Opinion: DMACC should reconsider use of Blackboard

By Alex Payne

Professors and instructors here at DMACC seem to be in a love affair with an online learning program called Blackboard. Unfortunately all of them seem to have a different relationship with the program.

As I log onto Blackboard I am overwhelmed with a large number of notifications.

These notifications are sloppy and unorganized. It frustrates me.

I have found myself in three different classes that are strongly centered around Blackboard. All of these professors have different requirements and are organized in many different ways.

All of my professors who use Blackboard, however, have arranged their sites in different ways. When I have two tests due on one night I have found myself trying to find them, when many times they are hidden in another folder, wasting my time trying to find these “hidden” tests.

To add on top of that, what is up with these totally different times things are due. In my different classes I have things that are due at 9 p.m., 11 p.m. or midnight.

Overall there should be a college-wide rule that if you are going to inconvenience us with having to use Blackboard, everything should be due at midnight (or 11:59 p.m. if you want to make it clear).

I have talked with friends and one of them told me that when he went to Kirkwood they had an online program called Angel that all of the professors had to have their pages organized the same way and it was way easier to find things and do homework on the internet, compared to Blackboard.

I believe that all professors who find themselves using Blackboard should find themselves in a two-day course teaching them how to use Blackboard and make one way for all of the professors to organize their page.

It should not be an easy thing for a professor to get a Blackboard site. They should be trained before they are given one. I have been told that they are trained but it needs to be better.

If a professor is going to use Blackboard and have unannounced tests and assignments, they should not be hidden in a folder. It should be on the announcements page and tell you how to get there.

I think professors please get rid of Blackboard or learn how to use it and keep it up to date.