The Time Is Now: Top Five Reasons to Get on Board with Blackboard in 2025
2025 is going to be another big year of change in higher education. As outlined by leading EdTech analyst, Phil Hill, a great LMS can play a key role in modernizing the learning experience and tackling institutional challenges.
"Institutions need to view the LMS as the virtual home for the academic experience, as that is where both students and faculty experience so much of their education interactions, whether in classroom augmentation, hybrid, or online modalities. Colleges and universities need to ensure they can serve students with EdTech infrastructure that aligns with the institutional mission and can adapt over time to enable innovations possible from the rise of generative AI."
Phil Hill, Market Analyst, Consultant, and Publisher of the On EdTech Blog and Newsletter
Here Are the Top Five Reasons 2025 Is the Year to Get on Board with Blackboard
1. Fastest in Innovation
2024 marked the third straight year that Anthology® Blackboard released more features than any other LMS, and we have a detailed roadmap to continue innovating in 2025. All our product development is directly informed by the Anthology Idea Exchange, where our global institution partners suggest and vote on which features they’d like to see added to Blackboard. And, all this innovation is being noticed in the industry. Blackboard secured a top placement in the Tambellini StarChart™ 2024 for learning management systems (LMS). Blackboard was rated as a Commander, a distinction reserved for market leaders with highly innovative and user-focused designs that push the boundaries of technology and usability to new heights.
2. Leveraging AI to Solve Real Problems
Artificial intelligence remains the hottest topic in education, and Blackboard is the undisputed leader in LMS innovation in this space. Our award-winning AI Design Assistant and AI Conversation tools are empowering educators and students with advanced capabilities to improve learning outcomes, streamline administrative processes, and drive AI literacy. These features are not leveraging AI for the sake of AI but incorporating AI to solve real problems.
“Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant has taken a task which might have taken me a full day down to a few minutes. This has given me more time in the classroom with my students and allows me to give them the experience that I would like them to have.”
Dr. Steven Montagu-Cairns, Associate Professor in Law, University of Leeds
3. Enhanced Instructional Design
Beyond the AI Design Assistant, Blackboard has released a range of great features to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of instructional design. This starts with the new Blackboard Content Designer, which makes it easier than ever to create engaging, multi-media documents in the LMS. This will be further enhanced in 2025 with the addition of AI suggestions for content design, while the new Video Studio functionality will expand to include further analytics and virtual reality activities.
4. Support for Varied Modalities
Today’s Blackboard is designed to deliver personalized learning experiences for students, allowing institutions to explore different modalities and credentials. In 2024, we launched a native integration for badges, a new Mastery Gradebook, and expanded release conditions, providing institutions with additional options to deliver tailored, competency-based learning paths. This will grow further in 2025, with the addition of hyper-personalized adaptive learning and next-generation insights to millions of students and educators using Blackboard.
5. Market Momentum
All the advancements detailed above, along with a host more, are seeing higher education institutions make the move to the new Blackboard. Bridgewater State University, Grand Valley State University, and Sacred Heart University all chose Blackboard after conducting formal reviews of the LMS market and listening to feedback from their faculty and students. UC Davis CAARE Center, University of the Visayas, and Centennial College also selected Blackboard as their new LMS following competitive reviews.
Preparing for the Future of Learning with Blackboard
As Anthology continues to invest in delivering a modern teaching and learning experience, and with an overwhelming majority of customers already transitioned to Blackboard (Ultra), we will be retiring Blackboard (Original) on December 31st, 2026. Our aim is to ensure all institutions are fully transitioned to Blackboard (Ultra) well ahead of that date.
This shift isn’t about sunsetting a legacy system—it’s about setting you up with a more powerful, intuitive experience that supports faster faculty workflows, smarter course design, and better student outcomes. This latest version of Blackboard was also designed and developed in response to modern security and accessibility requirements, helping your institution stay compliant, inclusive, and secure —now and into the future.
Everything you need to move forward:
In collaboration with experts and institutions around the world, we’ve developed a modernization program with the tools and resources you need to succeed. This includes a comprehensive adoption toolkit with templates, best practices, and other helpful materials to make the transition as seamless as possible.
We’re here to partner with you every step of the way. For help with planning, questions, or more details about the modernization process, connect with your Customer Success Manager and visit the Anthology Community.
