Skip navigation

Overview of Building Blocks and PowerLinks
Added by George Kroner, last edited by George Kroner on 01 Nov 2007 10:06 AM
(None)


Blackboard's open architecture - consisting of Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks - allows clients to enhance the online education experience for their students and faculty. Clients can assemble a solution of homegrown, commercial and open source software and tools using Blackboard Building Blocks or Blackboard PowerLinks that best meet their needs whether it is a discipline-specific tool, an integration to a homegrown application or seamless integration to a subscription database at the institution library.

Through Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks developers can create sharable, re-purposable web applications that can be deployed on or integrated with the Blackboard Academic Suite. This open architecture ensures that clients can:

  • extend the Blackboard Academic Suite and incorporate new functionality
  • provide customizations to meet discipline-specific or pedagogical needs
  • leverage this technology to enhance and aid administration of their systems on campus
  • automate procedures or repetitive tasks
  • integrate with external systems or applications across their learning enterprise for example the Registrar's office, the Library to name just two
  • customize their implementation by integrating open source or locally-developed applications and tools Blackboard's APIs and web services are supported

Data that can be accessed includes:

  • Authentication and authorization information - to ensure seamless authentication and authorization between Blackboard software and other systems
  • User data - name, course of study, contact information
  • Course data and Enrollment records
  • Outcomes - student quiz and test data, scores, grades, participation and activity data
  • Content - the ability to seamlessly integrate rich content from a variety of sources
  • System management - information to help administrators manage and monitor their Blackboard software installations

Adaptavist Theme Builder Powered by Atlassian Confluence

By accessing the Knowledge Base, you agree to the following: Blackboard makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy of any information in the Knowledge Base. Blackboard is not responsible in any way for information provided to the Knowledge Base by third parties. Information in the Knowledge Base is not documentation for any Blackboard product. Nothing in the Knowledge Base shall be deemed to modify your license in any way to any Blackboard product. Blackboard reserves the right to use your name and the name of your institution in reference to any information submitted by you to the Knowledge Base. Blackboard may modify, distribute, republish in any format, delete, incorporate or use in any way the information that you contribute to the Knowledge Base.