Course Hero vs Blackboard Learn

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Our analysts compared Course Hero vs Blackboard Learn based on data from our 400+ point analysis of LMS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Course Hero Software Tool

Product Basics

Course Hero is an educational technology platform that offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to assist students and educators in managing academic tasks. The software excels in providing a vast repository of study resources, including course-specific documents, practice problems, and step-by-step explanations. It is particularly well-suited for college students seeking supplemental learning materials and educators looking to enhance their teaching resources. The platform's key benefits include access to a wide array of study guides, textbook solutions, and the ability to connect with tutors for personalized help. Popular features include the extensive library of user-uploaded documents, flashcards, and the ability to ask questions and receive answers from subject experts. Compared to similar products, Course Hero is praised for its user-friendly interface and the breadth of its resource library. Pricing details are variable, often based on subscription models that can be monthly or annually. For precise pricing tailored to individual needs, users are encouraged to contact SelectHub for a detailed quote.
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Blackboard is an educational management tool used commonly in K-12, higher education, online education and corporate training. It’s cloud-based and has several add ons including Learn, Open LMS, Classroom, Predict, Intelligence, Ally, Collaborate and more. All have different specialties that add to the primary online education functions.

The core product, Blackboard Learn, includes course management, mobile accessibility and insights into data and analytics. Upgraded versions have more robust facilities, including advanced web conferencing, virtual classrooms and more in-depth reporting.
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$9.99 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$9,500 Annually
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Insights

  • Enhanced Learning Support: Course Hero provides access to a vast library of study resources, including textbook solutions and expert Q&A, which can help students understand complex topics more effectively.
  • Time Management: By offering step-by-step solutions and explanations, Course Hero helps students save time on homework and study sessions, allowing them to focus on other academic or personal commitments.
  • Improved Academic Performance: With detailed explanations and practice problems, students can reinforce their understanding of course material, leading to better grades and a deeper grasp of the subject matter.
  • 24/7 Accessibility: Course Hero's online platform is available around the clock, enabling students to study and seek help whenever they need it, regardless of time zone or schedule constraints.
  • Peer Collaboration: The platform encourages collaboration by allowing students to share notes and resources, fostering a community of learners who can support each other’s academic journeys.
  • Expert Assistance: Students can get help from subject matter experts who provide detailed answers to specific questions, ensuring they receive accurate and reliable information.
  • Resource Variety: Course Hero offers a diverse range of study materials, including practice quizzes, flashcards, and lecture notes, catering to different learning styles and preferences.
  • Confidence Building: By providing clear and thorough explanations, Course Hero helps students build confidence in their knowledge and problem-solving abilities, which can reduce anxiety and improve overall academic performance.
  • Cost-Effective Learning: With a subscription, students gain access to a wealth of resources that can supplement their textbooks and classroom instruction, often at a lower cost than hiring a tutor.
  • Preparation for Exams: The platform’s extensive collection of practice questions and study guides can help students prepare more effectively for exams, leading to better outcomes and reduced stress.
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  • Mass Communications: A message can be written and then sent via social media, email, voice message, SMS or push notification to everyone who needs to see it.nbsp;
  • Student Retention: It provides data on incoming and outgoing students, which helps with the development of student retention strategies. Some functions within the dashboard are also specifically geared toward targeting at-risk learners. 
  • Accessibility: Not only does it allow for accessible file formats such as semantic HTML, audio files, ePub and electronic braille, but it can audit content sent out by instructors and return with annotations to improve accessibility. It is also fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
  • Parental Involvement: Parents get access to see how students are doing and address potential problems early in the process. 
  • Multiple Translations: Over 15 different languages are available, including Arabic, English, Chinese (both simplified and traditional), Dutch, Russian, Korean and more. 
  • Implementation: Through a partner program, users can get help with implementation through technical support and strategy analysis. 
  • Accreditation Tracking/Documentation: The assessment and accreditation solution makes institutional reporting automatic, helps provide documentation where needed and streamlines evidence collection. 
  • Partnerships: More services are available for buyers who use partner programs. This support may be technical, marketing or strategic and varies depending on the different levels of partnership.  
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  • Document Library: Access to over 40 million study resources, including course-specific notes, study guides, and practice problems.
  • Tutoring Services: On-demand help from subject matter experts available 24/7 for personalized assistance.
  • Textbook Solutions: Step-by-step solutions for thousands of textbooks, aiding in understanding complex problems.
  • Course-Specific Content: Resources tailored to specific courses and universities, ensuring relevance and applicability.
  • Study Groups: Virtual study groups that allow students to collaborate and share resources in real-time.
  • Flashcards: Customizable flashcards for efficient memorization and review of key concepts.
  • Practice Problems: Interactive practice problems with detailed explanations to reinforce learning.
  • Scholarship Opportunities: Access to various scholarships to support students financially.
  • Document Uploads: Ability for users to upload their own study materials, contributing to the community and earning unlocks.
  • Mobile App: A user-friendly mobile application for studying on-the-go, available on both iOS and Android.
  • Verified Educators: Contributions from verified educators, ensuring high-quality and reliable content.
  • Search Functionality: Advanced search tools to quickly find relevant documents and resources.
  • Course Recommendations: Personalized course recommendations based on user activity and preferences.
  • Community Q&A: A platform for students to ask and answer questions, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
  • Resource Ratings: User ratings and reviews for documents, helping to identify the most useful resources.
  • Privacy Controls: Robust privacy settings to protect user information and control document visibility.
  • Subscription Plans: Various subscription options to suit different needs, including monthly and annual plans.
  • Academic Integrity: Tools and guidelines to promote academic honesty and prevent plagiarism.
  • Customer Support: Responsive customer support to assist with any issues or questions users may have.
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  • Integration: It can be integrated with other essential educational programs such as Student Information Systems, lunch systems, online grade books and others to make collecting data easy. 
  • Collaboration: Through web conferencing and virtual classrooms, students, peers and coworkers can collaborate on projects and content creation. 
  • Mobile App: The app, which is available across several devices, offers mobile-friendly content that’s been adjusted to flip less on a phone screen. Learners can access tests, quizzes, notes and more. 
  • SaaS: It’s a software-as-a-service or cloud-based product. This means the hosting is online and not local. 
  • Templates: When instructors create courses, they can choose from several pre-made templates and customize as needed. 
  • Strategic Planning: Extra services include strategic planning, which comes with market research, help to develop a comprehensive strategy, deployment support and more. 
  • E-Commerce: It allows users to buy or sell courses, training materials and other content. This can be used as a revenue source or to find more information for a program. 
  • Sales Training and Development: In addition to its uses in K-12 and higher education, it helps with the training of employees to keep them in compliance or certified in a corporate setting. Individual workers can be tracked, and areas of improvement can be easily identified. 
  • Registration: It manages learners throughout the enrollment process and can help them sign up along pre-defined learning paths or prerequisites. 
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Product Ranking

