Blackboard is Good, Not Great!
September 17, 2015
Blackboard is Good, Not Great!
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
9.1
Modules Used
- Blackboard Learn
Overall Satisfaction with Blackboard
My institution utilizes Blackboard in all three of our colleges for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. It is utilized in web-enhanced, blended and fully online courses for content delivery and teacher-to-student and student-to-student collaboration. The product is also integrated with Blackboard Collaborate for synchronous communication, Respondus for test-generation purposes, and Turnitin for plagiarism detection.
- The product engages students well with the course content being studied.
- The product engages students in a community of learners with various educational technologies.
- The product allows educators to interact with their students in online courses so that they feel as if a real person is behind the posted course information and content.
- Blackboard Support representatives should be more knowledgeable of their products. This is detrimental during busy times throughout the academic year.
- Software add-ons are not always functional and easily integrated with the platform.
- The Grade Center layout and options do not allow for full customization by the instructor (attendance capability, using personalized calculation formulas, etc.).
- Increased interest from students who are able to enroll in rich online courses that fit their busy work/life schedules.
- Various academic departments are able to develop and deliver additional course offerings with various modes of instruction (web-enhanced, blended, and online formats).
- All faculty are utilizing the same learning management system which helps foster fruitful conversation for collaborating on topics of rich learning environments for students with the use of educational technology.
Blackboard was much more user friendly than Moodle. Additionally, the graphic user interface was much easier on the eye. Blackboard allows course builders to customize their Blackboard courses just enough and limits them on changing the layout in excess. Moodle allows for too much customization and is likely to confuse the student population on how to locate content and interact with the instructor and fellow classmates.