We performed a comparison between Blackboard Learning Management and Moodle based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Features: Blackboard Learning Management is praised for its ability to centralize grading data and track student participation. Moodle users like its flexibility, customization options, and cost-effectiveness. Moodle offers course backup features, a modular design, and smooth integration with other tools. Users also appreciate Moodle's modular design. Blackboard Learning Management users say the platform could be better at handling large file sizes, tracking student activity, and embedding video feedback. Moodle could enhance its interface, reporting, and integration with social media.
Service and Support: Blackboard Learning Management has a dedicated team of 25 to 35 individuals from the Center of Teaching Excellence and the Academic Support Center for customer service. Users can easily reach a Blackboard representative for complex issues. Users said Moodle's support team resolves issues quickly, and users can seek help through the forum and documentation.
Ease of Deployment: The setup process for Blackboard Learning Management is simple and user-friendly, while Moodle's setup can be more complex depending on the user's expertise and how it is implemented. Developers or IT teams may be required to set up Moodle.
Pricing: Blackboard Learning Management has been described as costly, and its affordability has decreased since the platform was acquired by a larger company. Moodle's price is considered competitive, and it offers a range of pricing options, including a free open source version. However, users may incur additional costs for customization and integration. Moodle is seen as a cost-effective and inexpensive choice, particularly for smaller academic institutions.
ROI: At least one user reported that Blackboard Learning Management had a negative ROI, causing them to switch solutions. Moodle users report saving time and money, with a positive return on investment.
Comparison Results: Our users prefer Moodle over Blackboard Learning Management. Users value Moodle's flexibility, customization options, and cost-effectiveness. They like the ability to shuffle exam questions, Moodle's robust toolkit, and its integration with other tools. Users have praised Moodle's customer service and its straightforward initial setup. Moodle's pricing is considered reasonable, making it a cost-effective option for academic institutions of all sizes. In summary, Moodle offers a more user-friendly and customizable experience compared to Blackboard Learning Management.
"It encompasses various components, including course delivery modules, content management, community engagement features, digital classrooms, and mobile integration."
"It is scalable."
"The modules and courses are flexible."
"One of the most important features is the possibility of creating unlimited subdomains."
"Blackboard enables instructors to collectively gather all the grading data into one place. If students upload content or post it to a Google Doc, I can do my grading and calculate the grades. It is an excellent holding place for all of that data"
"The solution is stable."
"Moodle integrates with many third party plugins, which has enabled us to make use of the latest technology. During the Covid 19 period, we used a plugin called BigBlueButton to facilitate online learning which was quick and easy to do."
"The number of permissions that are available and different ways to report and get the information out are the most valuable features. We have been able to get precise bits of information out, and we have also been able to delegate a lot."
"The most valuable feature is the community. Moodle is a completely open source application and provides a lot of development knowledge. The other features we find valuable are the LTI tools, integrations and BigBlueButton."
"Since it's an open-source product, you can integrate it with many other things."
"The best thing about Moodle is that it is open source and has many useful plugins. It is a great solution for an organization that needs modifications and customization."
"This is a scalable solution. We have had 30,000 students using the solution. During COVID, we were able to accommodate a 500% increase in traffic."
"What I liked most about Moodle was that I could create nice online quizzes. It takes very little time to do. You don't have to even read the paper, it automatically evaluates the quizzes. It gives the student grades and provides a lot of useful statistics. For example, it indicates which question was the hardest, easiest, and where students made the most mistakes. Everything is available to you. You couldn't do this in regular paper test hard copies. This was my first use case."
"The solution must provide better integration with third-party software."
"The solution is not flexible."
"The system falls short in terms of managing assessments and exams effectively."
"Blackboard has limitations in terms of delivering content and assessing student assignments because it can't handle large file sizes. It's also limited in its ability to track student activity. Instructors can see the student's most recent login, but they can't follow the activity."
"It would be ideal to create a more responsive or more intuitive template for access from telephones or tablets."
"One aspect that I found a bit confusing was the dual editing system, where you could edit the layout of the course separately from editing the content."
"Setting up groups and allocating privacy settings to different groups is quite complicated."
"Moodle is missing a subscription-based system where learners can subscribe to available courses and make the payment for those courses."
"It would be a benefit if there was an easy single sign-on with social media services for Moodle. There are some plugins that I tried, but they didn't work seamlessly. it is a work in progress. Having the single sign-on with social media services would be appreciated because in my school we are using Google suite and the main reason why we use Google Classroom is that it is integrated seamlessly with the suite."
"They need to have a better way to illustrate competencies so that, when people go through the programs, they can actually show they are competent in the subject matter."
"For a first time user, especially someone who is non-technical, Moodle is difficult for them to understand and they often need assistance."
"The ability to input modified, individual, independent grades in a grade center component is not just hard. It almost always requires you to get tech involved. When you're dealing with a learning system where you have people in an open enrollment with all different levels of learning modes or methodologies, and as well as a worldwide student body, you end up with situations where you have to absolutely exempt somebody from a grade or an assignment and enter a new, different kind of assignment because of their skillset or lack thereof. You can't do that in Moodle. It is virtually impossible to do that in Moodle without having a tech do it for you, and when you have to have that level of tech support, it becomes problematic. They need to fix the grade book center. It is the part where you do evaluations. They need to fix it so that the individual professors can make changes directly without having to get a hold of tech support to do it for them."
"Moodle could improve by being more user-friendly. Sometimes it worked and other times it didn't. If you get stuck, then you don't have a point of contact. Additionally, a VPN is required to make sure the connection is secured."
More Blackboard Learning Management Pricing and Cost Advice →
Blackboard Learning Management is ranked 8th in Learning Management Systems (LMS) with 6 reviews while Moodle is ranked 2nd in Learning Management Systems (LMS) with 26 reviews. Blackboard Learning Management is rated 7.8, while Moodle is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Blackboard Learning Management writes "Expandable with good real-time live interactions but is very expensive". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Moodle writes "Inexpensive and pretty easy to use, but not easily adaptable for an individual". Blackboard Learning Management is most compared with Google Classroom, CYPHER Learning and ELITE LMS, whereas Moodle is most compared with Google Classroom, SAP SuccessFactors Learning, CYPHER Learning, Chamilo LMS and Cornerstone Learning. See our Blackboard Learning Management vs. Moodle report.
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