Blackboard Learn

4.2 (519)
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A marketing-leading LMS for education, biz, gov, and more.

Overall rating

4.2 /5
(519)
Value for Money
4.1/5
Features
4.1/5
Ease of Use
3.9/5
Customer Support
4.0/5

81%
recommended this app
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519 Reviews

Abhuday
Abhuday
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 501–1,000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Easy and flexible learning management system.

Reviewed on 16/04/2023

Students are satisfied with it.

Students are satisfied with it.

Pros

It has very strong and fast customer support service.

Cons

It's bit costly and there are no free version.

Alternatives Considered

Moodle

Reasons for Choosing Blackboard Learn

More features are there in Blackboard.

Switched From

Google Classroom
Newkirk
Overall rating
  • Industry: Libraries
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Blackboard Learn for Aiken Technical College's Embedded Librarian Program

Reviewed on 9/02/2023

I post announcements about our Library's online resources and also monitor a Discussion Board...

I post announcements about our Library's online resources and also monitor a Discussion Board thread called "Ask a Librarian." I get plenty of questions in the Discussion Board and also in response to the announcements, especially closer to assignment due dates.

Pros

I can post a variety of media in the Announcements section and in the Content Areas. The more options I can give students to access the information they need, the better.

Cons

There may be a way to do this and I haven't figured out how yet, but I would like to be able to transfer a whole content area from one course to another instead of starting from scratch each time.

Alternatives Considered

Moodle

Reasons for Switching to Blackboard Learn

It had better functionality with the campus portal.
Michael
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 501–1,000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 1.0 /10

BlackBoard Learn is a Relic of a Bygone Era

Reviewed on 24/04/2022

I have used BlackBoard Learn for 5 years now, and I can report that it's a tool that I've tolerated...

I have used BlackBoard Learn for 5 years now, and I can report that it's a tool that I've tolerated with a fair degree of frustration, as opposed to a tool that I'd relish and recommend to others.

Pros

BlackBoard Learn is a reliable tool for basic communication, content collection, and assessments. There are convenience factors baked into its framework in the sense that instructors can readily copy and reuse materials from earlier semesters, but other capabilities have far surpassed the benefits of this complacency factor. Also, the price point of BlackBoard Learn is extremely compelling, and they have reliable customer support and service.

Cons

Doing anything on BlackBoard Learn requires significantly more clicks and testing than competing products. The design is clunky, and it directly contradicts the instructional delivery of faculty who know what else is out there, as well as the learning-design preferences of Gen-Z students.

Alternatives Considered

Sakai LMS, CANVAS, Moodle and Schoology

Reasons for Switching to Blackboard Learn

I was not part of the committee that made the decision to continue with BlackBoard Learn, but I believe the continuation was justified because of its low-cost and the challenge of switching to a competing model. Upgrading the LMS is a bit like updating your operating system. You can kick the can down the road and keep your status quo in place, but when you eventually update, you gain new capabilities, efficiencies, securities, and collaborative synergies.
Sam
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 1,001–5,000 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Easy for daily use

Reviewed on 14/07/2024

Overall, the ease of use and the ability to have so much content in one place makes it a great...

Overall, the ease of use and the ability to have so much content in one place makes it a great product.

Pros

Blackboard learn is easy to use both for teachers and students.

Cons

Sometimes you have to use four or five clicks to get where you want to go.

Rafael
Rafael
Overall rating
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

One of the best e-learning softwares for (higher) education

Reviewed on 13/07/2021

My overall experience with Blackboard Learn is amazing, since it is a platform that has all the...

My overall experience with Blackboard Learn is amazing, since it is a platform that has all the features (and beyond) I need for higher education (as a student).
The communication and course management are just spot on.
I feel this software has a great potential and amazing capabilities and it is definitely my favorite e-learning platform. I could easily recommend it to any higher education student/teacher.

Pros

What I like the most about Blackboard Learn is the amazing and complete features it offers to its users.
I use this software for higher education (as a student) and it is very complete and reliable. I can track all my courses, appointments, works, grades, files and many more in the same place, which is perfect for me.
I also like the fact I can communicate with my teachers within this platform and the possibility to activate the email notifications for every course is a great add-up for this software.

