There is now the capability to insert quick polls during your present view. To do this, click on the question in the present view and select create quick poll:
Embed PowerPoint presentations into Vevox Present View
You can now embed a presentation in the presenter view of Vevox, meaning that you don’t need to switch tabs – the PowerPoint is completely embedded.
Adjust number of decimal places
The number of decimal places can be amended in your poll settings. The default is 0 decimal places but this can be configured to show 1 or 2 decimal places.
In the April update, we want to draw your attention to the following Blackboard enhancements:
Assignments
Assignment submission type
SafeAssign file size
Adjusting individual grades in group submissions
Tests
AI Conversations
Discussions
Announcements
Blackboard Assignment
Specify assignment submission type
Instructors
When creating or editing an assignment, instructors can define the expected submission type to guide how students submit their work. Selecting a specific submission type streamlines the student experience and reduces ambiguity about what is required.
Instructors can select one or more expected submission types when configuring an assignment:
File upload
Text entry
By default, File upload and Text entry are both selected.
The selected submission type is visible in assignment settings and student‑facing details. Instructors can change the selected submission type until students have started submitting attempts.
Image 1: Instructors can choose one or more submission types when configuring an assignment.
Students
Students are informed of the expected submission type and see a submission workflow optimized for that format.
File submissions display a dedicated file drop zone where students can upload, preview (when supported), and remove files.
Text submissions provide a streamlined rich text editor experience without a general file attachment option and include access to the Content Market for supported tools.
Image 2: Students have a submission workflow optimized for the selected submission type.
Note that if you are using Blackboard for Panopto assignments, you need to have Text entry enabled.
Increased SafeAssign file size limit to 25 MB for Direct Submit
The SafeAssign file size limit for DirectSubmit submissions increased to 25MB. This change supports larger documents that include images, tables, and complex formatting, reducing submission issues for students.
Existing submissions and SafeAssign reports remain fully compatible, and related system limits were reviewed to ensure continued stability.
Adjust grades for individual student attempts in group submissions
Flexible Grading has been extended to allow instructors to adjust attempt grades for individual students within a group submission. This update ensures that grades for group submissions can accurately reflect each student’s individual contribution, even when work is submitted as a single group attempt.
Instructors can override a group attempt score for individual group members directly from the grading interface. The interface clearly indicates when grades differ across group members, and adjustments can be removed by restoring a student’s grade to match the group attempt score.
Image 1: Instructors can adjust grades for individual students within a group submission.
Tests
Improvements to multiple choice and multiple answer questions
See below for changes to multiple choice and multiple answer questions:
For the multiple choice question, the default number of answer options a student can select from 4 to 1 has been modified.
When creating or editing a multiple choice or multiple answer question, instructors can change the number of answer options that a student can select.
Multiple choice answer options alphabetical labels (A, B, C, D) have also been restored.
AI Conversations
Use Message Limits
Instructors can now guide the length of AI‑supported conversations, including Socratic Questioning, by setting message limits. These controls help students understand when to complete an interaction and keep conversations focused on the intended learning activity.
Instructors
When instructors configure an AI conversation, they can set a maximum message cap to shape the conversation duration.
Image 1: Message limit settings for an AI conversation
Students
Students track their remaining responses during a conversation through a dynamic label. The label shows a caution icon when two responses remain. After the conversation reaches the message cap, students cannot add more responses. The message limit sets clear expectations for participation and completion.
Image 2: Student messaging guidance during an active interaction.
Discussions
Review both sets of Discussion due dates across multiple views in Blackboard
Blackboard now surfaces both sets of due dates and participation requirements for Discussions across key areas of the application. This improvement builds on the recent addition of a second due date and participation requirement. Instructors and students get clearer expectations wherever they access Discussion details.
Instructors and Students
When instructors create a discussion with two due dates and participation requirements, both sets of requirements appear on the Course Content page, Discussion pages, the Gradebook student and instructor views, and the instructor’s Discussion analysis panel. Students can track expectations throughout the workflow without navigating back to the discussion itself.
