In 2007 I was accepted into the very first class offering Blackboard Certified Trainer certification for the Blackboard Academic Suite. I attended a very challenging three week course online and then traveled to Boston to complete the course's "brick and mortar" portion.

In Boston, each class member gave two presentations. It was a thrilling experience meeting fellow class members face-to-face for the first time. They're a wonderful group of people and I'm very fortunate to be able to count many of them now as friends.

See more pictures of the Boston 2007 class...

What did I want to gain from certification?
Primarily, I wanted to be able to help faculty at my institution make informed decisions when using the many online tools offered by Blackboard. I am often asked: “So, which option should I choose?” My response used to be something like: “Well, that depends on your pedagogy.” Now I can say, “This is why Blackboard offers each of these options. Here is the theory behind this feature. This option is designed to accommodate this type of learning style. This option will accommodate another.” This still leaves the choice up to the instructor. However, the choice that the instructor makes now is an informed one.

To learn more about the Certified Trainer Program, visit the Blackboard Training site.