D2L, Blackboard and Now What?

Finally, the irritating and distracting patent dispute between Desire2Learn (D2L) and Blackboard is over.

However, as the storm over the dispute subsides, there is now a gathering storm in the blogosphere over what this might mean for the future of D2L. The most common speculation is that D2L is going to be purchased by another LMS (Learning Management System) vendor. The most likely candidates are Blackboard (the former nemesis) or Pearson (who recently entered the higher ed LMS marketplace in a bigger way).

Since Blackboard acquired WebCT and then Angel, we have seen some interesting changes. There are now a very few commercial players and an increasing number of open source / community source options.

The University of Guelph has been a D2L client from the beginning; we are quite likely “customer #1.” Recently we integrated all our courses on to D2L (having had others on WebCT/Blackboard for a number of years). As a result, I suppose our voice is not exactly impartial in this speculation.

Having said that, among the many things that impresses me about D2L is their strong sense of mission and focus. Like many things, when you purchase an IT service or tool, you really buy the company not the product. The product will change and evolve but the company’s vision and values will likely persist. We moved fully onto the D2L platform because their vision and values aligned with ours.

I have no special insight into the business challenges of the LMS marketplace that might result in D2L being sold. However, I hope that whatever happens D2L continues its forward looking vision and its focused support of its clients. I’m happy for D2L to remain a strong, independent contributor to the LMS space.