Move to enhance paper-to-digital workflows in education
Mahwah, NJ, Dec. 4, 2015 – Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC), today announces a signature partnership with Blackboard, Inc. to enhance the paper-to-digital workflows in the higher education and K – 12 environments, which will enable ease of use for educators and students alike.
Sharp’s integration with Blackboard’s flagship learning management system, Blackboard Learn™, will enable students to print and scan assignments from any connected Sharp multifunctional printer (MFP) directly to the students’ Blackboard Learn courses. This streamlined process will ultimately help increase the timeliness of student assignment submissions.
“Technology needs to keep pace with the ever-enhancing demand in education for smarter and better ways of working,” said Mike Marusic, senior vice president, Marketing, Service and Supply Chain, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. “By entering into this partnership with an industry leader such as Blackboard, we are continuing our journey to improve the learning experience, both inside and outside of the classroom.”
Additionally, Sharp plans to support online course development, giving educators the ability to add original electronic and scanned materials directly into Blackboard Learn courses via Sharp Cloud Portal Office, an award-winning content management and sharing service.
In support of the partnership, Blackboard has joined Sharp’s Strategic Technology Alliance Resource (STAR) program, a directory of third-party products and services that complement Sharp’s professional display products. Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate™, Blackboard’s Web conferencing solution built for education, display beautifully on the Sharp AQUOS BOARD® interactive display system, helping bring collaboration and creativity into the classroom.
“We welcome Sharp into Blackboard’s vibrant community of partners, which enables institutions to customize their learning environments and gives them great flexibility in how they improve and shape the education experience,” said Kathleen Vieira, Vice President of Business Development at Blackboard. “Sharp’s integration with Blackboard Learn will create a seamless workflow between our two systems, allowing students to focus on learning rather than the process of submitting assignments.”
Sharp’s integration with Blackboard Learn is targeted to launch in the Spring of 2016.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard is a leading education technology company. We challenge conventional thinking and advance new models of learning in order to reimagine education and make it more accessible, engaging, and relevant to the modern-day learner and the institutions that serve them. In partnership with our customers in higher education and K-12 as well as corporations and government agencies around the world, our mission is to help every learner achieve their full potential by inspiring a passion for lifelong learning. For more information about Blackboard, follow us on Twitter @Blackboard.
About Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, markets the advanced, MX Series multifunction printers (MFP) systems that help companies manage workflow efficiently and increase productivity. Sharp® MFPs feature the Sharp OSA® development platform, which seamlessly integrates network applications to create a personalized MFP that can meet virtually any business need, and Scan2 technology, which scans two-sided documents in a single pass to enhance scanning reliability and preserve document integrity. To keep documents safe from unauthorized users, Sharp is a leader in the MFP industry in security by offering the most secure suite of MFP applications.
Sharp’s professional and commercial displays are specially engineered for business applications and are offered in a wide range of sizes. From high-impact displays for digital signage, to our award-winning ultra-thin bezel video walls, to the innovative AQUOS BOARD® interactive display systems, Sharp products help you communicate, collaborate and disseminate information brilliantly.