Image 1: On the Course Content page, both due dates and participation requirements are displayed. For all entry points for Discussions, both dates and requirements are displayed.
On the Course Content and Discussion pages, both due dates and their requirements appear together for quick reference.
In the Gradebook student view, both dates appear.
Instructors also get a new Due Dates and Requirements section in the grading view for an individual student. This section shows both due dates and the student’s progress toward each requirement.
Announcements
Handle images as thumbnail links in Announcement emails
Announcement emails now show images as thumbnail links instead of long URLs. This update gives users a clearer preview of announcement content and provides a direct path back to the full announcement in Blackboard. When users select a thumbnail, the system opens the original announcement so they can read it with full context.
Instructors and students
Announcement emails display a small thumbnail for each image instructors include in an announcement. Each thumbnail links to the announcement in Blackboard, so users return to the complete content instead of opening the image file by itself. Instructors continue to create announcements the same way they have before.
Image 1: Announcement email showing images as thumbnail links that open the announcement in Blackboard.
If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.
In the March update, we want to draw your attention to the following Blackboard enhancements:
Updates to tests:
Anonymous grading by question
Question title field relocated
Partial credit Multiple Choice Questions and Multiple Answer
AI Design Assistant Content Editor
Graded Discussions
Blackboard Assignment file limits
Anonymous Grading by Question in Blackboard Tests
Instructors can now grade anonymous by question in addition to grading anonymously by student.
When grading anonymous test submissions in Question View, the interface replaces the student’s name, avatar, and ID with an anonymous identifier and a blank avatar. All functionality available when grading non‑anonymous submissions by question is also available when grading anonymously. When anonymous grading is enabled, related APIs no longer return identifying information. This applies to the Essay Question.
Question Title field relocated
We moved the Question Title field from the beginning of the question authoring workflow to the bottom, underneath the Question metadata field. Moving this field ensures that titles remain an optional metadata element and reduces cognitive load during question creation.
Image 1: Before this enhancement, the Question Title field was at the top of the question authoring workflow.
Image 2: Now, the Question Title field is at the bottom of the question authoring workflow, underneath the Question Metadata field.
Partial credit limits removed for Multiple Choice and Multiple Answer
We updated the partial credit system for Multiple Choice and Multiple Answer questions to allow instructors to assign credit values without the requirement that all designated values sum to 100%. This change supports more flexible grading strategies and enables instructors to represent varying levels of conceptual understanding without adjusting values to meet a fixed total.
The system now allows instructors to enter any partial credit value for each option within a range of –100% to +100%. Validation continues to warn instructors if total values exceed 100%, but it no longer blocks question setup. Instructors may now also enter positive credit values for options that are not marked as the correct answer The total partial credit value for correct answers should be at least 100%, and it may exceed 100%. Negative marking continues to operate when enabled. Instructors can adjust credit values during regrading as well.
Image 1: Instructors can have answer options that do not sum to 100%.
Generate Knowledge Checks with AI
We expanded AI‑assisted authoring to support generating multiple choice Knowledge Checks within Documents. This enhancement allows instructors to create just‑in‑time formative assessments using AI‑generated questions based on the content of their Document and any selected course materials.
When inserting a Knowledge Check, instructors are now presented with two options: Enter my question or Auto generate question. Selecting Auto-generate question opens the Auto-Generate Question panel, which adapts the existing Question panel used in tests and question banks.
When using the Auto generate question option, instructors can define generation inputs with the following fields:
A description text field
A selector to choose course items to inform generation
A complexity level slider with a range from Low to High
Advanced options including an output language selector
An informational banner that states: “This is auto-generated content and needs to be checked for accuracy and bias.”
The system generates four multiple choice questions at a time. Each generated question displays with a radio button so that the instructor can select one question to add to the Document. The instructor can then modify the question, answer options, and feedback after insertion. If the instructor opens the Knowledge Check option but does not add a question, the placeholder block remains empty and behaves as other empty content blocks do.
