Create Mobile-Friendly Content

The best way to create mobile-friendly content is to try out your course on a mobile device.

The Blackboard app handles many of the content types presented in your Blackboard Learn course, but it is not designed to handle every possible type of content. You can edit your course content so that it translates well to a mobile device.

Preview your course on the mobile app

Create a mock student account or obtain one from your school's Blackboard administrator. Enroll the mock student in your courses. The Blackboard app only displays courses where you are enrolled as a student.

Check the mobile view as you create course content so that you can make refinements during the process.

Get started with the Blackboard apps

Use supported file types

Blackboard mobile apps support most common text and media files. Some file types aren't supported because specific operating systems don't support them.

Anything viewed on the app is seen from a single screen. For example, students can't view two attachments at once.

Reduce number of course items

Courses with a large number of content items can cause slow load times for mobile users. Group items so that they are presented across multiple content areas or folders rather than placing all course content in a single folder.

Short titles

Brief folder and content titles are helpful on a smaller screen. They also make the web browser view of your course easier to skim.

Frequent interaction

Students interact with their mobile devices frequently. You can make your course a part of that presence in students' day-to-day lives.

Make your course come alive! Events such as new tests or grades send app notifications, so students see your course as an engaging place to learn.
Ask for short, but more frequent discussion posts that can be completed while students are on mobile devices.
Include web-friendly images and video.
Use Collaborate to connect with students in real-time sessions.
Course announcements show in the app for original courses.

Notifications aren't supported for Ultra courses in the app at this time.

Due dates

Add due dates to assignments and tests. The Blackboard app uses the Due Dates feature and push notifications to keep students on track based on the due dates you set.

Course structure

Do you organize courses by week, unit, chapter, or some other method? Be sure this structure is easy to navigate in both the web view and mobile app view of your courses.

Course menu in Original courses

Reduce the number of course menu links to limit scrolling on a mobile device. Use content areas to hold related items and give your course organization and structure. Content areas show as folders on the Course Content page in the app.

Careful planning helps you and students in the future:

Do you want to create folders, content areas, or learning modules?
Which tools will you make available to your students? Are they natively supported in the app?

Course content page in Ultra courses

Limit the number of folders and items on the Course Content page to limit scrolling on a mobile device. Use folders to hold related items and give your course organization and structure.