Supported Academic Technologies

External applications are also called "3rd party applications" and have been designed to integrate directly into the Blackboard Learning Management System.

External Application Support

Online Learning and Technology will provide technical troubleshooting for any error messages displayed within Blackboard and ensure that integrations are properly configured per vendor documentation. We will test all integrations to the fullest extent possible given vendor constraints. Users will be referred to the third-party vendor for external app support and issues with access codes or accounts outside of Blackboard.

External Application Request and Evaluation Process

Before installing any external app we must first understand and evaluate the impacts of the app within the existing Blackboard service configuration. Key considerations are accessibility, administrative, copyright, compatibility, cost, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), interoperability, support, and security.

The entire process can often be time consuming as it requires collaboration with the vendor and faculty requester(s) to research and test on our Blackboard test system prior to live deployment.

Please consider the time required to evaluate, test, and deploy an external application when submitting your request:

• Fall semester - submit request by May 1
• Winter/Spring semester - submit request by September 1
• Summer sessions - submit request by February 1