Blackboard Reviews & Product Details

I think it provides the bare minimum of an LMS and that's the thing I do like about it. Beyond that it falls short on a lot of things. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There are a lot of things that can be improved with Blackboard. My perspective is of an instructor and a student and not the administrator of the complete installation, but I represent the largest userbase for Blackboard.

First thing is that the UI looks quite dated. NOt just that but it's also unintuitive to say the least. Often we had to upload videos to show students just where to click to get to a new course.

Another thing is performance. Since this is a SaaS product our complete interaction with it is through the web browser. Opening multiple tabs on the same browser quickly slows down the whole computer. This is obviously a problem.

There is also a lack of integrations, especially in importing different formats of exams and tests. This difficulty in integration extends to moving things from one course to another in the seem institution as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Using it for courses I find it easy to use and pull up course materials. As an employee I use the media a lot for posting videos on training. We use it for training purposes, FERPA, Title IX training, Hiring processes etc. and I really like how it makes it easy to contract different group around campus. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Alot of the same content pulls up in difference section which can make it a little confusing to make sure you didn't miss a training. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have been an LMS administrator and faculty with Blackboard Learn for 16 years, so my answers have some background. I particularly like Blackboard Learn Ultra's intuitive way to populate the course components and the variety of tools available to do it. The instructor or professor can start with a course outline or ask for one from Generative AI; then, populate the outline by adding components from top to bottom. Various components, such as text pages, links, quizzes, and written assignments, can be added. Anything can be revised, augmented, or moved. I also like also the degree of integration that Blackboard has achieved with different providers such as Pearson, Alex, Respondus, etc.; these are easily selected and integrated with the course. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The visual interface of Blackboard Learn Ultra is poor; the metaphor is like a wall with vertical lines and titles. There is no way of showing the student what is more critical and less, what is a core component of the class, and what is an auxiliary element. The student must open each component in the "wall" to determine what is inside. This should be more intuitive; for instance, use different colors and icons for overview, materials, dialogue, and assessments. The instructor should be able to display in the course map certain videos or interactive resources considered essential, e.g., "the lab", "the meeting room", "the AI advisor". Two very useful assignments of Blackboard Standard were lost: wikis and file-upload questions. The first allowed the creation of student presentations, and the second allowed the inclusion of text, images, sound recordings, or programs as part of of a test. I have also noticed that some back office tools present in Standard have been eliminated or reduced in capability, such as Date Management, Rubrics, Course Analytics, Course Reports, Performance Dashboard, and Retention Center. The Blackboard Editor has been reduced in features; it does not allow direct access to modify HTML code, bullets, indentation, double-space, etc. An overall find-and-replace feature and overall search are desirable features. The exit of Class Collaborate was a big loss because it was the best virtual classroom environment integrated with Blackboard Learn. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find the interface very easy to navigate, with highly useful tools for taking classes, such as videoconferencing rooms and discussion sections. Additionally, submitting assignments is simple, and it’s just as easy to review them later. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing that could be improved is adding a built-in messaging feature, as it would make communicating with classmates much easier and more convenient Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It’s helpful that I can assign things to groups for grading. I also like that I can edit and save grades before posting them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I wish there were a better way to send one-on-one emails, instead of having to use announcements or chats. I’d also like more aesthetic options for organizing my class so everything feels clearer and easier to manage. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the ability to heavily customize content, including working directly in the HTML and CSS back end. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The learning module isn’t technically accessible. For keyboard users, it takes a lot of tabbing to reach it, even when trying to skip regions. The platform also includes a lot of features, which creates a bit of a learning curve for a new faculty member or instructional designer working in it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like best about Blackboard is how easy it is to keep everything organized. I appreciate having all my course materials, assignments, and grades in one place. It really helps me stay on top of my classes and stay organized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing I dislike about Blackboard is that sometimes it can be a bit slow or glitchy, which makes it frustrating to use. Also, a few features could be more user-friendly, so navigating everything feels smoother. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Integration with course materials and convenience of making all class resources and assignments available to students. Also being able to record class sessions from within Blackboard. It has been extremely easy to use and implement course activities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Marking attendance for a past class has been more difficult than it should be in how to add a previous class that was overlooked.. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Blackboard is user friendly. There are a variety of features that are enticements to the overachieving faculty who are always looking to enhance their course deployments. Because it has been in the LMS market for so long, nearly all vendors have made sure they can integrate easily with it. With SaaS now deployed for large software applications, it has made implementation and upgrades much easier and more efficient. Customer support is tiered so if the first level does not have a fix, it gets escalated to the next tier until it is resolved. I use Blackboard daily and have for nearly 20 years now. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Customer Support is based out of the South America so getting someone that truly understands the problem or speaks clear English is at times a hinderance to getting quick resolutions.

Also, for large deployments like mine, some basic features were left off years ago as they enchanced the product and never brought back. Like setting a pagination display for number of viewable records. I must change this 25 times a day. Also, searching is limited to only one field which with 100,000 users, looking for "Smith" is tedious at best. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The construct that I enjoy the most is the continuous improvement of the product from the feedback of the customer users and their experience with the product. Some of the suggestion I have made to the idea exchange has made it into software updates. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The users do need to be comfortable with software use and will need to also participate in continuous training to maintain efficiency with the product. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.