Blackboard Original Course View end of life: convert to Ultra or move to Moodle

What the Original Course View deadline requires from your team

Anthology sets three dates for Original Course View, and each one changes what your instructors, administrators and records staff can do. The cards below set out those dates, the export window before courses lock, and the decisions to make before the first date.

Staying in Ultra or moving to self-hosted Moodle or Canvas

How Moodle and Canvas LMS compare for an Original Course View exit

This table compares staying in Ultra with self-hosted Moodle and self-hosted Canvas across licensing, hosting, course import, authentication and support. Read it against your own course inventory: the import and authentication rows show where a move needs extra rebuilding work, and the support row shows who answers when something breaks.

What to export from Original courses before they lock

This sequence moves course content, grades, submissions and attendance out of Original Course View while instructors can still act on them, so the institution holds a complete, retained record before courses become read-only. It also shows where Common Cartridge stops and where separate handling is needed.

1. Inventory every course and organization

   The Blackboard administrator lists all Original Course View courses and organizations, with owner, term, enrollment count, active LTI tools and any course that holds records under a retention requirement. Anthology states that Original Course View cannot be used for active teaching after December 31, 2026, and that courses are marked Complete and become read-only on January 1, 2027, so this inventory sets the work queue. The step is done when every course has a row in a shared register and each owner has confirmed which courses still need teaching use.

2. Export course packages while courses are writable

   Course owners or administrators run the course export and archive functions in Blackboard while the courses still accept changes. Archive packages can include submissions, grades and attendance, but they also contain student personal data, so access should be limited to named staff. Confirm with Anthology which package types, expiry windows and data elements your Learn version produces, because the export options and their limits are set by the vendor. The step is done when each package has been downloaded, checksummed and stored in an approved location.

3. Capture grades, submissions and rubrics through reports

   Instructors and administrators use the gradebook and report downloads to save grade data, submission files, rubric scores and feedback in formats that can be read without Blackboard, such as CSV and original files. Read-only status blocks grading after January 1, 2027, and students cannot submit, so anything still in progress must be finished or recorded before that date. The step is done when a grade export for each course can be opened and totals match the Blackboard gradebook for a sample of students.

4. Export attendance and participation records

   Where the institution uses attendance or participation features, administrators download those records through reports while the course is still open. These records often sit outside the course package, so they must be pulled separately and tied to term and course identifiers. The step is done when attendance files are stored next to the grade exports and cross-checked against the student information system roster.

5. Record what Common Cartridge does not carry

   Common Cartridge exports carry course content and structure but leave out items such as grading details, random question blocks and discussion threads, so the team logs each gap per course. Canvas can import Blackboard 6 to 9 and Ultra exports and Common Cartridge files, and Moodle has its own import path, but neither import recreates everything. Ask the target platform vendor or community which elements their importer handles before assuming any element moves. The step is done when a gap register lists each course, the missing element type and the manual rebuild owner.

6. Export completion history separately from packages

   Completion history, learner records and certificates do not travel inside course packages and must be exported as their own datasets. Confirm with Anthology which completion and transcript reports are available and in what format, and plan how each dataset maps to the new platform's records. The step is done when completion files exist for every program or course that carries a credential or compliance requirement, and each file has been checked against a sample learner record.

7. Store records under retention rules

   Records officers or compliance staff classify each export by retention category, set access controls, encryption and deletion dates, and document who holds the archive. Archive packages hold student data, so the storage location and access log need the same care as the student records system. Confirm the retention schedule with your legal and records teams rather than relying on a default. The step is done when every export has an owner, a retention class and a documented storage location, and the register is signed off by the registrar or records lead.

8. Decide conversion or migration per course

   With the inventory, gap register and archive in hand, the institution decides for each course or group of courses whether to rebuild in Ultra, which Anthology converts on January 1, 2028, or to move to self-hosted Moodle or Canvas LMS. Moodle 5.1 and 5.3 have different PHP, database and upgrade prerequisites, so the target version is chosen before the import test begins. The step is done when each course has a recorded decision and the test import plan is approved.

How to deploy self-hosted Moodle or Canvas before the lock date

This sequence takes a team from a chosen target platform to a tested, rollback-ready instance that can receive Original Course View content before courses become read-only on January 1, 2027.

