BME NEWSLETTER - October 2025

news etter

www.bmeholding.com

OCTOBER 2025

Anthology

Unveils AI & Immersive Learning, Solidifies Blackboard as Fastest-Growing LMS

Ellucian Recent Milestones in Our Digital Transformation Journey

Symplicity Advocate 8.3: Latest 2025 Feature Release

Explorance How to Handle Negative Feedback in Higher Education?

Class Won Two Big Awards

Inspiring people to learn and to have a passion for life-long learning will not only create a more educated world—it will leave a powerful legacy and a lasting impact on society.

At BME, our vision is Everyone Educated by improving education for those who have it, bringing it to those who do not. Today is students are perpetually engaged with technology in different ways. You see it everyday in the work you do with students at your institution.

BME will leverage your existing Blackboard Investment to expand reach, increase engagement and value for your institution and users.

At Board Middle East (BME), we are shaping the future of education with big ideas that challenge conventional thinking and advance new models of learning.

Every day we are inspiring people to find new ways to learn, connect and drive change in the way education is delivered and experienced. Through technology and services we bring people closer to the knowledge they seek and to ways they can change their own education and their own world for the better.

By partnering with clients across the Middle East, we’ve built the best technologies and solutions to help advance our industry in meaningful ways. But we are not building new learning products; we are building a new way for learning to happen.

Established in 2010 as a local company, BME has become in 2011, the Master Distributor of Blackboard for the Middle East. With offices in Riyadh and Beirut, BME work closely with partners throughout the region to make its online learning solutions available to schools, universities, corporations, government and military organizations.

The companys presence includes operations and investments in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and its customer relations extend across the eleven countries of the region.

Welcome to the October 2025 edition of the BME Newsletter. What’s coming up next?

Anthology AI & immersive tech boost Blackboard as fastest-growing LMS

Ellucian Recent Milestones in Our Digital Transformation Journey

Explorance How to Handle Negative Feedback in Higher Education?

Class Wins 2 major awards for virtual learning & engagement excellence

Symplicity Launches Advocate 8.3 with upgraded student conduct tools

Unveils Next-Generation AI and Immersive Learning Innovations in Blackboard, Maintains Position as the Fastest-Evolving LMS for the Fourth Year.

Anthology has announced a major wave of enhancements to its flagship learning management system, Blackboard, marking its fourth consecutive year as the fastest-evolving LMS. These innovations aim to reduce administrative burden for educators, drive student engagement, and support institutional success.

AI-Powered Virtual Assistant (AVA).

AI-Powered Virtual Assistant (AVA) AVA Automations - Smart nudges for students AVA Responses - Instant AI answers AVA Feedback Assistant - Summarizes instructor feedback AVA Playground - Secure AI access for students

Engagement & Outcomes AI Badge Creator Custom badges for courses

Outcomes Tracking Supports accreditation & objective

Immersive Learning 360° & VR-ready content via Video Studio

Smarter Content Tools AI Design Assistant Layouts & visuals for course doc

LOR Central content hub for consistency

Driving Innovation in Higher Education Technology We are proud to share our latest milestones: Earning Ellucian Insights Proficiency Badges, Completing UAT for a custom payment gateway integration at NAUSS, and Advancing Argos reporting implementation at Dar Al-Hikma University.

Each step strengthens our mission to empower academic institutions with innovative, data-driven solutions.

Recent Milestones in Our Digital Transformation Journey

Ellucian Insights Proficiency Achieved

Custom Payment Gateway Integration – UAT Completed

Argos Implementation at Dar Al-Hikma University

Ellucian Insights Proficiency Achieved BME has successfully earned the Ellucian Insights Proficiency Badges, validating our capability in utilizing Ellucian’s analytics platform to deliver data-driven insights and support strategic decision-making. This certification underscores our focus on continuous learning and technical leadership in the education sector.

Custom Payment Gateway Integration – UAT Completed At NAUSS, BME have also successfully completed the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for our custom solution for payment gateway integration with Ellucian Banner, which is set to go live soon. This secure and scalable solution will streamline fee transactions for students and enhance the university’s financial operations.

Argos Implementation at Dar Al-Hikma University BME is currently implementing Argos reporting at Dar Al-Hikma University, including the development of customized reports tailored to the institution’s operational and academic needs. This implementation will empower the university with real-time, actionable data to support performance monitoring and institutional planning.

These milestones represent our ongoing dedication to delivering impactful, innovative solutions that support digital transformation and elevate the student and administrative experience across academic institutions.

Class is Celebrating Two Big Award Wins, and a Bigger Vision for Learning Analytics

Class Wins Big in 2025!

EdTech Breakthrough Award

Learning Analytics Innovation

Stevie® Award

Technology Breakthrough of the Year

What these Awards mean?

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence and the EdTech Breakthrough Awards each evaluated thousands of nominations from organizations across industries—from education to enterprise tech to healthcare and beyond.

Being recognized among global leaders like Microsoft, Meta, and Salesforce is a meaningful milestone for our team. These awards validate a core belief behind our product vision: that deeper insights into the learning experience have become essential.

Whether you’re training employees, educating students, or running professional development, access to real-time analytics helps teams improve outcomes and make smarter decisions.

How to Handle Negative Feedback in Higher Education?

Psychological Safety First Create a space where students feel safe sharing honest, constructive feedback — without fear of judgment.

Don’t Share Unfiltered Comments Raw, hurtful feedback damages trust and morale. Use redaction tools (like Explorance MLY) to keep it productive.

Respond Strategically Pause & Reflect Seek Clarification

Acknowledge Feedback Share Action Plan

Turn Feedback into Growth Encourage staff to see feedback as a tool for career growth, not criticism. Showcase real success stories.

Build a Feedback-Positive Culture Train teams, celebrate wins, and normalize constructive feedback in everyday operations.

Grow With Explorance MLY Transform feedback into progress. Explore tools that help make it safe, meaningful, and actionable.

Symplicity Advocate 8.3 – 2025 Release Custom Forms (Flex Only) Create tailored forms for: Psychological/Threat Assessments FERPA Waivers Leave Requests & Consents

Centralizes critical case data

Enhanced Task Management Assign tasks with deadlines Ensure accountability & case progress

Save Letters as PDF For mailing, records, or formal reviews

Better case list filters Expanded localization

Get in Touch We don’t just believe in solutions. We believe in relationships. Whether you’re looking to collaborate, partner, or simply explore what’s possible, our team is here to listen, guide, and grow with you.

Email: info@bmeholding.com

🌐 www.bmeholding.com