It is always fun to see what search terms send people your way. In my case it’s usually keywords like De-Animator (the flash game), Simpsonizer (the Simpson-ized self-portrait maker), or Felix the Cat -now these are all topics I have talked about on a few occasions, but they don’t necessarily reflect the meat and potatoes of this blog (and what is that exactly?). Today there was a search term that has me wearing a really big smile as I write this.
Yes, that’s right, we do serve up BlackBoard alternatives here at bavatuesdays. Start with this post that frames a general argument against canned course management systems like BlackBoard, while also suggesting Wordpres as an alternative (keep in mind that WordPress Multi-user makes the hacking part somewhat irrelevant). After that, take a look at this post which may suggest some other larger conceptual reasons why a system like Wordpress Multi-user might provide a viable alternative. After that you might want to rummage around in the wpmu category. Finally, when you’re finished with your research just do me a favor and let everyone know that there are, indeed, alternatives 
It’s actually the WordPress.com stats plugin that works for any wordpress blog, you just need to get a key. Link.