What's the difference?
The Blackboard app for students is especially for students. The app's modern design helps you efficiently complete coursework. We're continually improving the Blackboard app and adding features.
The Mobile Learn app is the original app for viewing Blackboard Learn courses on mobile devices by both instructors and students. The Mobile Learn app is no longer supported by Blackboard and was removed from the app stores. Please transition to the newer Blackboard app.
Download and install the Blackboard app
Use the information provided here to see differences between the Blackboard app and the Mobile Learn app.
| App Feature | Blackboard App | Mobile Learn |
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| Works for students |
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| Works for instructors |
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| Optimized for mobile |
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| Monthly updates |
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| Activity stream |
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| Video conferencing |
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| Time stamp |
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| Due dates |
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| Access to assignments and feedback |
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| Support for 30 languages |
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| Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and Dropbox |
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| Profile |
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| Consolidated grades |
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| Full HTML content support |
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| Take tests and quizzes |
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| View past, present, and future courses |
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| Discussions |
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| Push notifications | ||
| Groups | ||
| Blogs and journals | ||
| Organizations | ||
| Modify course name, color, position |
Activity stream
Blackboard App
The Activity Stream is the first page you see in the app. The stream shows new announcements, course content, tests, assignments, discussions, grades, and what's due. It prioritizes events and activities across all of your courses so that the most important items catch your attention first. Tap a stream item to go directly to the content or activity.
Mobile Learn
After you log in, you see your course list first. You can then navigate to the Dashboard to see new announcements, content items, assessments, and grades in the order they were added to your courses. The Dashboard doesn't include due dates or prioritize items.
Course list
Blackboard App
Courses provides a timeline of all of your courses and information. You can swipe to view past and upcoming terms. You can hide current courses that you don't need.
Mobile Learn
Past, present, and future courses appear in one list. You can change the display order and color of courses. You can hide courses. To see if you have hidden courses, tap Edit.
Course homepage
Blackboard App
Your course content optimized for viewing on your mobile device and is organized so you can easily find what you need. Items with upcoming or past due dates are noted in red text. Time stamps show when files were uploaded and when a test, quiz, or assignment is past due or was submitted.
Mobile Learn
The course home page is a smaller view of the desktop version of your course. Features aren't redesigned to work best on your mobile device.
Course content
Blackboard App
The Blackboard app displays content from all of your Blackboard Learn courses including PowerPoints, PDFs, Excel documents, and course items. Content presentation is simple, clean, straightforward, and fun.
You can quickly navigate between content, discussions, assignments, tests, and grades.
Mobile Learn
Mobile Learn provides a list of your course's content areas and folders. Open each one to view files, media, and play audio.
Due dates
Blackboard App
See upcoming assignments and tests across all of your courses in one place. Work is color coded by course and grouped by day and week. You can quickly see what's due and prioritize your work. You can also see due dates within each course.
Mobile Learn
Not available. Mobile Learn doesn't consolidate due dates in one place.
Assignments
Blackboard App
Questions, responses, and feedback are all located together in the app. It's easy to see how you did on your coursework.
Mobile Learn
Not available. When you access an assignment, you view it with an in-app browser instead of within the app.
Tests and quizzes
Blackboard App
The Blackboard app provides tests that are easy to read and navigate. Before you take the test, you can see instructions, the number of attempts, due dates, time limits, and whether late submissions are accepted. After you submit, you can see grades and feedback right in the app. Tests that contain questions other than Multiple Choice, True/False, Either/Or, Short Answer, and Essay are offered in a web page instead of the app.
Mobile Learn
Mobile Learn provides basic functionality that allows students to take mobile-compatible tests in the app. Mobile Learn supports the same question types as the Blackboard app as well as Calculated Numeric, File Response, Fill in Multiple Blanks, and Hot Spot. Mobile Learn doesn't support Either/Or questions. Tests that contain questions or settings that aren't supported in the app open in a web page instead of the app.
Grades
Blackboard App
One stop for all of your grades! The Grades page in the base navigation shows you color-coded overall grades for each of your courses. You can tap an overall grade to see its items. Access any item to view feedback and submissions. You can also access grades within individual courses.
Mobile Learn
A consolidated grades page isn't available. You can view your grades only if your instructor made the My Grades page available in a course. You must check grades course by course.
Discussions
Blackboard App
You can read discussions and reply to your classmates. Each thread displays the number of replies and indicates when a discussion is new. You can edit or delete your replies if allowed by your instructor. You can view attachments added by users in the web view of Blackboard Learn but can't attach files in discussions at this time.
Mobile Learn
View forums and threads. Reply and attach files from Dropbox or your device. You can sort each thread by all replies or just unread replies.
Collaborate
Blackboard App
You can participate in real-time video conferencing on your mobile device with Collaborate with the Ultra experience. You can chat and share a whiteboard and files.
Mobile Learn
Not available.
Blogs and journals
Blackboard App
Not available.
Mobile Learn
View and create blogs and journals. Post comments and attach files from Dropbox.
Push notifications
Blackboard App
Push notifications pop up on your device for announcements, new tests, upcoming or past due tests, new grades, new content items, and new courses.
Push notifications aren't available for new assignments, announcements, or content items at this time. Instead, all of these items show in the activity stream. Assignments and tests also show in Due Dates if your instructor set due dates.
You can change notifications by logging in to your Blackboard web account on a computer.
Mobile Learn
The types of push notifications are the same for Mobile Learn and also include new announcements, content items, and courses. In the app, you can turn specific notifications on and off.
Profile
Blackboard App
You can change your profile picture if it's allowed by your institution.
Mobile Learn
Not available.
Groups
Blackboard App
Not available.
Mobile Learn
You can access your course groups in Mobile Learn.
Users
Blackboard App
Designed and developed for students.
Mobile Learn
Students and instructors. Instructors can add basic content items or files and participate in discussions.
