist — but that is one of his most beautiful paintings. I wanted to make some larger images from the small newsprint collages. In L.A., the small originals are part of the show, and then you can see the lithographs, which are enlargements. Maurice [Sanchez of Derriere L'Etoile Studios] makes them with a very special technique. He re-creates the collages and then fixes them onto the black backgrounds in a similar way to the way I create. Maurice creates lithos in Long Island City for everybody. Every artist you've ever heard of goes to him. All the newsprint [collages] are originals, and they're very delicate, very small. There aren't multiples of any of them. I like the idea of making a few larger ones that could be reproduced. Are there any Surrealists or Dadaists who really inspire you in particular? Collage-wise, Max Ernst is probably my favorite. There was recently a show at the Pompidou Center, a really exhaustive retrospective of Surrealism. The very early Max Ernst collages were taken out of catalogs, and there was a whole wall of them. It creates a dream world. You disrupt the perceived logic of things in a very minimal way. I love repetition and unexpected connections. Do the themes in your collages reoccur in your poetry, music or films? I don't really think about themes, honestly. When I write a script, I don't start with the story. I start with characters and actors. I start gathering details —little pieces of dialogue, little ideas, places — and I gather them for quite a long time, sometimes for years. Then I write the scripts very fast. I do the same thing with music, because I'm not a trained musician and structure is not my strength. Sometimes I will lay down, for example, a sort of psychedelic guitar track, and then I'll lay a second track down without listening first. Then I see what they become. When is the structure kind of aligned? When does it depart? It seems like everything I make has a similar thing, and the collages are just the most reduced illustration of my procedure. What's the plan for the new collages? I would love to make a new book. The only thing I would change [about my first book] is that I put too many collages into it. Anything else you'd like to share? I'm not hierarchical about things. I'm a self-proclaimed dilettante. What's high art, what's low art, all of that means nothing to me. There's something about collages — they're very accessible. They can be primitive or sophisticated or they can be complicated or obscure. I love the collage form because it's so universal. I've made collages alongside children, and we're all in the same boat.