Cons

What I like the least about this software is the User Interface (UI), as I consider the navigability could be better and the features could yet be more accessible and easier to use.
Other than that, I don't have any other "complaints" about Blackboard Learn.
I may mention that in the beginning of the pandemic, with the introduction of online classes, this software was a life-saver and my institution needed to contact the support team, who was very responsive and agile to solve all the issues at that time.

Arturo
Arturo
Overall rating
  • Industry: Marketing & Advertising
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Your new classroom (digital)

Reviewed on 26/05/2022

The experience that Blackboard gives you is satisfactory since several other platforms, its...

The experience that Blackboard gives you is satisfactory since several other platforms, its management system between courses, and the power to upload files or open documents that teachers upload to their respective courses, are not as easy to do as in blackboard, since the software is very friendly for students like us and makes it not cost us work in performing all its functions that it gives us.

Pros

Being still a student, I love the ease with which I can move within the interface and change courses because if you have several subjects, you can easily locate them and see the content very easily. Inside the software, you can see practically everything as if it were a classroom since you can hold virtual meetings, see your content/tasks to do, see your final grades, take your final exams, etc. It is a platform that stands out for its excellence in education since the page rarely crashes or presents some difficulties.

Cons

It may be difficult at first to navigate through the different menus/pages/courses because the platform does not give us that simply look the first time we see it, as unlike its competitors in the market, this one has a slightly less friendly view. But it is rescued if for example our school/university gives us within Blackboard a small tutorial on the essentials you should know about this software.
But honestly, I do not see many cons to Blackboard because it is a platform that gives us what we are looking for and that is why it is one of the top e-learning software.

Brian
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 51–200 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 5.0 /10

Blackboard....there may be better resources

Reviewed on 7/07/2024

Blackboard is competitive with Canvas and other course management systems for higher education. It...

Blackboard is competitive with Canvas and other course management systems for higher education. It can be used across synchronous, asychronous and hybrid course offerings. It is a bit limited in its customizability features, but overall it is a solid course management system.

Pros

Blackboard is fairly easy to use and is easy to onboard with. It is familar to most students and professors.

Cons

Some of my least favorite features included the limits on customizability of the course features (such as colors) and the clunky UI.

Mark
Overall rating
  • Industry: Higher Education
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 6.0 /10

Blackboard Learn

Reviewed on 23/02/2024

Pros

The flexibility to update information and make changes to coursework is good. If a student publishes an assignment, such as a paper, incorrectly I am able to reset the assignment on an individual basis without opening it up to the entire class.

Cons

With the more frequent use of mobile devices, Blackboard needs to be more mobile-friendly. Some screens, such as the grade book, offer limited functionality when accessed on a mobile device such as an iPad.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Writing & Editing
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Blackboard Learn is a Good Tool for Students

Reviewed on 17/11/2023

Pros

Blackboard Learn is one of the easiest platforms for college students to navigate. I like that I can talk to my professors in real - time.

Cons

There was nothing I didn't like about it.

Erin
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 501–1,000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

An Essential Tool for University

Reviewed on 4/01/2024

Pros

Blackboard brings everything you need into one easy to access and navigate place.

Cons

Nothing in particular stands out other than the occasional updates that are required.

Richard
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 5,001–10,000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 2.0 /10

Blackboard - Really clunky!

Reviewed on 5/03/2020

At our institution Bb Learn instructions sometimes don't match the local implementation.

At our institution Bb Learn instructions sometimes don't match the local implementation.

Pros

What I like most about the software is what is is *supposed* to do: serve as a total course management system.

Cons

Everything about Blackboard is clunky — at least as it is set up in our university. Operations that should be drag and drop require multiple clicks. Nearly every function in Blackboard is present in other generic software and works more efficiently. In addition, Blackboard (as set up in our school) forces templates onto teachers, Redoing the templates into usable form takes lots of clicks.

Here are two examples of the most egregious design errors.

