Transforming Teaching Through Blackboard Ultra Adoption: Lecturer Training, Pedagogical Integration and Sustainable LMS use in Higher Education

Abstract

The increasing integration of learning management systems (LMSs) into higher education has intensified the need for lecturers to develop technological competence alongside the pedagogical and disciplinary knowledge required for meaningful digital teaching. This study examined lecturers’ perceptions of Blackboard Learn Ultra training, their self-reported implementation of tools and strategies introduced during training, and the conditions they perceived as supportive of continued LMS use at a South African university. The empirical study used a post-training, cross-sectional survey design. An online questionnaire containing closed- and open-ended items was completed by 51 lecturers from a sampling frame of 200 lecturers who had participated in institutional Blackboard development initiatives. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, with an exploratory principal component analysis (PCA), correlations and group comparisons reported cautiously because of the modest sample size relative to the 19 Likert items. Qualitative responses were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. TPACK was used as an interpretive framework rather than as a measure of change over time. Results showed that 84.3% of participants reported implementing Blackboard tools or strategies and 88.2% reported moderate or extensive integration. High ratings were recorded for confidence in using Blackboard (M = 4.45), relevance to teaching context (M = 4.45), and understanding how to integrate Blackboard into teaching (M = 4.31). The exploratory PCA identified three components explaining 75.28% of the variance; detailed PCA and group-comparison evidence is provided in Tables 1 and 2. Qualitative findings highlighted hands-on practice, assessment and grading, interactive learning, content organisation, time for consolidation, discipline-specific application and continuing support. The findings describe lecturers’ perceptions and self-reported implementation following training; they do not establish causal effects of training or developmental change over time.