Learning management systems: Is Blackboard Learn Ultra meeting student's needs?
Learning management systems, or LMS, are education hubs with tools that support classroom learning, distance education, and continuing education. USC Aiken students utilize Blackboard Learn Ultra along with approximately 17,000 other schools and organizations.
Blackboard Learn Ultra’s monopoly is slowly coming to an end as Canvas holds an equivalent 28% share of the United States higher education LMS market and Moodle approaches with 23%.
Blackboard Learn Ultra has an open architecture intended to make adding, upgrading, or swapping components easy. As USC Aiken did with Self Service Carolina, Blackboard can be combined with student information systems and authentication processes. Blackboard Learn Ultra is only available in English, and support is offered via phone, tickets, and training.
Moodle is an open-source LMS, meaning the code is designed to be publicly accessible so that users have the right to use, study, change, and distribute the software for any reason. Educators are able to create their own courses in this way. Unique features of Moodle include its free plan and offline learning capabilities. For more languages with Moodle, one must download the Language package. Although Moodle doesn’t offer training like Blackboard Learn Ultra, they do offer live and email support in addition to phone and ticket support.
Whereas Blackboard and Moodle can be used for businesses, Canvas was created specifically for students. Canvas is also an open-source LMS but focuses on engagement for both teachers and students. Canvas is available in all but four languages -- 23 total. Canvas also offers all of the aforementioned support options.
All three of these learning management systems are available on all devices and are integrative to expand functionality, but Canvas’s biggest clients are in higher education, whereas Blackboard Learn Ultra has more K12 clients and Moodle has more corporate clients.
At the end of the day, the university is tasked with making a decision as to which of these services fits the needs of its students.