1. The Bb gradebook. It vaguely resembles like Excel or Google sheets in how functions. But unlike spreadsheets where one can easily duplicate columns and reassign formulas, the Gradebook requires separate multiple-menu-click operations for every column creation, every grade entry and every grade change. We find little flexibility in creating grading formulas, compared to off-the-shelf spreadsheet programs. And the import-export functions of Bb gradesheets to generic spreadsheets is so clunky that it is unusable.

2. Course duplication. Bb allows the teacher to duplicate a course. Except it doesn't really work. If you try and duplicate the course you taught in the year 2020 for use in 2021, you find that Blackboard will duplicate the general template for all university courses without importing all of the eaacher's innovations.

Luis Carlos
Luis Carlos
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Does the job and has everything you need

Reviewed on 28/12/2021

I like that it does a little bit of everything. Some other professors at my university liked to...

I like that it does a little bit of everything. Some other professors at my university liked to rely on BB Learn for everything, including video-conference and online exams. Being as feature rich as it is, BB Learn has the problem that the user interface might be very challenging for some people. I guess you either really like it or really don't, so when it doesn't click you can get frustrated by a lot of things. Still, for the people loving it, they will make the most out of it. One of the best tools out there. Easy to recommend for general purposes.

Pros

I like that if you're a power user and your students get into it, this is probably the only eLearning tool you will ever need. It has everything from homework assignments to actual video-conference; besides of the usual tools like forums and work groups. The online exams are very useful, specially if you don't want to manually grade tons and tons of tests.

Cons

I don't like the user interface. Most of the tools are one more click away than I think they should. Very useful things like the exams are really powerful, but creating them is so awkward that sometimes you prefer to just handle a document.

Juliette
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 10,000+ Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 6.0 /10

A Good Software but Needs Updating

Reviewed on 29/08/2021

Blackboard Learn is a good software, but it needs some updating to look more current. If it looked...

Blackboard Learn is a good software, but it needs some updating to look more current. If it looked more current, customers could take advantage of all the functions of this software. I used it in a very basic way simply because I did not like the look of the interface.

Pros

This software allowed me to view my assignments for college and check my grades as well. Instructors used Blackboard to post important announcements and assignments. Overall, the software was easy to navigate and easy to understand. I liked the "Announcements" board of this software as it allowed professors to post important messages that could be found in a single place. The "Alert" feature was also very useful when there was a grade or assignment update.

Cons

Blackboard has many features, but I was not able to take full advantage of them because of how the platform itself looked. The Blackboard platform, especially the black bar on the left hand side, was always confusing and the site itself looked pretty old. When my university actually switched over to Canvas, students missed the layout of Blackboard, but not the actual software, which looked like it was several years old. If the actual interface looked better, I think it would be easier to navigate.

Brian
Overall rating
  • Industry: Medical Practice
  • Company size: 10,000+ Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Great way to manage several classes with great flexibility to match personal style

Reviewed on 7/11/2017

Overall it’s an improvement over just 20 years ago when a syllabus and careful listening were the...

Overall it’s an improvement over just 20 years ago when a syllabus and careful listening were the only way to connect with students. Also, I’ve had great success sharing ideas with colleagues. Of course, faculty can be just irritating as the abovementioned students. I’d say an “ignore” buttons would make this score go from a 7 to a 9.

Pros

I love the ability to reach all of my students or any subgroup in multiple ways. For example, personalized announcement, group emails, meeting and grading in realtime, scheduling office hours, and getting notifications are just a few of the native services, and each can be customized l.

Cons

The law of unintended consequences applies directly to blackboard. The same convenient and varied options that make the product great also give students more access (and wildly unrealistic expectations) to their professors. This is great for the 5% of students who have helpful and legitimate questions, but obnoxious for those who expect instant responses, midnight submissions, and A grades for D papers because “they clearly are trying. Just look at their blackboard logs and see!”

Angelica
Overall rating
  • Industry: Health, Wellness & Fitness
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Blackboard learn a way of improving virtual times

Reviewed on 9/11/2023

Overall excellent experience when familiarized with all tools even though, their continuous updates...

Overall excellent experience when familiarized with all tools even though, their continuous updates make it difficult to say that you know the platform 100 percent

Pros

Platform organization, accessibility (accessible on mobile devices), and also ensures a safe and protected learning environment.