1. Choose the target platform and hosting model

   The IT lead, the teaching and learning lead and the registrar agree whether Moodle or self-hosted Canvas LMS fits the institution's course structure, integrations and support model. Canvas's Course Import Tool reads Blackboard 6 through 9 and Ultra exports, so a Blackboard-heavy course catalog may weigh that way, but self-hosted Canvas has community support only and the Canvas Production Start guide points installation problems to the community mailing list or IRC channel. Confirm the decision in writing, with named owners for hosting, upgrades and course migration. The step is done when the decision record lists the platform, the hosting location and who answers for each layer.

2. Confirm server, PHP and database versions

   The platform engineer checks the target release notes against the planned servers. For Moodle 5.1, the notes require 64-bit PHP 8.2 or later (8.3 and 8.4 are supported), PostgreSQL 15, MySQL 8.4, MariaDB 10.11 or Microsoft SQL Server 2017 or later, and an existing site must be on Moodle 4.2.3 or later to upgrade. For Moodle 5.3, the requirements rise to PHP 8.3 or later, PostgreSQL 17, MariaDB 11.4 or SQL Server 2019 or later, and an upgrade path that starts from Moodle 4.4 or later. For Canvas, confirm PostgreSQL 14 or later, Redis 6.x or above, Ruby 3.4.1 or later, and at least 8GB of RAM as the Production Start guide recommends. The step is done when a version matrix is signed off against the vendor documentation rather than memory of an older release.

3. Build the web, job and mail stack

   The platform engineer prepares the production layers. For Moodle 5.1 and later, point the web server document root to the new /public directory instead of the main Moodle folder, because otherwise the site may show directory listings or errors. For Canvas, the Production Start guide describes Apache with Passenger, a background daemon for automated jobs, and an outgoing SMTP server, plus Redis for caching and OAuth2. Add the SSO and identity integration early, using the core authentication plugins or the SAML2 plugin where needed. The step is done when a test page loads over HTTPS, a scheduled job runs, and a test notification email is delivered.

4. Stand up a pilot instance with sample courses

   The LMS administrator and two or three instructors build a non-production instance and load a small set of representative Original courses. Use Canvas's Course Import Tool or the Blackboard export path for Canvas, or the Common Cartridge route for Moodle, and record what arrives: content, modules, files and question banks. Expect that grading, random question blocks and discussion threads may need manual rebuilding, so log each gap by course type. The step is done when the pilot list shows which content types transfer cleanly, which need rework and who owns each fix.

5. Export and archive Original course data

   The registrar and records officer export archives from each Original course before January 1, 2027, when courses are marked Complete and become read-only. Read-only courses still allow reports and downloads, so confirm which exports are required for records retention, including submissions, grades and attendance. Store the archives in the institution's own repository with checksums and an index tied to the retention schedule. Ask Anthology what conversion to Ultra will preserve on January 1, 2028, and record the answer as a fallback. The step is done when every course in scope has an archive, a verified checksum and a named retention owner.

6. Rehearse rollback and cutover

   The platform team writes a rollback plan before any production import. It names the backup of the database and the moodledata or file store, the decision point for reverting, the people who can authorize a return to Blackboard access, and how LTI tools and the SIS connections are switched back. Run a full restore of the pilot from its backup on a separate host to prove the backup works. Then reconnect the test LTI tools and the SIS feed in the pilot only. The step is done when a restore completes and the team has signed off the rollback steps in writing.

7. Run production import and sign-off

   The LMS administrator imports the approved course set into production in batches, tracking each batch against the pilot gap list. Instructors check imported courses for content, links, assessments and gradebook structure before students use them, and the registrar confirms the archive set is complete. Set up monitoring for the web server, the job queue and database backups from the first day. The step is done when each course has an instructor sign-off, the gap list is closed or assigned, and backups have run successfully in production.

Questions institutions ask before the Original Course View cutoff

Evidence to keep for records retention and audit

Original Course View courses lock to read-only on January 1, 2027, and Anthology converts them to Ultra on January 1, 2028. The evidence below shows what was exported, what survived the move, and who decided, so the institution can answer records and audit questions without depending on the platform still running.

Why the Ultra conversion date changes the planning window