Learning Management Systems (Lms) As Sites For Autonomous Learning Or Places For Getting Materials? Students’ Perception Of The Blackboard Lms At International University – Ho Chi Minh Vietnam National University

Learning Management Systems (LMSs) such as Moodle™, Canvas™ or Blackboard™ have long been considered a vital tool for many university programs in the world as well as in Vietnam. These platforms have been suggested to help students manage their learning progress, as well as promote learner autonomy. However, few studies have focused on the effects of these platforms in English language teaching. The role of these LMSs can even be questioned in today's time when recently, other online classroom platforms that offer video conferencing such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams are more and more popular. The current study sets out to address this question, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to survey the students' perception and use of Blackboard™ in conjunction with Zoom and Microsoft Teams in an academic English course. The study was conducted with the participants of 56 first-year students at International University - Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City - a state-owned university which offers English as a medium of instruction in their Bachelor programs. The results suggest that Blackboard™ is frequently used and contributes positively to students' learning. Moreover, it offers unique features unrivaled by video conferencing tools. However, certain features on Blackboard that can promote learner's autonomy have not been taken advantage of. The study also offers some guidelines for a more effective implementation and design of Blackboard™ so that it can be used effectively together with online classroom tools and can promote students' learning autonomy.