Author: WordPress User [jbw]

Blackboard Interface Update, January 2026

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Technical Updates Leave a comment
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On Thursday 8 January, there will be a minor update to the Blackboard interface.

There is no downtime associated with this update, and Blackboard will continue to function normally during this period.

These changes include:

  • Change in order of menu items on the main navigation menu:
new Blackboard main navigation menu
  • A new home button in a course to take you back to the landing page:
home button highlighted from the Course view
  • A quick link to navigate to your recently accessed courses
Courses button highlighted showing dropdown to recently accessed courses

In addition to this, to maximise screen space, Blackboard will remove the nested folder view.

If you have any issues, please contact the Digital Education Team on elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Mini Conference: Generative AI, Thursday 18 December: Programme Announcement

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We are delighted to confirm our programme for our final event of the year on Thursday 18 December.

Our Mini Conference on Generative AI is taking place between 09:30 and 15:30. We are running this as a hybrid event. For those wanting to join in person, it will take place in the Visualisation Centre building, VC, 0.06.

We are delighted to confirm our external speakers:

James Fern and Richard Mason will be joining us to share the 2-lane approach to Generative AI Assessment Design that has been adopted at Bath University.

You can read more about this on their webpages: The Two-Lane Approach to GenAI Assessment Categorisation – Learning and Teaching Hub

In addition to James and Richard, we have an exciting line up:

  • Hannah Dee, Amanda Clare and Clive King from the Department of Computer Science will be presenting.
  • Emma Butler-Way, Tom Holt, Rhys Dafydd Jones, Jayesh Mukherjee, and Stephen Tooth will be joining us from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences.
  • Jennifer Wood and Alex Mangold from Modern Languages will also be presenting.
  • Joy Cadwallader and colleagues from Academic Engagement will also be joining.

To see the full programme and abstracts, see our webpage. You can book your place clicking on this link.

Education and Student Experience Award Fund Recipients

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Earlier this year, Professor Anwen Jones announced the Education and Student Experience Award Fund at the 13th Annual Education and Student Experience Conference.

We are delighted to confirm this year’s winners and the 4 enhancement projects that they will be leading over the coming year:

  • Dr Elizabeth New, History and Welsh History: The Aber Medieval Physic Garden
  • Dr Emma Sheppard, Geography and Earth Sciences: Developing a Sustainable Student Gear Hub
  • Dr Kate Woodward, Theatre, Film and Television Studies: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Assessment Design and Feedback Practices
  • Dr Scott Tompsett, Department of Life Sciences: Pulling together – supporting teamwork assessment more effectively

Thank you to all applicants for submitting a proposal and to the awards panel.

There will be opportunities to hear more about these projects at next year’s annual Education and Student Experience Conference.

Exemplary Course Award 2026: Applications Open

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Exemplary Course Award Leave a comment

Applications for the Exemplary Course Award 2026 are now open.

The deadline for submissions is 12pm, 30 January 2026.

As part of this process, applicants are asked to identify 3 standout practices and assess their course across 4 areas:

  • Course Design
  • Interaction and Collaboration
  • Assessment
  • Learner Support

The application form is available to download from our webpages.

To assist colleagues, we have a training session available on Wednesday 10 December at 10:10. Places can be booked online.

In addition to this, we are running 4 E-learning Excellence training sessions (based on the 4 assessment criteria). These sessions are available to all colleagues, whether they are considering submitting an application or not. Places can be booked online.

If you have any questions, please contact the Digital Education Group (elearning@aber.ac.uk).

Turnitin App Retirement

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Turnitin has announced the retirement of their Turnitin app at the end of the year, December 2025.

The Feedback Studio iPad app will be retired and no longer available. Instructors can continue to access Feedback Studio as usual through Blackboard. This includes mobile devices and tablets.

Turnitin are working on developing a New Standard Assignment, so instructors can review and provide feedback on student work from tablets without needing a separate app. We will release comms regarding this new service in due course.

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please don’t hesitate to contact us (elearning@aber.ac.uk).

Save the Date: 14th Annual Education and Student Experience Conference

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We’re pleased to announce the dates for Aberystwyth University’s 14th annual Education and Student Experience Conference.

We will be hosting the conference between Tuesday 8 – Thursday 10 September 2026.

We will start work on planning and establishing themes and guest speakers for the conference.

Conference themes, calls for proposals, and external speakers will be announced in the new year. Keep an eye on our webpages and our blog for further information.

If there is a particular topic that you would like the conference to address, do get in touch via elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Call for Proposals: Mini Conference: Generative AI

WordPress User [jbw] Case Studies, Conference, Generative AI, Mini Conference 2025 Generative AI Leave a comment

On Thursday 18 December, the Digital Education Team will be hosting their final event of the year, a mini conference on Generative AI.

We are looking for calls for proposals from staff and students for this event.

If you are interested in contributing, please complete this form by Friday 7 November.

We are interested in sessions around the following themes:

  • Embedding generative AI skills in the curriculum 
  • Generative AI as an employability skill
  • Generative AI use in assessment
  • Generative AI and maintaining academic integrity
  • Generative AI for learning activities

Booking for the event is already open. Please book your place online.

If you have any questions, please contact elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Collaborative Documents in Blackboard

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Policies and Information

There is currently an intermittent issue with collaborative documents in Blackboard which is preventing the documents being linked to a class.

If you receive the error warning:

image of Course initialization failed message

Follow this workaround:

  • Create a document in your OneDrive
  • Click on the Share button in the top right hand corner:
Screenshot of a collaborative document with the Share button highlighted
  • Click on the settings cog and choose People in Aberystwyth University
  • Change More Settings to Can Edit
  • Click Apply
  • Choose Copy Link
  • Paste the link into Blackboard

We apologise for the inconvenience caused. We’re working with Blackboard and Microsoft to resolve this issue.

Education and Student Experience Conference Award Fund

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At the 13th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Professor Anwen Jones announced a fund of £10,000 for colleagues to bid against to a maximum of £2,000 for projects related to the conference theme:

  • Compassionate engagement and assessment
  • Health and wellbeing in a learning and teaching context 
  • Accessibility and inclusion (inclusive learning and teaching design) 

The University is providing half of the total funding, with the remainder coming from Medr, the Welsh universities regulator. 

We are looking for a wide range of projects across all areas of our community which would make a difference to our education and student experience. 

To submit an application:

Please see this webpage for further information, which includes a series of FAQs. 

If you have any questions, please contact elearning@aber.ac.uk.