A source close to Desire2Learn sent me the following information regarding the information they need to gather for the patent suit:
While anecdotal evidence, e-mails, links and electronic documents are all appreciated and helpful, the very best things are the lowest tech: hard copy users guides from June 1998 and earlier would be useful, especially if they have a big, fat copyright date on the front. Any kind of documentation, release notes, even brochures would be helpful. They can snail mail them to Prior Art, c/o Desire2Learn, 72 Victoria Street South, Suite 401, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4Y9, Canada.
Thanks for sharing this, Michael! So far in looking through my old files (I’m a bit of a packrat) I’ve found some Lotus Notes installation instructions from 1995 (written by my former institution, though, not directly from Lotus Notes) and an article from USA Today (5/24/94) which describes Lotus Notes in simple USA Today-like language (“…the data is stored on a computer called a server…”). Not exactly what was requested, but do you think it’ll be useful nonetheless?
If the instructions are related to using Notes for online courses, then yes, it may very well be relevant.
In your search for materials about e-learning, the early years, don’t overlook the PLATO project started by Dr. Don Bitzer in the late 60’s (or early 70’s) at the University of Illinois. A mainframe-based application using semi-smart plasma display terminals, it pioneered many of the more commonly-available features of today’s e-learning: interactive lessons, prescriptive delivery modalities, a blog-like notes, and testing capability. All integrated on one computer, accessible from anywhere a dial-up line was available.
Control Data Corporation became interested in the application of this technology to military, government, commercial, and educational problems in the 70’s and formed a separate division to bring this technology to market. The head of this effort was Dr. Michael Allen, now owner of Allen Interactions, an instructional design firm based in Minneapolis. I was a part of this development effort and played a very minor part in CDC’s group for a bit more than two years. Eventually CDC abandoned the effort as the market was not ready for the concepts and the required profit model was not achievable.
The University of Minnesota maintains an archive of PLATO materials for reference and use by scholars. Perhaps the needed references to ideas and concepts necessary to invalidate the Blackboard patent are there.
P. F. Stubbs, EdD
San Jose, CA
Do not forget to look out side the US for prior art.
Australian educational broadcasting started in 1930. It soon became two-way with shortwave classroom links to isolated pupils and has developed form there. In Britain there is the Open University (OU)which started in 1969 and the JANET universities system which began in 1970. JANET and the OU seem to be very clear precursors to what Blackboard is trying to patent. There are other European and Asian systems to be looked at also.