Blackboard LMS

If you've ever heard Dr. Amy Lomellini speak, you already know: this is a session you don't want to miss.
Thought-provoking. Practical. Engaging. The kind of keynote that leaves you with fresh ideas, tangible strategies, and plenty of food for thought long after the event ends.
As an internationally recognized leader in digital accessibility, Amy brings a unique blend of research, real-world experience, and actionable insights on accessibility, AI, pedagogy, and inclusive learning. Accessibility Summer Camp https://hubs.ly/Q04jDy4z0

🚨 The session lineup is LIVE! 🚨

It’s officially time to build your perfect Building Blackboard Together experience. 🎉
Explore inspiring customer stories, can’t-miss product insights, AI conversations, accessibility sessions, strategy deep dives, and so much more.

Start planning your schedule now because the hardest part might just be choosing which sessions to attend 👀

🏨 And don’t forget—special hotel rates end June 19!
Secure your room today before rates disappear. All the details are in the comments below.

Calling all AI innovators: the Blackboard LMS: AVA trial period is now in its final month. One month. 30 days. 720 hours. You get the drift. Now is the perfect time to experiment with AVA Feedback, AVA Responses, and AVA Playground and discover the pedagogical benefits they can bring to your institution.
720 hours to experiment.
720 hours to explore.
720 hours to discover what's possible with AI-powered teaching and learning.

Don't miss out. Check out the benefits and start exploring today.

Accessibility for instructors, not just students.

Blackboard LMS: Video Studio now supports audio descriptions, automatically converting typed text into spoken audio at any timestamp in a video. Instructors don't need to re-record anything. Students can toggle descriptions on or off. This update supports WCAG 1.2.5 compliance and extends Video Studio's existing accessibility toolkit, which includes editable captions, transcripts, downloadable video, and variable playback speed. Just one of many accessible features within Video Studio. Learn more in the comments.

“Blackboard stood out because the entry connected AI innovation to the realities of higher education delivery.”

Higher education doesn’t need more AI hype. It needs technology that actually helps institutions teach, support students, improve accessibility, and reduce workload at scale.

That’s why Blackboard was named Best Digital Learning Platform for Higher Education at the inaugural Innovation Awards 2026.

Read on to see what the judges had to say. https://hubs.ly/Q04hZ6ZS0

Blackboard’s latest LMS release just dropped, and it’s bringing the heat.

From AI-powered ideation in the new AVA Playground to smarter collaboration and more inclusive learning experiences, this release is packed with features designed to make teaching and learning more engaging, creative, and accessible. 🔥

AVA Playground gives instructors and students a safe, education-focused space to build AI literacy, explore ideas, and experiment with prompting—all with safeguards grounded in trustworthy AI.

Think of it as your educational test kitchen for AI. 👨‍🍳
See what else is in store for the latest release in the comments.

Digital transformation success story incoming…

What happens when a university decides to completely rethink digital learning—and empowers students to help lead the charge? You get the kind of transformation the rest of higher ed starts taking notes on. ✍️

Meet the team from the University of the West of England, fresh off a global Blackboard Catalyst Award win for Leading Change after completing a full institution-wide migration to the latest version of Blackboard.

In this session, they’re pulling back the curtain on:
- How student navigators coached and trained faculty
- How hesitant instructors became energized champions
- How they built momentum across campus
- What they’d absolutely do again—and what they’d change next time

This isn’t just a tech rollout story. It’s a masterclass in bringing people along for change.
20 May, 11:00 a.m. BST

POWER UP: The best 30 minutes you’ll spend this month.

What if your instructors could improve accessibility in the moment, without needing to become experts?

What if every student already had their content in the format that works for them—audio, ePub, Braille, HTML—in 75+ languages—before they ever had to ask?

And what if you could show leadership accessibility progress, course by course, program by program?

See Ally in action. Built to support you, your students, and every major LMS, including Blackboard. Four sessions. Four time zones. One global conversation you won’t want to miss.

North America: Tuesday, May 19, 2026 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Latin America and the Caribbean: Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 10:00 a.m. GMT-5
Europe, Middle East, and Africa: Thursday, May 28, 2026 - 11:00 a.m. BST
Asia Pacific: Thursday, May 28, 2026 - 10:00 a.m. SGT / 12:00 p.m. AEST

Register via the link in comments:

“Meeting the numbers” ≠ real progress. What actually matters is whether students can experience a course without barriers.

Experts share where to start in creating an accessible experience. Prioritize in this order:

- Required and high-enrollment courses: Greatest impact on the most students
- Assessments and core activities: Barriers here directly affect grades
- Materials tied to known accommodation needs: Address documented student requirements
- Native, flexible formats over static PDFs: Easier to maintain and update

This post is based on a Blackboard panel discussion featuring April Akins from Technical College Greenville Technical College, Amy Lomellini from , and Daniel Singletary from University of Missouri System and moderated by Julie Uranis of UPCEA.
Click the link in the comments.