Blackboard Retirement
Blackboard Retirement at CSU Pueblo - January 1, 2027
On Friday, January 1 2027, CSU Pueblo's Blackboard will enter read-only mode. Courses will automatically be placed into read-only mode. Users will be unable to add or change content to Blackboard courses and the campus will fully move into Canvas as our new Learning Management System (LMS) starting with the Spring 2027 semester. The information below offers some answers to frequently asked questions about what will happen to Blackboard and all of its content in 2027.
Prepare for the Blackboard Retirement
- All Blackboard courses will enter read-only mode on January 1, 2027.
- Instructors and students can continue to access Blackboard to view and export content until the contract end date.
- CSU Pueblo will no longer be able to access Blackboard after June 30, 2027.
The information below offers some answers to frequently asked questions about what will happen to Blackboard, its content, and access to the platform in 2027.
FAQs for Blackboard Retirement
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Does the Blackboard retirement and change to view-only on January 1, 2027 impact all Blackboard courses, whether they are in the Original or Ultra course view?
According to Blackboard, "Institutions will no longer be able to use the Original Course View for active teaching and learning after December 31, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, Original courses will enter a completed, read-only state, and users may continue to view them based on institutional permissions."
However, due to CSU Pueblo's full transition to Canvas for Spring 2027, the LMS Administrator team will be reviewing and marking all courses, including Ultra courses, complete over Winter Break. Any content or updates made to Blackboard courses after December 31, 2026 will not be tracked, managed, or maintained by the LMS Administrator team.
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Will instructors still be able to export zip packages of any of the courses they are enrolled as instructors in after January 1, 2027?
Instructors will be able to export zip packages of any of their courses until June 30, 2027.
CSU Pueblo's contact with Blackboard ends on June 30, 2027. Instructors must export any desired content for their personal backups by that date.
This knowledgebase article provides instructions on how to export or archive Blackboard Original Courses.
This knowledgebase article provides instructions on how to export or archive Blackboard Ultra Courses.
CSU Pueblo will retain a backup of the current courses housed within Blackboard for record retention purposes. While these can be used to rebuild a previous Blackboard course in Canvas, it is recommended that instructors also have backups of course content downloaded and saved.
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How long do instructors have to export any content they have in Blackboard?
Instructors will be able to export zip packages of any of their courses until June 30, 2027.
Instructors should complete any exports or retrieval they need before this date.
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What is the Canvas Transition Team doing to preserve course content from Blackboard?
The Canvas Transition Team is preserving course content from Blackboard mainly through the following methods:
- K16 has been purchased for the next few years to retain a complete archive of all courses currently in Blackboard, including student grades and submissions.
- The use of the K16 archive is primarily for academic record retention, and access is restricted to LMS Administrators.
- If needed, a copy of a course backed up to K16 can be rebuilt in Canvas, but this will not restore grades and student submissions.
- For students completing an incomplete, the LMS Administrator team will work with faculty members and students to build courses and restore coursework from Blackboard into Canvas on an as-needed basis.
- Canvas Transition Archiving has been in-progress throughout 2026. Course content from the following semesters has already been imported into Canvas for the following courses/semesters:
- Extended Studies Independent Study Templates
- Extended Studies Online Templates
- RI Summer 2026
- RI Spring 2026
- RI Fall 2025
- RI courses from 2022-2025 that were not captured in 2025-2026 imports
- Instructor exports/archives of their courses continues to be encouraged by the Canvas Transition team. Due to timelines and import quotas, the Fall 2026 semester will not be bulk imported into Canvas. While these can be rebuilt from the K16 archive if needed, it is still highly recommended that faculty have a personal backup of any course content from Blackboard that they wish to preserve.
- This knowledgebase article provides instructions on how to export or archive Blackboard Original Courses.
- This knowledgebase article provides instructions on how to export or archive Blackboard Ultra Courses.
- K16 has been purchased for the next few years to retain a complete archive of all courses currently in Blackboard, including student grades and submissions.
