Information Technology

Blackboard announces end-of-life for ANGEL; Penn State support to continue

Blackboard, the firm that owns the ANGEL course management system employed by Penn State, announced an end-of-life date for ANGEL, Oct. 16, 2016. The University has a contract for the system through December 2017 and will continue to receive support until that time. Credit: Penn State / Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has been informed of an end-of-life date for ANGEL, the course management system currently used by Penn State students and faculty. On Oct. 15, 2016, Blackboard, the company that acquired ANGEL in 2009, will no longer support most instances of the system. Penn State has a contract for the course management system through December 2017 and will continue to receive operational support until that time.

According to Blackboard representatives, operational support means the company will provide Penn State with limited, situational support for ANGEL, but will not offer active maintenance, including system enhancements, bug fixes or service packs. Blackboard will continue to work with the University on any issues until the end of the contract period.

ANGEL is comprised of a variety of third-party technologies, all of which are approaching or have arrived at their end-of-support dates as determined by their providers. Blackboard will continue developing certain areas of ANGEL, focusing on keeping the existing system functionality and integrations running smoothly for users.

Penn State ANGEL users should not see any changes to the system. The University will continue to explore other learning management systems and pilot various platforms.

If you have any questions or need assistance with ANGEL, contact ANGEL support at angelsupport@psu.edu.

 

Last Updated October 16, 2014