You spoke. We listened. Building Blackboard Together 2026 Focus Groups

# Accessibility

# LMS

# AI

Building Blackboard Together 2026

Some of the most valuable conversations at Building Blackboard Together 2026 (BbT26) didn't happen on the main stage—they happened around the table.

Across a series of interactive focus groups, customers met with our product management and design teams to share ideas, test early concepts, and collaborate on the future of Blackboard developments. Whether the topic was accessibility, student success, AI-powered learning experiences, or assessment workflows, one thing was clear: your feedback helps shape our roadmap.

At Blackboard, we build with our customers, not just for them. Every focus group is part of an ongoing feedback loop, where customer insights help shape the concepts we explore, refine, and ultimately bring into our products, most recently the new Gradebook Grid View . BbT26 was another chance to listen, learn, and collaborate on what’s next.

Each session explored a different aspect of the Blackboard experience, but they shared one goal: understand real customer challenges, and use those insights to shape future development.

Course accessibility: from identifying issues to taking action

Previous conversations with instructors revealed that while the Blackboard Ally course accessibility report clearly surfaced accessibility issues, faculty often needed more guidance on where to begin. Building on those insights, this year's focus group explored concepts to help instructors prioritize improvements, better understand the context behind each issue, and take meaningful action—even when time is limited.

One message came through clearly: improving accessibility isn't about providing more information. It's about helping instructors understand where to start and focus on what matters most. Those insights will be shaping how we help instructors act on accessibility within their existing workflow.

Student Priorities: from managing tasks to staying on track

The conversation then turned to the student experience. Earlier customer research highlighted a common challenge: students often struggle to keep track of assignments, grades, announcements, and deadlines across multiple courses. Participants explored early concepts for a Student Priority View and emphasized the importance of bringing key information together in one place, surfacing what deserves immediate attention, and providing flexibility to support different institutional needs.

Customers consistently emphasized that helping students stay on track isn't about adding more features. It's about creating a simpler, more intuitive experience that adapts to the way institutions and learners work.

The future of AI in assessment

This session built on the ongoing co-research initiative launched at last year's conference, where more than 230 members have helped shape the direction of assessment through roundtables and white papers. Participants explored an early concept that would allow students to use AI to check their work against an instructor's rubric before submission , providing timely formative feedback while keeping instructors in control.

The discussion quickly evolved beyond the student experience, with participants highlighting the value of giving instructors visibility into AI-generated feedback, not only to build trust in the process, but also to refine rubrics, improve feedback, and better understand how students learn. Together, these insights point to where AI adds the most value in assessment: not as a replacement for instructor expertise, but as a collaborative feedback loop that benefits both students and educators.

The conversations don't stop when the conference ends

The ideas shared during BbT26 won’t stay in the conference room. They’ll continue to inform future product exploration, helping us create products that reflect the real needs of the educators and institutions we serve.

Every Wednesday, our product management and design teams host customer Focus Groups where you can preview ideas, influence future development, and collaborate directly with the people building Blackboard. Whether you're an instructor, instructional designer, administrator, or institutional leader, your perspective can help shape what's next.

Join us at an upcoming Focus Group and be part of building the future of Blackboard. We can't wait to hear your ideas.

FAQs:

What are Blackboard Focus Groups?

Blackboard Focus Groups are collaborative sessions where educators, instructional designers, administrators, and institutional leaders work directly with Blackboard's product and design teams to provide feedback, evaluate new concepts, and help shape future product development. These are generally run virtually and hosted on the Blackboard Community .

How does Blackboard use customer feedback to improve its products?

Blackboard uses customer feedback in a variety of ways, including direct suggestions in the Blackboard Idea Exchange , focus groups, and analysis of user behavior within the platform. This blog post provides more information on how users directly inform our product development .

How does Blackboard Ally improve course accessibility?

Blackboard Ally improves course accessibility in three crucial ways: providing instructors real-time insights to make content more accessible, providing learners with alternative content formats to download, and providing institutional leadership with reporting on overall accessibility metrics. Visit the Blackboard Ally page for more information.

How is Blackboard using AI in assessment?

Blackboard is using AI to advance assessment in the LMS in several ways. The AI Design Assistant helps instructors develop authentic assessment tasks; the AI Conversation is an assessable activity that challenges the student with practical, real-world scenarios; AVA Feedback ensures students get high quality direction after submitting assessments; and the new AVA Formative Feedback, due for release later this year, will allow students to check their work against the grading rubric prior to submission.

How can educators participate in Blackboard Focus Groups?

Educators can participate in Blackboard Focus Groups via the Blackboard Community . Clicking on “Events” in the top navigation will display a range of relevant options.

How does Blackboard support student success?

Supporting student success is our key mission at Blackboard. We do this via an LMS based on user insight , Blackboard Ally which supports accessibility, and our evidence solutions, such as Blackboard Evaluate , which measure the effectiveness of learning and help institutions build strategies to better support learners.

What new Blackboard features came from customer feedback?

We release hundreds of features every year based directly on user feedback. A great example is the new Gradebook Grid View in Blackboard LMS , which was inspired by a year-long collaboration with instructors.

What happens after a Blackboard Focus Group?

Product development at Blackboard runs as a continuous loop. After a Blackboard Focus Group, institutions will then have the opportunity to participate in further sessions and understand how their feedback is ultimately impacting the product.

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