All questions are generated using only text content from the Document. Consideration of additional media or files will be handled as part of a future release.
Image 1: Instructors can select Enter my question or Auto-generate question when creating a knowledge check.
Image 2: After the system generates questions, the instructor selects which question to add to the Document. After adding a question, instructors can edit the question, question options, and question settings.
Use the AI Design Assistant to suggest Document layouts
If you’re looking for ways in which you can make your Blackboard Documents more visually appealing, then use the AI Design Assistant to suggest Document layouts.
Go to your Document and click to edit the content. Then select the AI Design Assistant icon:
Image 1: AI Design Assistant icon highlighted.
You can provide further information to define the layout:
Image 2: Options available in the layout.
Select Apply layout to save the suggested layout.
Add a second participation requirement and due date in Discussions
Instructors can now add a second due date with participation requirements for Discussions. This update builds on recent enhancements for discussion participation requirements and gives instructors clearer ways to set expectations for discussion activity. Students get transparent guidance for discussion expectations and progress indicators for their participation.
Instructors
Instructors can set how many posts and replies that students must complete across two due dates.
The option Grade discussion must be selected to add a due dates and participation requirements. Enter a time and date under Due Date and specify participation requirements. Selecting Second Due Date adds another due date with its own requirements.
Instructors can disallow student posts or replies after the final due date by selecting Stop discussion activity after last due date.
Image 1: Instructors can now add a second due date for Discussions. They can also specify the number and type of posts or replies that a student is required to make.
Students
When students open a discussion, they find two clear participation requirements with separate due dates. As they post and reply, progress indicators update in real time.
Students can complete requirements in any order, but contributions after a due date won’t count toward that requirement. Once all requirements are met, the discussion is marked complete and Progress Tracking updates.
Image 2: In a Discussion, a student can find due dates in the Details & Information section in the discussion assignment.
Blackboard Assignment file limits
We increased the maximum supported SafeAssign file size from 10 MB to 25 MB. This enhancement supports modern academic workflows in which students frequently submit large documents. The increased file size applies to assignments and tests. Direct Submit will be included in a later release.
If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via bbbstaff@aber.ac.uk.
We recently ran our E-learning Enhanced: Using Turnitin for Peer Assessment training session and wanted to highlight the different tools that are available for Peer Assessment across our Digital Education Platform.
Peer Assessment activities have several benefits to students:
Allow students to invest in and manage their own learning
Shared learning experiences
Reflect on learning
Consider communication and constructing feedback
Develop conversation and collaboration skills
Improve academic achievement
Share responsibility for learning
Develop employability skills around feedback
In group scenarios, identify participants’ contributions
Quick feedback
Building a learning community
For Liu & Carless (2006), “peer assessment and peer feedback … enables students to take an active role in the management of their own learning” (280).
If you are interested in exploring this topic further, we recommend:
Liu, N.-F. & Carless, D. (2006) Peer feedback: the learning element of peer assessment. Teaching in higher education. [Online] 11 (3), 279–290.
Lynch, R., Mannix McNamara, P. & Seery, N. (2012) Promoting deep learning in a teacher education programme through self- and peer-assessment and feedback, European Journal of Teacher Education, 35:2, 179-197, DOI: 10.1080/02619768.2011.643396
Zhu, Q. & Carless, D. (2018) Dialogue within peer feedback processes: clarification and negotiation of meaning. Higher education research and development. [Online] 37 (4), 883–897.
We have several peer assessment tools that are available:
Blackboard Assignment for Peer Assignments
You can add a Rubric to the assignment – student will see this as part of their submission.
After Due date and time has passed, students review submissions see Blackboard web site
After the Peer Review Due Date, staff complete marking (see Blackboard web site)
Student view staff feedback, peer feedback and final mark
Note that:
Students won’t be allocated any reviews if not enough assignments are submitted.
