Quick Start

Available to: Students, Faculty, Researchers, Staff, Departments, Guests

Cost: See cost details, below.

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Blackboard Learn is the primary learning management system (LMS) at Boston University. It is used in residential and online courses, certificate programs, and clerkships. Students can access course materials at any time from laptops, mobile, or tablet.

Benefits

Blackboard Learn offers convenience, accessibility, and flexibility – it is key to enhancing the value of modern residential courses and central to Boston University’s online programs. Instructors can manage all course materials and activities on Blackboard, where they are readily available to students. Instructors can post documents, make announcements, create assessments and activities, start discussions, and more. Students can browse course content, complete assignments, submit files to their instructor, and see their grades directly. Courses are available 24/7, from any location, allowing students to access learning materials at their convenience.

Key Features

  • Interaction and communication – Students can stay connected with instructors and classmates through email, messages, discussion boards, and journals. Instructors can connect their Blackboard site to Zoom or Microsoft Teams for video sessions or office hours.
  • Advanced quiz and survey tools – Instructors can create many types of graded and ungraded assessments, and gather student feedback.
  • Feature-rich gradebook – Instructors can manage course grades and download them for other purposes. Overall grades, grade weights, and overrides are able to be set as well.
  • Simple group management – Assign projects and activities to custom groups.
  • Easy document sharing – Upload, generate, or draft content with just a few clicks.
  • Built-in anti-plagiarism service – Plagiarism detection is automated by Blackboard’s SafeAssign feature, and also integrates directly with Turnitin Feedback Studio for more advanced functionality.
  • Integrated accessibility features – Blackboard Ally automatically scans course content for compliance with accessibility standards, addressing readability and tagging of documents and images, and generating alternative formats for text content.
  • Embedded multimedia – Students can view course multimedia designed to enhance their learning experience, including video lectures through Zoom as well as recorded content from MyMedia and Echo360.
  • Technology integrations – Many additional tools are available to integrate with Blackboard, including advanced grading, feedback, digital textbook, portfolio, and communication software add-ons.

Availability

This service is hosted 24/7 except for standard change windows, as described in IS&T’s standard policies, procedures, and schedules for making changes.

Cost

  • There is no additional charge for registered on-campus students or faculty interested in using the Blackboard learning management system and supported tools.
  • Boston University tuition and fees apply to online courses and programs.

Getting Started

On Campus

Online Programs