Staff from Zayed University, were named winners of the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Optimizing Student Experience which honors those institutions whose educational and administrative innovations have markedly improved the total learner experience. This includes their addressing of new and changing dynamics in fields such as student recruitment, financial aid, enrollment, retention and assessment, graduation, and beyond.
Founded in 2005, the annual Catalyst Awards recognize and honor innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where millions of educators and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology. Winners are selected by a cross-functional team of Blackboard experts.
Zayed University has created hybrid embedded-electronic assessments within a traditional face-to-face environment was a transformational process. One result of which is the many opportunities to examine students’ learning and performance, which in turn allows prompt action to be taken to provide support to students where required. Now that each college has a reasonable number of common assessments, the University will benefit from changes that were made a few years ago.
This effort to transform the university assessment process started three years ago in a mission led by Dr. Adam Marks, Advisor on Academic Quality & Strategic Initiatives, and his team in the Office of the Provost, who closely collaborated with the quality assurance coordinators and the Chairs of each college within the university.
To appreciate the magnitude of the award, Zayed University Provost, Dr. Michael Wilson, said “One should note that there are only a handful of winners each year, and that Blackboard has more than 16,000 clients across 90 countries reaching 100 million users. So when Zayed University is selected as a winner in this competition, it is a real testimony to the vision, hard work, and the efforts placed in optimizing the learning experience at ZU.”
Dr. Wilson added, “It is also evidence of how Zayed University is benchmarking with other universities worldwide. It is the first time that Zayed University has ever won this award, and it is something that we should all celebrate.”
“I’m proud to recognize this year’s outstanding recipients of the Blackboard Catalyst Award for their demonstrated commitment to using technology to enhance the learning experience, and sharing their best practices with the education community,” said Lee Blakemore, Chief Client Officer and President, Global Markets at Blackboard. “Their outstanding contributions will help to support learner success in the Blackboard user community.”
Blackboard is the leading provider of learner success-focused technology solutions and services. Its product portfolio is unmatched in the marketplace, spanning teaching and learning, analytics, community engagement, campus transactions and security solutions as well as student services.
For more information on the Blackboard Catalyst Awards, please visit: https://community.blackboard.com/groups/catalystawards
