About the Blackboard LMS App

Blackboard LMS App makes it easy for students and instructors to stay connected to their courses anytime, anywhere. The app features a modern, user-friendly experience and allows you to access course content, stay up to date on important activities, and complete everyday tasks on the go. While some advanced features are available only in the web version of Blackboard, the app includes the tools most users need for day-to-day course participation and management.

System Requirements

• iOS 16 or later
• Android 11 or later

Accessibility in the Blackboard LMS App

Blackboard is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive mobile learning experience. The Blackboard LMS App is available on both iOS and Android and supports device-native accessibility features, intuitive touch navigation, and a consistent navigation structure to help users easily access course content and tools.

For more information, refer to:

• Accessibility in the Blackboard App support page.
• iOS Accessibility Features.
• Android Accessibility Features.

Install the Blackboard App and Log in

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

Navigate 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. Select any item to open it.

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 area in the Blackboard app 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 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.

• Document (.doc, .docx)
• Presentation (.ppt, .pptx)
• Spreadsheet (.xls, .xlsx)
• PDF

There is a file size limit of 250 MB for assignment submissions.

For more information, refer to the Take Tests in myLesley 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 Students: Discussions in the Blackboard App support article.

Post Journal Entries

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.

For more information, refer to the Students: Journals 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 Students: Course Messages in the Blackboard App support article 

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 Students: Assessments and Grades in the Blackboard App support article or watch the Students: Grades in the Blackboard App tutorial video.

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. 

Certain types of course content, including Assignments, Tests, Rubrics, and Groups 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 in the Blackboard App 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.

Grade Student Work

• The Blackboard App allows instructors to grade assignments on both phones and tablets.
• 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 Instructors: Assessments and Grades in the Blackboard App support article or watch the Instructors: Grades in the Blackboard App 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.