Blackboard is an Instructional Management System (IMS), a Course Management System (CMS), and some people consider it a Learning Management System (LMS). An IMS (or CMS) is an integrated tool for distributing information and communication. Typically these are web or intranet based systems. The key word is integration, an IMS is like using a web site that has a variety of tools, chat, e-mail, discussion. But instead of having to finding the tools and putting them together, an IMS bundles them for you. An LMS does all of these things but also typically includes tools to manage learning assets (handouts, learning modules, and other files) and track course completion.
An IMS has three basic uses:
Blackboard provides an easy to use interface allowing instructors to develop a web presence for their courses and to extend the boundaries of their classroom.