Late submissions will be allocated to students. Late submission is allowed automatically as part of the peer assessment process.
Students do not see any names as part of the review process. You should advise all students not to include personal information on their documents.
Students can provide written feedback in the review process but can’t assign a mark (unless this is included in the text feedback box)
You can add a Rubric to the assignment – student will see this as part of their submission and can refer to it while reviewing. However, they can’t use it to mark work.
You can hide peer reviews if you feel the content isn’t appropriate
Turnitin PeerMark
Workflow
Create a Turnitin Assignment and enable PeerMark
Go back into Turnitin Assignment to set up Peer Mark Settings
Students submit to Turnitin submission point
After PeerMark start date, students are able to view another student’s assignment and leave feedback / scores to questions
PeerMark feedback is visible to students immediately
Discussions are available in every course in Blackboard – these are a great way for students to engage asynchronously with their peers; they can post comments and respond to each others’ posts.
Workflow
Instructor creates a Discussion
Students contribute to the Discussion
Students respond to other Discussion posts
For further advice on creating discussions, please see below for Blackboard guidance:
“For peer review in the classroom to be effective, there is clear evidence that the process needs structure, clear and accessible assessment criteria and appropriate scaffolding sessions for students (Mangelsdorf Citation1992).”
Peer feedback has been used widely within group assessment work, for example, when it comes to ascertaining student participation, and factoring in group contributions. For an example of a group peer marksheet, see this sample template from Carnegie Mellon University.
In the February update, we want to draw your attention to the following Blackboard enhancements:
Use automations to remind students to check their feedback
Stack blocks vertically in Documents
Enhanced achievement usability
Use automations to remind students to check their feedback
Automations are a relatively new feature in Blackboard. The latest feature allows you to automatically send a reminder message to students who have unread feedback after an instructor-defined number of days. This feature saves time by automatically encouraging students to review their feedback, promoting student engagement.
Instructors
This release adds the Send feedback reminder option to the Automation gallery. Go to Automations:
Image 1: View automations under Course Assistants highlighted
Image 2: The Automation gallery now includes Send feedback reminder.
For the automation trigger, instructors select how many days feedback must remain unread before the message is sent.
Image 3: The Automation trigger includes a dropdown menu for the number of unread days.
A default reminder message is provided, and instructors can fully customise it at this stage. The message is sent to the student when the rule is triggered.
Stack blocks vertically in Documents
instructors can stack blocks in a single column in Documents to create cleaner layouts and reduce whitespace. A new toggle in the block toolbar allows switching between column-level and block-level editing. In column mode, actions apply to the entire column. In block mode, instructors can resize, move, or delete individual blocks.
Columns can also be dropped into another block’s area for more flexible layouts. These changes work with existing features such as undo/redo, printing, and AI layout generation. This enhancement also includes accessibility improvements for screen readers.
Image 1: Instructors can stack blocks in a single column, such as next to an image in a column.
Enhanced achievement usability
For students, the Achievements tab displays a count of unread badges. The New pill appears consistently in Earned and To Earn sections. The Delete Badge dialog uses clearer wording. Instructors and students can more easily distinguish between Course Badges and Open Badges with improved labels, icons, and descriptions.
Accessibility updates include improved aria-labels and alt-text. Styling for OpenBadge images has been updated to remove forced round shapes.
Image 1: In the student view, the Achievements tab displays a count of unread badges, and the new badges have a New pill.
If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.
Happy New Year! In the January update, we want to draw your attention to the following Blackboard enhancements:
Minor Update to the Blackboard Interface
Improvements to Document’s layouts
More options for true and false questions
Changes to multiple choice and multiple answer workflows
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:
A new home button in a course to take you back to the landing page:
A quick link to navigate to your recently accessed courses
In addition to this, to maximise screen space, Blackboard will remove the nested folder view.
Improvements to Document’s layouts
To improve usability and accessibility, we restructured the menu for document block layout. Previously, all options for changing the row, size, or position of a block were in a single dropdown list. Now, these options are organized by type of change (row, size, and position).
