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About the Blackboard App

The Blackboard app provides a modern and intuitive experience on any device with the features both students and instructors use the most. Watch the Blackboard App overview video for an overview of the app.

Blackboard App System Requirements

Your device needs one of these operating systems to run the Blackboard Learn app:

• iOS 14 or later
• Android 11 or later

Install the Blackboard App and Log in

From your device, access the appropriate online store:

• Download the Blackboard App on your Apple® device
• Download the Blackboard App on your Android™ device

For more information refer to the Quick Start for the Blackboard App support article.

If you experience an authentication error with your Blackboard app you may need to update. To update your app, log out of the Blackboard app, remove "Lesley University" from the school indicator, and re-search for the university.

1. In the Blackboard App press the menu icon (3 parallel horizontal lines) in the upper left corner. 
2. Press Settings. 
3. Press Log Out. A pop-up will ask if you are sure you want to logout. Press Log Out. 
4. You will be brought to the login screen. Delete your username. Under "Welcome to Lesley University", click the Change button. 
5. At the Type Your School's Name prompt, enter Lesley University, and select it from the list.
6. Press Web Login to login.
7. You will be brought to the Lesley Login page. Enter your Lesley credentials to log in.

Navigating the App

Activity Stream

The Activity Stream is the first screen after login and where you can see up-to-the-minute action for all of your courses, including announcements, upcoming tests and assignments, changes to due dates and events, upcoming calendar events, and more. 

For more information refer to the Use the Activity Stream in the Blackboard App support article.

Courses 

Select Courses to see the courses in which you are enrolled. Select a course card to navigate to the course. Tap the star icon next to the course name to add it to your favorites and keep it at the top of your page. 

Once you are within your course you will see a concise view of your course content. Courses may look a little different than they do in the web browser, but you can easily navigate through your content and complete most of your tasks. 

While most of your course content will display natively in the app, there are some tools and features that will open in the in-app browser or not work at all. Refer to the Content Supported in the Blackboard App section for detailed information.

Calendar

Select Calendar to view your global myLesley calendar. Students and instructors can view Calendar items, such as due dates for upcoming assignments, events, and more. You may also create new events.

More Menu

Select More to access additional content and features, including:

• Profile: On the Profile page you can view and update your Blackboard Profile, including your profile picture, name pronunciation, and preferred pronouns.
• Institution: The myLesley Home page features helpful links and resources for faculty and students.
• Organizations: View and navigate to any Organizations in which you are enrolled.
• Messages: On the Global Messages page you can create, view, and reply to Course Messages.
• Grades: The Grades in the Blackboard App area is where students can view and access all of their grades and feedback. Instructors can review, grade, annotate, and post grades.
• Tools: The Tools area is where you can access additional Blackboard tools, including Kaltura My Media, Brainfuse Online Tutoring, Smart Evals Course Evaluations, and more.
• Assist: Blackboard Assist features campus resources for students.
• Settings: From the Settings area, you can customize your notification settings, select who can view your profile, and students can download and view offline content.

Instructors: Teaching with the Blackboard App

The Blackboard App allows you the flexibility to teach your course on the go. What you see in the app is similar to what you can see on a web browser.

Create Mobile-Friendly Content

As a best practice, you should build your course to be mobile friendly from the start. This will ensure that students have the best experience regardless of their device.

As you build your course, pay special attention to the course tools and attachments that you use to ensure that they are compatible across all devices.

• Supported Content: Refer to the Content Supported in the Blackboard App section for more information on the content supported in the Blackboard App.
• Supported File Types: As a best practice, be sure that any content you upload to your course can be viewed on a mobile device. Acceptable file types include:
  • Documents: DOC, DOCX, PDF
  • Presentations: PPT, PPTX
  • Spreadsheets: XLS, XLSX
  • Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG

For more information, refer to the Create Mobile-Friendly Content support article or watch the Create Mobile-Friendly Content in Blackboard tutorial video.

Create or Edit Course Content and Student Activities

You can easily create and edit most types of course content, including Ultra Documents, file attachments, web links, Discussions, and Journals. 

Note: Certain types of course content, including Assignments, Tests, Rubrics, Groups, and Kaltura Media may be viewed and edited in the app but must be created in the web browser. Refer to the Content Supported in the Blackboard App section for detailed information.

Open a course and tap the plus sign on the Content tab wherever you want to add content. 

Post Announcements

You can easily view, create, edit, and delete Announcements in the Blackboard App. From within a course, go to the Announcements area and click the plus sign to create a new Announcement.

For more information, refer to the Create and Manage Announcements support article.

Send and Respond to Messages

Course messages allow you to easily communicate with your students. You may access your Course Messages from the Global Messages area or from within the Messages area of a course. Depending on your Notification Settings, you will receive a notification every time you receive a message.

For more information, refer to the Course Messages in the Blackboard App support article or watch the Course Messages in the Blackboard App tutorial video.

Grade Student Work

The Blackboard App allows instructors to grade assignments on both phones and tablets.

