Timeline
Blackboard, the LMS, and Stephen Gilfus.
Dated milestones from CourseInfo (1996) through the eLearning 3.0 Project (2026). Each entry links to the long-form record on this site.
CourseInfo launches at Cornell
- Stephen Gilfus and Daniel Cane ship one of the first commercial learning management systems while still Cornell students — the seed of what would become Blackboard. Read more →
Blackboard Inc. founded
- CourseInfo merges with Matthew Pittinsky and Michael Chasen's consulting firm to form Blackboard Inc., headquartered in Washington, D.C. Read more →
Blackboard Product Strategy whitepaper
- Stephen Gilfus authors the foundational product strategy whitepaper that shaped the LMS category for the next decade. Read more →
Blackboard IPO (NASDAQ: BBBB)
- Blackboard Inc. lists on NASDAQ at $14/share, raising $70M and validating the LMS as a category. Read more →
WebCT acquisition
- Blackboard acquires WebCT, consolidating the higher-ed LMS market. Read more →
Blackboard goes private (Providence Equity Partners)
- Providence Equity Partners takes Blackboard private in a $1.64B transaction, ending the public-company chapter. Read more →
Anthology merger
- Blackboard merges with Anthology, forming the largest education-technology services company by user count. Read more →
LMS at 30 — anniversary program
- Thirty years on from CourseInfo, the LMS-at-30 hub publishes the anniversary memoir, milestones, and forward thesis. Read more →
eLearning 3.0 Project / LMS 3.0 launch
- The LMS 3.0 hub opens with the Learning Orchestration System primer, kicking off the next-generation platform agenda. Read more →