Parature Announces Free Blackboard Building Block for Online Campus Support
Reston, VA (July 23, 2002) – Parature, Inc., an innovator of Web-based support software, today announced the availability of 24/7 Campus Help DeskT, an online campus support system designed for colleges and universities.
24/7 Campus Help Desk is available as a Blackboard Building Block application that plugs in seamlessly with the Blackboard Learning SystemT used by more than 2,000 colleges and universities worldwide. A limited version of 24/7 Campus Help Desk will be available for free for Blackboard clients that sign up by September 1, 2002.
24/7 Campus Help Desk provides a complete Web support center for students and faculty members.
24/7 Campus Help Desk presents self-service information neatly organized by topic category, most popular items, and most recent items. By automatically presenting the information most relevant to students and faculty members, 24/7 Campus Help Desk provides a convenient support option at all hours. By providing Web-based support to students and faculty members, 24/7 Campus Help Desk also reduces the number of support inquiries submitted to the institution’s support staff. 24/7 Campus Help Desk comes pre-populated with commonly-asked questions and answers about the Blackboard Learning System, and also allows institutions to add their own content to create a truly valuable Web support center without programming or HTML.
“Using the Web to support our campus community is a growing priority for the University of Miami,” said William Vilberg, Blackboard Administrator at the University of Miami. “We are launching 24/7 Campus Help Desk this summer to provide our students and faculty a top-notch help resource for using Blackboard and being productive on campus.”
Blackboard’s Building Blocks initiative, announced in 2000, is the industry’s first open set of API’s and developer services for creating extensions to Blackboard. From client developed innovations that extend Blackboard into new pedagogical frontiers, to commercial applications from 3rd party providers who speed their growth through Blackboard’s platform technology and client base, Building Blocks represents a springboard for innovation in the e-Education market.
“Student and faculty support is critical for colleges and universities,” said Todd Gibby, general manager at Blackboard Inc. “24/7 Campus Help Desk provides an easy way for Blackboard clients to set up a support center on the Web. Parature is a welcome addition to the Building Blocks program.”
Source: Parature