Blackboard Base Navigation Upgrade

On May 15th, 2024, Blackboard will be updated to have a new look and feel. The new Blackboard is modern, easier to use, and mobile friendly. Huzzah!

Blackboard Base Navigation will offer a new way to navigate your learning environment that will save you time and help you keep track of what’s most important. Its sleek, personalized interface will enable instant access to the information you need. It’ll highlight what’s new and what’s due and offer valuable insights into your (students’) academic performance.

The structure and functionality of your courses will not change.

Is there anything I need to do?

Nope! The upgrade will happen on May 15th. When you log in after that date, the Blackboard navigation will look different, but your courses will look and function the same as they do now. You may want to click through the new menu items (I.e., Institution Page, Courses, Activity Stream, etc.) to explore the new features, edit your profile, and get oriented to the new interface before the next semester starts. There are also some screenshots and videos below if you’d like to explore it ahead of time.

What will it look like?

Specific benefits and improvements

For students:

• It’s enjoyable to use – With a modern, easy to use, mobile-friendly view into Blackboard, Base Navigation is fun to use.
• Gets you where you need to go faster – By surfacing information from all your courses and organizations in one place, Base Navigation makes it a synch to get in, get it done, and move on with life!
• Works great on all devices – Base Navigation works on your desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone, so your learning experience will be terrific regardless of device.
• Shows you how you’re performing – Quickly check grades across all your courses at a glance–and dive into any course for more detail with just one click.
• Offers a personalized view just for you – Based on your personal preferences and role, Base Navigation delivers meaningful content that is most useful to you.

For instructors:

• It looks great – With a modern, easy to use, mobile-first view into Blackboard, Base Navigation is more enticing to use and works well on all devices.
• Saves time – By surfacing information from all courses and organizations in one place, Base Navigation reduces the number of clicks it takes to get in, get it done, and move on with life.
• Personalized view just for you – Based on your personal preferences and institutional role, Base Navigation delivers meaningful content in a way that is most useful to you.
• Performance insights – With the actionable analytics surfaced through Base Navigation, you’ll be able to identify at-risk students and take immediate action with just a few clicks.
• The course environment stays the same – Base Navigation offers the benefit of more effective navigation without changing your courses’ look, feel, or functionality.

Where can I find more information?

You can learn more about Base Navigation by looking at the resources linked below:

• Read about the top benefits and features of Base Navigation.
• Attend CIT’s Professional Day informational session on 3/29.
• Attend the Base Navigation information virtual session on March 19th, 2024 at 10:00 AM.

We will also be communicating information to students about the new navigation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to distance@necc.mass.edu.