Davenport University recently hosted the annual Michigan Blackboard User Group (miBUG) Conference at its W. A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus. Faculty, administrators, instructional designers and technical support staff from 10 higher education institutions gathered at the conference to learn about best practices and changes that will shape the future of the cloud-based platform.

The event was a great opportunity for Blackboard users from higher education institutions across Michigan to network, learn and gain insights directly from Blackboard leaders and developers. Blackboard, a cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS), is used by Davenport and other universities in the United States and around the world. 

Brian Miller, Davenport’s dean of Global Campus and Academic Systems,

Brian Miller, Davenport’s dean of Global Campus and Academic Systems, said hosting the MiBUG conference was a natural extension of Davenport’s role in Michigan higher education. “We’re not just users of these tools; we’re practitioners who have developed real expertise, and events like this are how that expertise gets shared and sharpened,” he said.

The event, he said, helps Davenport build community across institutional lines. “The questions our instructional designers are wrestling with in Grand Rapids are the same ones colleagues at other institutions are wrestling with, too. Getting everyone in the same room accelerates everyone’s work.”

Breakout sessions explored new features and tools to better support faculty and students and product demonstrations highlighted upcoming features that will greatly improve how instructors and students use Blackboard. 

Jason Weaver, keynote speaker

Jason Weaver, keynote speaker and newly appointed chief of staff at Blackboard, shared his vision of teams, support, service and organization structure, the goals he has for the future of Blackboard and any changes that might come along with it.

 “It was exciting to hear from the Blackboard presenters and learn about the latest developments and capabilities,” said Mai MohamedNour, an instructional designer at Davenport. “I heard from attendees that they left energized and happy to have gained a lot of new ideas and best practices that they are eager to implement.”