Blackboard’s popularity among colleges and universities has been declining in recent years, but Syracuse University still uses the platform.

High profile clients, such as Duke University and the University of Texas at Austin, have opted for newer programs, like Canvas and Sakai. There have been complaints that Blackboard’s interface can be “clunky and inconvenient,” according to an Aug. 22 Washington Post article.

Blackboard connects students with professors, while consolidating assignments, grades and announcements into a single site. It also distributes information across campus.

Blackboard once dominated the learning management industry, holding around 90 percent of the industry market share in 2006, according to the Washington Post article. Now, Blackboard only has around 44 percent of the market.

SU Associate Chief Information Officer Jenny Gluck said in an email that students, faculty and staff are testing different learning management systems. She added that SU is always looking at upgrading, replacing or decommissioning IT products as well as reviewing current and competitive products and their ability to meet the needs of campus.

Even though Blackboard may not be considered the leader in learning management software, Gluck said, it is still one of the best options on the market, and until SU finds a need to change it, it will stay.

“Once the overall pros outweigh the cons, we will consider the move to a new system. So far, that has not occurred,” Gluck said.

If SU decided to switch services, Gluck said, the university would have to invest time into extensive research and development, even to the point of researching the possible impacts on the campus’s technology infrastructure.

“The decision process would include faculty, students and staff,” Gluck said. “The vice chancellor/provost and the chief information officer would be the decision makers.”

Gluck added that Blackboard is “the Swiss Army knife of learning management systems,” and it is very helpful for students.

Jessica Gorman, a sophomore transfer student in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she finds the system incredibly useful.

“It’s an easy way to keep up with and submit assignments,” Gorman said. “I check it constantly and I absolutely love it.”

Even while she was a student at Sacred Heart University, Gorman used Blackboard, and is eager to continue using it at SU, she added.

Brendan Lee, a freshman in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, agreed that it is a useful tool.

“I think it’s very user-friendly; after a few days on it, I can navigate it easily,” Lee said.

However, Lee added that if professors used it better, it might be more efficient for students. He argued that professor presence on the program is one of Blackboard’s largest downfalls.

Published on September 13, 2015 at 8:45 pm

Contact Matt: mjfel100@syr.edu