One Step Forward Two-Steps Back

The new semester of Spring 2020 has come and brought along a lot of new changes. 

There have been many “updates” that have been made to the school’s networking system, and frankly, some students are dissatisfied. 

I’ll be the first to say one of the biggest improvements to be made was the construction of the new music building. 

Then we also have another one that I’d say is a student favorite which is the University’s partnership with Spice Station, now making it available in the Memorial Student Union Building Wednesdays through Fridays.

 So, if you like Indian food you should definitely head out there on one of those days. 

Although some of these changes are a hit, I wish I could say the same went for Blackboard. Unfortunately, this is not the case. 

The new changes made to Blackboard have caught everyone’s attention. From faculty and staff to students it is all that everyone’s been talking about since we’ve got back to school and here’s why. 

Although the updates’ purpose was to be more convenient for all users it seems to have taken a step back. I will not deny that the newly “improved” Blackboard does have some new assets that are more visible including the email notifications for assignment deadlines, it also comes with few drawbacks. 

Not only are the students upset but the faculty is as well. One of Blackboards most convenient features was the Blackboard app which gave both students and faculty easy access to discussion boards, assignments, due dates, messages, etc. It seems to not be working properly making it one of Blackboard’s worst features. 

The app doesn’t let you log in without having to go through a double log in process. Students and Faculty both must sign in through J-Net first to even have access to Blackboard and once you’ve logged in, you don’t stay logged in like you once did.

 I hope that within time the app is once again integrated into our education in a way that makes it more effective and efficient.