ANGEL Community Hub

ANGELshorts Vol. 3, Issue #1 Five Things Everyone Should Know about ANGEL 7.3 is now available.

From the article:
"On May 16, Information Technology Services upgraded Penn State's Course Management System, ANGEL, to version 7.3. The new version features enhancements to several existing tools and several new tools that will help course editors perform administrative tasks. There are also several minor interface changes."

Go to the ANGELshorts tab to read previous issues.

Here are two more articles on the move. The first is from Campus Technology. The article contains some interesting quotes from technologists in the academy and Blackboard's CEO, Michael Chasen, about what this does for choice and competition. Chasen also talks some about Blackboard's plans for incorporating ANGEL's LMS. (Read the Campus Technology Article).

The second article is from The Washington Post and focuses more on the financial implications of the acquisition. Both Chasen and Christopher Clapp, ANGEL's chief executive, discuss what each of them bring to the deal. (Read the Post article).

Here is a link to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education discussing Blackboard buying ANGEL. The article was published yesterday and has since been updated. The big take away from the article is that in the short term Blackboard plans to sell the ANGEL products separately. So, we most likely will not see an immediate impact to the software we're currently using. However, there are plans to merge them together in the future. This is something Blackboard did with WebCT. A process that was not always smooth by reports but hopefully many lessons were learned that will make this transition as smooth as possible.

Earlier today the University posted an announcement on the ANGEL Homepage reacting to the news (contents below).

"Penn State has just learned about the Blackboard Inc. acquisition of ANGEL Learning, Inc. In the coming days, the University will be in discussions with the company to determine the implications of the acquisition. A formal statement will be forthcoming."

Late yesterday afternoon Blackboard Inc. announced it was acquiring ANGEL Learning, Inc. The acquisition is expected to become final later this month. We are in the process of evaluating the meaning of this acquisition and how it impacts the Penn State community.

Here are links to two articles from Blackboard that provide further information:
Blackboard Press Release
Blackboard's ANGEL Page (I recommend reading the FAQ)

Over the course of a year, ITS worked on developing a strategy for ANGEL at Penn State in the coming years. The attached ANGEL Vision document serves to explain that strategy. This document serves two distinct purposes. The first is to outline some new thinking as it relates to the overall flexibility of ANGEL as we move forward. The second is to highlight future architectural goals in anticipation of continued growth and increased demand of ANGEL throughout the university. ITS will use this document as we continue to pursue our strategic partnership with ANGEL Learning, Inc.

The Discussion Forum tool has undergone a lot of changes in version 7.3. One of which is the inclusion of a new tab under the forum settings called the Interaction tab. This tab combines some of the existing features of the tool along with some new features that have been added. This short video provides an overview of the Interaction tab

ANGELshorts Vol. 2, Issue #8 Five Things an Instructor Should Know About Using Media in a Quiz is now available.

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of ANGELshorts designed to assist instructors in maximizing the potential of the
ANGEL quiz tool. This series will be featured in publications over the fall and spring semesters. Additional information on the topic can be found by clicking on the Innovative Quizzing link located on the top right-hand side of the screen.

From the article:
"Many instructors use a variety of media to teach their students. This is true in both computer-based and face-to-face instruction. Using multiple forms of media allows the instructor to engage the students on both the visual and auditory planes. This enables deeper learning to occur as opposed to using words or pictures alone. However, did you know that using multimedia could also enhance the assessment process?"

Go to the ANGEL Shorts tab to read previous issues.