Blackboard Buys Angel Learning

Blackboard is buying Angel Learning in a deal worth $95 million in cash and stock.

The acquisition has considerable implications for the education technology market, higher education and the learning management system (LMS) competitive landscape. In all likelihood, the acquisition will drive more institutions to consider an open-source LMS solution, thereby expanding the demand for the services market and even prompting the entry of a proprietary solution built on an open-source core.

Already under way, Project NG is the strategy for bringing together Angel’s WebCT and Blackboard’s solution into a single suite and then evolving it to meet the future needs of colleges and universities.

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