Cumbria’s university shortlisted for prestigious anthology catalyst award

In 2024, the university embarked on an ambitious journey to reshape its pedagogic practice through the co-creation of a new Learning, Teaching and Assessment Plan. A key milestone in this strategy was the migration to Blackboard Ultra, complemented by a comprehensive staff development programme designed to unlock innovation, enhance accessibility and improve digital learning practices.

Recognising improvements in its digital strategy, the university is celebrating being shortlisted in the ‘Training & Professional Development’ category of the 2025 Anthology Catalyst Awards. These international awards recognise outstanding innovation and best practices in the use of Blackboard by institutions worldwide including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Mexico.

The outcomes of the initiatives have been profound and include:

• Accessibility improvements led to a 3 per cent increase in the university's ally accessibility score, now standing at 86.7 per cent for the 24/25 academic year
• Participation in the Anthology Fix Your Content Day 2024 saw Cumbria ranked 2nd in the region for accessibility changes
• The university’s IT Service Desk is receiving fewer calls as a result of successful staff training and education
• Student feedback leading to improvements in course module content and formatting, providing a more user-friendly experience for students using the new Ultra platform

The early successes of this initiative have grown university-wide digital capabilities, serving as the foundation for further enhancements, including the integration of AI tools to support both staff and students use of technological systems.

Dr Jonathan Eaton, Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching), said:

“We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this prestigious global award which recognises institutions that display an organization-wide dedication to innovative training and development programmes.

“The migration to Blackboard Ultra is a critical foundation in the implementation of our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Plan, on which we seek to build over the coming years as our university community embeds innovative and creative approaches to digital learning.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work of many colleagues in enabling this step forward”.

ENDS