Cons

The cost of the platform compared to other learning platforms. Also, complexity when first exposed to it

Albert
Overall rating
  • Industry: Computer Software
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 0.0 /10

Abomination is an Understatement

Reviewed on 6/02/2018

I had the opportunity to go to school online, or check assignments on a web-based platform. I liked...

I had the opportunity to go to school online, or check assignments on a web-based platform. I liked that. But other than that, I cannot say a single good thing about it.

Pros

It is web-based. Some modules can be dragged and dropped. It has a lot of useless features I don't ever need or use, while missing ones that I do need.

Cons

Let's be real. Blackboard never heard of "less is more." They could learn a lesson from likes of Uber.

Here's what students need:

1. Educational content

2. Tasks with Due Dates and eventually grades

3. Chat (Group and Private)

4. Notifications

If a millennial designed Blackboard, the entire application could fit into a 3 page app, simple enough for a retard.

They went out of their way to make it complicated, so it would seem better on paper. They've put so many bells and whistles that it is an absolute nightmare for both students and professors alike. Confuses everyone and is a bottleneck in our educational system we should be doing without.

Abigail
Overall rating
  • Industry: Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
  • Company size: 10,000+ Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 3.0 /10

Fine product, needs updating

Reviewed on 30/03/2022

Blackboard Learn helps students stay organized during the semester or course they are taking by...

Blackboard Learn helps students stay organized during the semester or course they are taking by having all the documents, videos, etc. that the teacher would like to share with them all in one place. But, Blackboard Learn is becoming very outdated and could use some serious UI updates, especially when compared to Canvas.

Pros

It's nice to have all the assignments, documents, and grades in one place. This helps to avoid professors handing out tons of papers or sending emails all the time. The mobile app sends push notifications about grades or upcoming assignment deadlines which is nice.

Cons

I have noticed some glitches using Blackboard (didn't get notifications, etc). The UI on the computer is outdated and counterintuitive in some ways for both students and instructors. The online service is completely different from the app version which can also be a problem. The online UI needs to be updated to look more like the app.

Prateek
Prateek
Overall rating
  • Industry: Information Technology & Services
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Exceptional Learning Management Systems Provide Integration With Third-Party Applications

Reviewed on 19/12/2022

The platform helps me because I can continue my education from a distance using the various...

The platform helps me because I can continue my education from a distance using the various alternatives offered by Blackboard. It is an entire LMS system, incredibly user-friendly, and connects with a variety of audio and video resources.

Pros

I love that everything for all of my classes is accessible on Blackboard Learn in a single area. I have access to all of the resources, tests, and homework that my instructors have uploaded. the platform's user-friendliness. For instance, it can be effectively used by both the instructor and the students. You can see all of your selections on the bar to the left.

Cons

I can't think of anything about Blackboard Learn that I dislike, to be completely honest. It has been an excellent resource for online learning and classes. I may interact with my professor and fellow students, take part in debates, and access and watch my lectures.

Verified Reviewer
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 501–1,000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Blackboard LMS

Reviewed on 25/09/2018

Classrooms disorganized?! Not with Blackboard! This will make classroom administration a breeze,...

Classrooms disorganized?! Not with Blackboard! This will make classroom administration a breeze, saving your instructors and administrators a lot of time and make your classroom management 1000% more efficient!

Pros

The greatest feature of this product is the ease of use with regards to its navigation. When we started using Blackboard LMS, I literally trained a large portion of our staff on the ins and outs of the software in less than 2 hours. This has made classroom organization the easiest it has been in decade. Our instructors can distribute class materials, assignments, and grades with a few clicks. It is absolutely amazing!

Cons

Installation can be both lengthy and problematic if you are moving from an incompatible LMS. While we were lucky, we still ran into bugs while making our transition. This was frustrating, but was luckily done during the summer, when attendance was at its lowest.

Prutha
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 10,000+ Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Great LMS for University

Reviewed on 7/06/2022

It is very customizable to your individual class/course. I would highly recommend it.

It is very customizable to your individual class/course. I would highly recommend it.