Note: Grading for Tests, Discussions, and group submissions must be done in the web browser. Refer to the Content Supported in the Blackboard App section for detailed information.

For detailed instructions, refer to the Assessments and Grades for Instructors in the Blackboard App support article or watch the Grades in the Blackboard App for Instructors tutorial video.

Students: Taking Courses with the Blackboard App

The Blackboard App allows you the flexibility to access your courses and participate in activities on the go. What you see in the app is similar to what you can see on a web browser.

View Course Content

Within the Blackboard App, you can view your course content, including Learning Modules and folders, documents, attachments, and more. 

While most of your course content will display natively in the app, there are some tools and features that will open in the in-app browser or not work at all. Refer to the Content Supported in the Blackboard App section for detailed information.

Submit Assignments

You may access your Assignments from the Activity Stream or from within your course. Read the assignment details and click View Instructions to submit your Assignment.

As a best practice, you should attach your file to your submission. There is a file size limit of 250 MB for assignment submissions. 

For more information and detailed instructions, refer to the Assessments and Grades for Students in the Blackboard App support article.

Take a Test

While you may be able to use the Blackboard App to take tests, we strongly discourage it. When taking tests, we recommend using a computer and a reliable network connection. For more information, refer to:

• Blackboard Ultra: Take a Test support article.
• Blackboard Original: Taking Tests and Surveys support article.

Participate in Discussions

You can read Discussions, post your response, and respond to others' posts. Click in the Post a response to the discussion text box to create your post. File attachments and group discussions are not supported in the app. 

For detailed instructions, refer to the Discussions for Students in the Blackboard App support article.

Post Journal Entries (Ultra Courses Only)

Navigate to the Journal in your Ultra course and click in the Type an entry text box to create your entry. Journals may or may not be graded.

At this time, Journals are only supported in the app for Ultra courses.

For more information, refer to the Journals for Students in the Blackboard App support article.

Send and Respond to Course Messages

Course messages allow you to easily communicate with your instructor and classmates. You may access your Course Messages from the Global Messages area or from within the Messages area of a course. Depending on your Notification Settings, you will receive a notification every time you receive a message.

For more information, refer to the Course Messages for Students in the Blackboard App support article or watch the Course Messages in the Blackboard App tutorial video.

View Your Grades and Feedback

You can access the grades for all of your courses at once via the Global Gradebook, or view your grades in an individual course.

For more information and detailed instructions, refer to the Grades for Students in the Blackboard App support article or watch the Grades in the Blackboard App for Students tutorial video.

Content Supported in the Blackboard App

The Content Supported in the Blackboard App table lists the most common course content and its level of support in the Blackboard App. 

Content Supported in the Blackboard App

Content Type	Support	Information and Resources
Announcements	Supported	Announcements are fully supported in the app.
Assignments	Partially Supported	Instructors can preview and manage Assignments in the app but must create Assignments in the web browser. Students can submit Assignments in the app.
Blogs (Original courses only)	Unsupported	Blogs will launch in a browser window.
Discussions	Partially Supported	Instructors may create and grade Discussions in the app, but group discussions, file attachments, and rubrics are only supported in the web browser. Students may participate in Discussions in the app, but file attachments and group discussions are only supported in the web browser.
Files and Attachments	Supported	Supported file types depend on your mobile device.
Grades	Partially Supported	Instructors can grade Assignments and provide feedback in the app. Grading for Tests, Discussions, and group submissions must be done in the web browser. Students can view grades and feedback in the app.
Groups	Unsupported	Groups, including group discussions and group assignments, are not supported in the app.
Item (Original courses)	Supported	Attachments and embedded content within Items are supported but depend on the mobile device.
Journals	Supported in Ultra courses only	Journals in Ultra courses are fully supported in the app. Journals in Original courses launch in a browser window.
Kaltura Media	Partially supported	Kaltura Media content will play in the Blackboard App, but uploading media is only supported in the web browser.
Learning Modules and Folders	Supported	Learning Modules and Folders are fully supported in the app.
LTI Tools	Partially supported	Most LTI tools will launch the in-app browser but Blackboard does not guarantee hat third-party tools will function as desired.
Media (video and audio)	Supported	Media (including Kaltura Media and YouTube content) works best when added via the editor. Media uploaded as an attachment is not supported.
Messages	Supported	Messages are fully supported in the app.
Notifications	Supported	Notifications, including push notifications, are fully supported in the app.
Rubrics	Partially Supported	Instructors can use rubrics for grading in the app but must create rubrics in the web browser. Students can view rubric criteria, scoring breakdown, and feedback for each graded item.
Surveys (Original courses)	Unsupported	Surveys will launch in a browser window.
Tests	Not Recommended	Instructors can preview and manage Tests in the app but must create and grade tests in the web browser. Students are advised to take tests using a computer and a reliable network connection.
Web Links	Supported	Descriptions are not displayed and the user is taken directly to the website.
Ultra Documents	Supported	Attachments and embedded content within Ultra Documents are supported but depend on the mobile device.
Wikis (Original courses)	Unsupported	Wikis will launch in a browser window.