Selecting the edit icon for a block prompts a menu with three options: Change row, Change [block/column] size, and Change [block/column] position. Each of these options have a sub-menu, with the related actions.
Change row
Move to row above
Move to row below
New row above
Change [block/column] size
Expand to the left
Expand to the right
Shrink from the left
Shrink from the right
Change [block/column] position
Move to the left
Move to the right
Image 1: How document block styling options displayed before
Image 2: How document block styling options display now
More options for true and false questions
We expanded the display options for true/false questions to include:
True/False
Yes/No
Right/Wrong
Agree/Disagree
These additional answer options display when:
Instructors create or edit this question type when building a test or in a question bank
Students answer the question
Instructors grade the question
Students review their submission or graded question
Image 1: True/false questions now include additional options.
Changes to multiple choice and multiple answer workflows
ow students interact with questions. These changes support greater flexibility in assessment design and an improved experience for students.
Instructors
To reduce setup time when creating a multiple choice question, we changed the default number of answer options from three to four. Instructors can add or remove answer options.
Instructors can now define the number of answer selections that a student can make for each multiple choice question. When the student takes the assessment, the system enforces the instructor’s selection limit.
The default is:
4 answer options
partial/negative credit is off (no additional changes made to partial/negative credit for this release)
students can select up to 4 answers
if additional answers are added, selection limit remains at 4
if answers are removed, instructor must select the selection limit
Image 1: Instructors can define the number of answer selections for each multiple choice question.
Students
For questions where students can select only one answer, the selection mechanism is radio buttons. For questions where students can select more than one answer, the selection mechanism is checkboxes.
Image 2: The student’s selection mechanism of checkbox or radio button is determined by how many answers they can select.
If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.
In the December update, we want to draw your attention to the following Blackboard enhancements:
Specify participation requirements for Discussions
Support Inline and Display Formulas in MathJax
Learning Module Table of Contents
Set release conditions for open or started and for non-assessment content items
Improved handling of group membership changes for group assignments
Improved Automations experience
Specify participation requirements for Discussions
Instructors now have greater flexibility when managing student participation in graded Discussions.
With this update, instructors can specify required student responses for a Discussion topic.
Instructors
Instructors can now make clear participation requirements to students. The initial release adds participation requirements to the existing due date(s) for discussions. Instructors can set requirements on the number of required posts and/or replies for a student to fulfil the requirement.
The status of participation requirements is updated through to completion, giving a student a clear understanding of progress made. Participation requirements are linked to progress tracking, so that will be accurately displayed for the student to monitor.
This update does not affect grading workflows or Gradebook structure.
Image 1: Instructors being able to set participation requirements in discussion settings.
Students
The new participation requirements in Discussions give students a clearer understanding of instructor expectations in an assigned Discussions topic. Students can monitor their progress both in the assigned Discussions topic as well as in Progress Tracking.
Image 2: Showing the complete state when all the requirements have been met.
Support Inline and Display Formulas in MathJax
MathJax support in the Content Editor now includes additional LaTeX delimiters for rendering mathematical formulas. This update improves compatibility with standard STEM workflows and simplifies uploading exam content without changing source files.
Instructors and students can now use:
\(…\) for inline equations
\[…\] for display equations
These options are in addition to the existing $ delimiters. Expanded support improves the experience of working with mathematical notation in Ultra courses and enhances visual clarity for complex expressions such as integrals, sums, and products.
Learning Module Table of Contents
Instructors now have access to a collapsible Table of Contents panel in Learning Modules. This update mirrors the student experience and supports consistent navigation across roles.
The Table of Contents panel includes all items in a learning module. Select Contents to open or collapse the panel. Instructors can navigate the full module structure and align course design with the student experience.
Image 1: Instructor view of a Learning Module with the Table of Contents panel open.
