Item: Blackboard Collaborate
Rating: 5
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

This feature was used across the entire organization. Before March 2020, it was used by a few departments that wanted to be "ahead" with using technology, but starting in March it was rolled out to everyone.

Pros and Cons

One location for all your materials
Stable product
Easy access

Update to use newer technologies
Not easy to integrate with other tools
Outdated

Return on Investment

It is not worth the money.
Over years they are more and more falling behind.
If you used Blackboard before might be easy, but there are far more better tools.

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Teams and Canvas

Canvas LMS is a far more superior product, in fact, many schools switched to it from Blackboard while 0 switched from Canvas to BB. The reason is that Canvas is a Cloud-native tool and it is faster at implementing new features, fixing bugs, etc. It has a bigger advantage in the market over BB. In addition, those tools are far cheaper compared to BB and they are more "modern" tools in terms of look and feel. They allow easier integrations with other systems and they don't have "exclusive" contracts with different SIS-es that cost a lot of money to integrate with.

Key Insights

Do you think Blackboard Collaborate delivers good value for the price?

Are you happy with Blackboard Collaborate's feature set?

Yes

Did Blackboard Collaborate live up to sales and marketing promises?

Did implementation of Blackboard Collaborate go as expected?

Would you buy Blackboard Collaborate again?

Other Software Used

Canvas, Brightspace

Usability

The tool is a desperate move by Blackboard to compete with others.

Support Rating

Support is amazing, they really try to help and they are quick to respond!

Likelihood to Recommend

Blackboard has been in business for a long time and many users—students, faculty, and staff—are very familiar with the tool. It is a very stable product with rare scenarios where you have to call support. But they are lacking a modern approach to applications. Their system looks outdated (style), it is missing features to connect to other services. Integrations are not easy or they cost a lot of money. It is a very pricy tool with not a lot to offer. Blackboard used to be ahead of everyone, now it is playing catchup games with competitors instead of staying ahead and being proactive

There are far better tools to use for less money and better integrations

Overall Satisfaction with Blackboard Collaborate