#36

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#6

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Blackboard Learn
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AI-based Capabilities Assessments Collaboration Compliance Content And Course Management ECommerce Learning Delivery Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Reporting And Dashboard User Management And Gamification 14 82 100 100 91 0 68 78 87 100 91 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Fair User Sentiment 14 reviews
Good User Sentiment 1521 reviews
66%
of users recommend this product

Course Hero has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 66% when considering 14 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

79%
of users recommend this product

Blackboard Learn has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 79% when considering 1521 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

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4.9 (18)
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3.9 (789)
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4.2 (54)
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Awards

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SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Blackboard Learn and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Compliance.

Compliance Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Extensive Library: Course Hero offers a vast collection of study materials, including notes, study guides, and practice problems, aiding students in their studies and homework.
Resource Variety: The platform provides access to a diverse range of academic resources, covering various subjects and courses, which can be beneficial for students seeking supplementary learning materials.
Time-Saving: Course Hero allows users to quickly find and access specific resources, saving time and effort in searching for study materials.
Peer Connection: Course Hero provides a platform for students to connect and collaborate with peers, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.
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Grading: A total of 80% of users who mentioned the grading capabilities felt it worked well and saved them time.
Effective Communication: Over 70% of users who mentioned communications features were thrilled with the discussion boards, messaging, live classrooms and other features.
Great Customer Support: More than two-thirds of reviewers who mentioned the customer support had good experiences with the staff.
Easy to Use: Users felt that the UI worked well in over 50% of reviews.
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Content Quality Concerns: Course Hero's reliance on user-uploaded content creates inconsistency in quality, with some materials potentially inaccurate or incomplete, impacting reliability for business users.
Subpar Customer Service: Reviews highlight slow response times and unhelpful interactions with Course Hero's customer support, a significant drawback for businesses requiring timely assistance.
Subscription Costs: While Course Hero offers various subscription plans, the fees can be prohibitive for businesses, especially when considering potential limitations in content quality and customer support.
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Poor Mobile Function: Around 75% who mentioned the app said they had issues with the design, especially on mobile.
Issues with Features: Over 41% of users said there were holes in the functionality of the integrations, grading features and said there was too much text on the website.
Steep Learning Curve: While many said the UI was easy-to-use, over 40% of those mentioned it said it took a long time to learn.
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Is Course Hero a true champion, a Herculean force in the realm of learning management systems? User reviews from the past year present a somewhat mixed bag. While Course Hero is generally lauded for its expansive library of study materials, some users feel it doesn't quite hit the mark as an LMS. A recurring theme in positive feedback is the platform's impressive repository of study aids. Users consistently praise the platform for its wide array of course-specific notes, study guides, and practice problems, finding them particularly beneficial for exam preparation and tackling homework assignments. However, a consistent gripe among users is the high cost of a subscription, with some finding it difficult to justify the expense, especially given the variable quality of user-uploaded content. This inconsistency in quality raises concerns about reliability, as users can't always be sure of the accuracy and helpfulness of the materials they encounter. While some users rave about the platform's user-friendliness and intuitive design, others express frustration with the interface, finding it less intuitive than competing platforms. Ultimately, Course Hero, as an LMS, seems best suited for students who need supplementary study resources and are willing to pay a premium for a vast library of materials. However, those seeking a primary learning platform or relying on a tight budget might find more suitable options elsewhere.

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Blackboard is an online learning solution used most commonly in educational institutions. As one of the biggest players in the market, its users appreciate its features, useability, grading functions and the different channels of communication. The most common complaint was that it’s hard to learn. However, many said it was easy to navigate after getting over the initial learning curve. Though many people liked its features, there were gaps and additional functionalities wished for in almost every category. Its lack of accessibility was also an issue for some users. This solution is good for institutions looking to implement a standardized learning solution. However, it’s important to compare it to its big competitors as some complained it was generic or too similar to other systems. Still, this can be an extremely efficient platform for online and blended learning.

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