For smaller screen sizes, when an instructor sets up an assignment within a learning module, the settings panel moves from the right-hand side into the header bar. This is signified by a settings cog.
The change has been made to allow more space on the screen with the left-handed table of contents available. Users accessing that board on smaller screens, you will notice that the settings cog has moved to the header bar for that particular piece of assessment.
Set release conditions for open or started and for non-assessment content items
We expanded release conditions to include activity on items including non-assessment content. This enhancement allows conditions to be based on whether a student has opened or started content items such as documents, media, or course links. Instructors can now control access based on whether a student has opened or started a prerequisite content item.
Key options for release conditions:
Unopened: The student has not accessed the item.
Opened or Started: The student has accessed the item.
For example, an instructor can require students to open a reading or watch a video before an assessment becomes available.
Improved handling of group membership changes for group assessments
We’ve enhanced Flexible Grading and the Submissions page for group assessments to better handle changes in group memberships. These improvements ensure grading accuracy and reduce confusion when groups are modified after submissions:
On the Submissions page, if all members are removed from a group:
The group avatar displays a ? icon.
A No members label appears.
The group name becomes non-selectable.
For active groups, the Flexible Grading interface always shows the current group members for each attempt.
Image 1: On the Submissions page, a No Members label appears in groups with no members.
Image 2: The Flexible Grading interface shows the current group members for each attempt.
Improved Automations experience
Back in October we launched automations – an automated messaging tool to contact students based on marks in the gradebook.
Several enhancements have been made to automations in this month’s updated:
Instructors
Better visibility of Automations actions
Users can now check the status of each automation directly from the list.
Each automation now displays who executed it, increasing transparency in multi-instructor courses.
Cleaner interface and more intuitive interactions, including:
Pagination on the automation list for smoother navigation.
Improved error messaging and validation when configuring numeric inputs.
Minor layout and usability improvements for the automation rules panel.
String and localisation improvements.
Image 1: There is an indicator of the status of each automation in the list (active or inactive). The last person to execute the action is stated under each automation, and an error message is displayed for an automation that is incorrectly configured.
If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.
A huge thank you to all the staff who we’re involved in Fix Your Content Day on 18th and 19th November. This was the first time that AU signed up to the Day, and we’re pleased to announce that we placed 60th in the official leader board.
120 institutions took part from across the world. There were 13 institutions from the UK and Aberystwyth placed 3rd in the UK.
AU staff made 125 changes to content through Blackboard Ally in the 24 hours of the competition. During our drop-in afternoon, we were able to provide guidance on headings and styles, font colours and contrast, as well as handwritten documents and PDFs. Each of those 125 changes make it easier for students to engage with their learning materials.
We’re also pleased to announce that the overall Ally score for 2025-26 courses on 19th November was 74.9% – an increase of 5.3% from the previous year.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait until the next Fix Your Content Day to use Ally. You can use Ally any time you like – it’s quick and easy to use for both existing and new content.
A big thanks to all staff who have taken the time to check on the accessibility of their course materials and made changes to them.
On November 18, Aberystwyth University will join institutions worldwide for Fix Your Content Day 2025, hosted by Anthology. If you are wondering about what this means, or whether to take part, then here are a few reasons to get involved.
Every change – big or small – makes a difference to our students. Making Blackboard content as accessible as possible benefits all our students. Having materials in a format that students can use easily means that they can focus on their learning rather than struggling with inaccessible formats. The choices that staff make to design accessible materials, as well as the Ally Alternative Format tools, help us to make sure that all students can engage with their studies.
It’s particularly important here at AU, as the latest HERA data show that over 28% of our students have a declared disability (compared to 16.7% nationally).
Drop-in session open to all. Although our e-learning staff are always willing to help you with accessibility, we’ll have dedicated support available in B23 Llandinam during the afternoon of 18th. Come along and we can show you how to use Ally or discuss any particular issues you have with your course materials. And tea and biscuits will be available!
And finally, taking part in Fix Your Content Day is part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that all students can engage with learning materials.
