The first time Blackboard went down, we thought it was just a system glitch that wouldn’t happen again. The second time it happened, we couldn’t get our homework done, and we were a little more annoyed.
Now, when it goes down for hours on end, we’re incredibly angry.
Blackboard doesn’t work well. It goes down for days. It’s periodically shut down campus-wide. There are times when students can’t access the system for hours. And since Blackboard is supposed to hold the academia of USC together, this is a huge problem.
Students need to check homework assignments, use e-books and download documents at all times. Not being able to do so is absurd and causes serious consequences for students, especially since not all teachers are understanding. Furthermore, Blackboard is outdated. There are many features of Blackboard still not compatible with certain browsers, making it not as user-friendly as it could be.
Yet another problem with Blackboard is that it simply isn’t being used efficiently.
While some professors use it religiously, posting grades and assignments on a regular basis for the students’ convenience, some professors don’t use it at all. Every professor should use the system regularly, or the system should not be used at all.
If Blackboard malfunctions on a consistent basis and is not something students can rely upon, then we should not be required to pay the entire $200 technology fee each semester. Four hundred dollars per student per year is a lot of cash, and we deserve more than a malfunctioning, semi-useless website.
We’re not saying that Blackboard should be junked immediately — it has the potential to become extremely beneficial to everyone. But the truth is, this potential is far from being realized.
Until it is, the university should consider taking serious measures to help it get there.