Pros

I have used this as a user and as an administrator and it is a great LMS. I allows for easy communication sent to all students/teachers in a course.

Cons

There is limited activity tracking for students and visuals could be improved.

Alternatives Considered

CANVAS

Reasons for Switching to Blackboard Learn

Overall ease of use.
Joshua
Overall rating
  • Industry: Mental Health Care
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Great LMS for school or uni

Reviewed on 15/07/2022

Pros

Blackboard is reliable and easy to use LMS, requiring little to no direction or training for new users. Communication and notifications are great, found all in one place for easy access and viewing. Gradebook is another fantastic feature. All the information about your assessments can be found in one place, including submission dates, marking criteria and overall grades. Submission process is great, allowing users to thoroughly review their documents and their similarity report before submission.

Cons

UI could be updated to be more user-friendly, e.g., minimise clicks, add more shortcuts for site navigation. Features to allow for collaboration in group projects/tasks would be useful as many users prefer external software for collaboration, communication between students and instructors and productivity. However, it is perfectly adequate for users familiar with the LMS.

Justin
Overall rating
  • Industry: Primary/Secondary Education
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 1.0 /10

Blackboard Learn

Reviewed on 7/05/2018

Pros

Blackboard is one of the giants of the e-learning industry, so you can expect resourcing and the support indicative of a premier product. The mobile experience was relatively intuitive, which is a must in the current environment where students may be working full time while earning an online degree.

Cons

Compared to other learning management systems (such as Canvas or Schoology), Blackboard reflects the features and structuring of learning management systems of days gone by - specifically, it is structured most closely around a 'document dump' approach to online learning. This approach has been soundly refuted in the research, and while one can certainly design a quality learning environment, many of your end users will likely not have the discernment to do so. From a student's perspective, it is often difficult to access key pieces such as messaging and grades when enrolled in multiple courses at once.

Christopher
Overall rating
  • Industry: Education Management
  • Company size: 201–500 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

Undergraduate Learning with Blackboard Learn

Reviewed on 19/03/2020

My overall experience with Blackboard Learn was optimal as a student in college.

My overall experience with Blackboard Learn was optimal as a student in college.

Pros

I found this advantageous when I was in college as an undergraduate. It was great to track my course work and online assignments through this LMS. For its time it was adequate with the UI layout but to modern look and feel of websites and web application software in 2020 it would be outdated unless they revamped the display of everything.

Cons

It was just a bit clunky at times and occasionally a pain in the @$$ but it still got the job done. It might have been that my student user rights weren't fully configured and there was a lack of training from the university for students to use the tool and not on the fault of Blackboard Learn.

Rebekah
Overall rating
  • Industry: Marketing & Advertising
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 6.0 /10

Functional, with some philosophical flaws

Reviewed on 8/11/2021

It served its purpose and I don't recall any major issues with use, but when I graduated high...

It served its purpose and I don't recall any major issues with use, but when I graduated high school I was delighted to switch to Canvas in college instead. Everything about Blackboard struck me, as a student, as outdated and depressing.

Pros

Blackboard is easy to learn and usually intuitively easy for any goal you have. It helps coordinate large teams or classes, and with creative use can be set up to use most styles of teaching (group discussions, online learning, video/attachments, etc).

Cons

My concerns with Blackboard are at the philosophical level. From the way it is systematically set up, you can tell that it uses some outdated methods of teaching. Use as a student can feel oppressive, with students too easily shut down and overruled and the general aesthetic vibe being a bit darker and more confined than examples such as Canvas.

Krystal
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 501–1,000 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Gets better every year

Reviewed on 9/09/2019

Pros

I like that I can add content, links, video's that can be played right from Blackboard. Each year this system gets better and more versatile to use. It also does not require much training to lean how to use it which make it user friendly on both sides. I also like that I can pull it up on my my phone even if the fromat is not always right.

Cons

It can be hard to find certain things and often tabs are hidden withing other tabs. This an also be frustrating to students when trying to locate content. The mobile app does also have some kinks, it does not format well. It is nice to check things like grades but not alot of work can be done from the mobile app.