Navigating Blackboard

Blackboard's User Interface: Now Improved!

Last updated on: December 10, 2025

When will Blackboard’s User Interface be changing?

As of Thursday, January 8th, Blackboard Ultra’s appearance will be upgraded!

 

Why is this change happening?

According to Anthology, these changes are designed to help you find what you need faster, reduce clicks, and make every interaction simpler and more efficient. Anthology states that these are the reasons for the change:

  • Better use of screen space
    • The new layout avoids stacked panels that previously reduced content visibility.
  • Fewer navigation errors
    • The ‘Exit’ (X) button was prone to accidental clicks, which has now been removed.
  • Improved performance
    • The switch from panels to pages aims to give a quicker load time for pages, as the compute required for loading layers on top of each other is not required anymore.
  • Clearer context
    • Simplified layouts will help users stay oriented to where they are in the course.
  • Reducing motion issues
    • Removing panels and going to a full-page view will mean less motion on the screen as layers will not need to load and transition on top of one another, which will provide a more seamless navigation system.

 

What will the changes look like?

You can view the following video to understand more about these changes:

 

The following is the list of updates:

 

Modernized Base Navigation

This change is being made to provide a cleaner layout for clear access to main navigation tabs with less clutter.

  • User profile now appears at the top of the navigation, complete with profile image for easier customization.
  • Sign Out option is moved to the bottom of the panel, separating them from other actions for clarity.

Blackboard Base Navigation Menu, including all the options on the menu: Profile, Institution Page, Activity, Courses, Organizations, Calendar, Messages, Grades, and Tools. At the bottom of the menu is the Admin option and Sign Out

 

Course Upgrades

Courses now open in full-screen mode to maximize horizontal space and reduce clutter. This update applies to top-level panels such as Course Content Homepage, Calendar, Announcements, Discussions, Gradebook, Analytics, Groups, and Achievements. Secondary panels will update in future releases. You will also notice that:

  • The ‘Home’ button replaces the ‘Exit’ (X) button
    • The “X” to exit a course is replaced with a Home button that returns you to your institution’s landing page (Activity Stream, Institution page, or Courses page). The “X” remains for lower-level panels like learning modules for now.
  • Course ID and title in the header bar
    • The header now displays the course ID and title for better context. Breadcrumbs will be added in a future update to improve navigation further.
  • A full-width banner
    • The course banner spans the full width of the screen with the course ID and title on a darker background for better clarity and accessibility. If a course doesn’t have a selected banner, a placeholder image will appear at the top.

  • Branded course menu

    • The course menu reflects your institution’s branding, using colors and styles from theme settings. The menu is positioned higher on the screen for better use of space.
  • Course Switcher
    • Users can quickly jump between their four most recent courses or go to the full Courses page. This is accessible from the ‘Courses’ drop-down menu in the top-left corner beside the home button.

Full screen of a Blackboard Course, including the header, banner, and Course Content page. On the right hand side of the Course Content page is the listed Instructors for the course.

 

Contact the Innovative Learning Support Centre if you need support. We are here to help!

 

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