From Passive Viewing to Active Learning: Embedded Knowledge Checks Now Available in Video Studio
# Blackboard
# LMS
Andrea Cardenas
Ben Burrett
We’re delighted to announce exciting updates for Blackboard’s Video Studio to kick off the year. But before we get to the new stuff, let’s do a quick quiz to make sure you were paying attention through 2025. Try your luck with the following question:
What does Video Studio for Blackboard offer institutions?
A robust, lightweight video solution
A video tool designed specifically for use in education
360°, immersive video for practical, real-world tasks
All of the above (and LOTS more!)
We’ll get to the answer shortly, but in the meantime, allow us to give you a hint and talk a little about the “and LOTS more!” part. As of the January release, Video Studio now features embedded knowledge checks, allowing instructors to ensure comprehension of video content without the student needing to click away from the interface. Using a similar workflow to knowledge checks in Blackboard documents, instructors can choose their preferred timestamp and easily add non-graded, multiple-choice questions throughout the video. They can then review responses, provide feedback if they wish to, and access insights for the full class.
Back to our quiz. The answer, of course, is 4. All of the above, and we’re excited to see Video Studio’s varied capabilities having an impact at a number of great institutions from our global network. The tool’s accessibility is among the biggest benefits, as recently articulated by Jennifer Vose, a visually impaired instructor from Bridgewater State University who uses JAWs to teach fully online. When compared with other video solutions, Jennifer has found that Video Studio allows her to work far more autonomously:
I just cannot tell you how liberating it feels to be able to do this without needing someone else to start the recording, stop the recording, edit themselves out of the recording, save the recording. To be able to do this all myself is just amazing.”
We’ve got lots of further development planned for Video Studio as 2026 continues, starting with the addition of adjustable playback speeds in the coming months. To stay up to date with all the latest developments, join us for the next Blackboard Roadmap Webinar in February–registration is now open!
Ready to add engaging video activities to your Blackboard environment? Learn more about Video Studio and contact your account representative to get started!
