Staff may be interested in the chance to have their Blackboard sites or innovative e-learning practice submitted for an award. Blackboard Inc have put out a call for the Blackboard Catalyst Awards and Exemplary Course Program. This global competition honours practitioners who push the boundaries of their educational programs and technology in order to deliver innovative and effective learning experiences. There are six categories:

1. Exemplary course – recognising courses demonstrating best practices in course design, interaction and collaboration, assessment, and learner support
2. Community collaboration – recognising those who share advice, insight, and best practices with others as they approach key challenges and opportunities in e-learning
3. Communications strategy – recognising those who use one or more Blackboard tools to support learning and teaching or campus engagement with innovative communications strategies
4. Innovative development – recognising those who give back to the community by sharing their development expertise
5. Mobile innovation – recognising those who have embraced the use of mobile technology to positively impact the educational experience at their institution
6. Staff development – recognising those who use Blackboard to support and enhance staff development in order to provide a better learning experience for both students and staff themselves

Deadline for submissions is 29 February 2012 and colleagues interested in submitting a nomination should in the first instance contact a member of the TEL team. Winners will be notified in May 2012, and recognised at BbWorld 2012 in New Orleans, 10-12 July 2012.