Skip to main content

Outcomes for Blackboard LMS: Institutional Readiness Guide

This is a preparation guide for institutions planning to adopt Outcomes for Blackboard LMS. This resource is designed to help institutions get started by focusing on both the data requirements and foundational structures that must be in place before Outcomes can be provisioned for institutions. The LMS must be configured with the required data structures, including Institutional Hierarchy, curricular structure, and terms, to support Outcomes implementation. 

Just as important, this guide supports institutional conversations that are often the most critical—and most time-intensive—part of adoption. Early discussions around governance, alignment, ownership, and reporting will have a greater impact than the technical setup itself and are essential for long-term success. This resource is intended for institutions that want to begin those conversations now and lay the groundwork for a confident, well-planned implementation.

Technical Requirements

At this time, Outcomes for Blackboard requires the use of LTI for user authentication and REST APIs for grade and data transfer. It is currently supported only in U.S.-based hosting environments and requires the system language to be set to U.S. English.

Please note that institutions cannot enable both legacy LMS Goals functionality and Outcomes within the same environment.

Outcomes is available for production environments only. Provisioning for Sandbox or Test/Stage environments is not currently supported.

Additional Resources

In addition to the Help Documentation and video resources, Professional Services are available to support planning, configuration, and implementation to ensure a successful rollout. 

Outcomes Readiness Workbook

The Outcomes Readiness Workbook is a required planning document that supports institutions in preparing for Outcomes implementation. Aligned with the Institutional Readiness Guide and Implementation course, the workbook helps you define key elements such as your implementation team and institutional configuration decisions.

Completion of the workbook is required prior to provisioning. Once finalized, it must be submitted to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to initiate the request for provisioning Outcomes for your institution.

Download the Outcomes Readiness Workbook as a PDF.

Outcomes Implementation Course

Enrollment in the Outcomes Implementation Course, provided by Blackboard Professional Development, is required. This course delivers step-by-step guidance to support your institution throughout implementation, both before and after provisioning of your Outcomes site.

How to Enroll: Coming Soon