1. EdX, Blackboard now operate under other companies

EdX, a champion of massive open online courses launched in 2012, and Blackboard, a leading learning management system founded in 1997, now are both part of other companies. 

The online course provider 2U, launched in 2002, in November announced it had finished its acquisition of EdX, making waves throughout the education space. Executives said that EdX will retain its brand identity after the transition in a panel following the announcement and operate as a “public benefit” arm for the for-profit company. 2U and edX are set to offer more than 3,500 courses and serve more than 185 nonprofit university partners globally.

The administrative tools company Anthology finished its acquisition of Blackboard in October. Blackboard is a leading provider of learning management system technology, serving more than 150 million users worldwide. When the companies announced the purchase in September, leaders said it was designed so Anthology could offer its customers an “edtech ecosystem” of interoperable tools. The companies in October said Blackboard will keep its name while operating under Anthology.