Category: Blackboard

What’s New in Blackboard December 2024

WordPress User [rsf09] Blackboard, Blackboard Discussion Boards, Monthly Update, Ultra Leave a comment

This December Blackboard has made it easier to see new posts in Discussions and late submissions in Blackboard Assignments (not Turnitin). Additionally, we highlight the release of AI Conversations in Blackboard and the Online Mini Conference on 18 December.  

Discussion Enhancement: New Post Indicator 

Related Blackboard Topic: Discussions  

Blackboard have added a “New” indicator that displays next to posts and replies that a user has not yet accessed. This helps direct engagement by making new discussion activity easier to find and access.  

Image 1. The “New” indicator alongside a post and a reply 

The "New" indicator alongside a post and a reply 

Please also see the section on the Ability to ‘Follow’ Discussions for Enhanced Engagement from the August 2024 Update 

Improvements for late submissions 

Related Blackboard Topic: Grade Assignments with Flexible Grading 

To help instructors quickly identify late submissions in the attempt banner, late submissions now have a Late indicator. Blackboard also updated the wording from Submitted late <date> to Submitted <date>. 

Also of note this month: 

  • We released the AI Conversations in Blackboard which is a chat bot for students to interact with and test their knowledge as part of a learning activity which Instructors can give a persona. It uses both Socratic questioning and role play. 

NEW: AI Conversations in Blackboard

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Generative AI, Technical Updates, Training and Support, Ultra, Ultra Leave a comment

The latest AI Design Assistant feature has been enabled in Blackboard.

AI Conversations provides a chat bot for students to interact with as part of a learning activity.

There are two AI Conversation options:

  • Socratic questioning
    • This encourages students to think critically through continuous questioning prompts
  • Role play
    • This allows students to play out a scenario with the AI persona designed and created by the instructor

Once set up, students can engage in these activities to further their knowledge and understanding of the topic.

Students type a response to the questions posed by the AI chat bot. At the end of the activity, students respond to a reflective question to outline how the conversation helped with their understanding of the topic.

We will be showcasing AI Conversations at our online Mini Conference on Wednesday 18 December. Further information is available on our blogpost.

Our E-learning Enhanced: Introduction to the AI Design Assistant training has also been updated to include AI Conversations. You can book your place on the course on the Events and Training booking system.

For further information, see Blackboard’s AI Conversation guidance.

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Blackboard Original Practice Organisations to be removed

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Technical Updates, Ultra Leave a comment

Blackboard Original Practice Organisations will be removed on Thursday 9 January 2025.

These Practice Organisations are in Original, the old version of Blackboard.

All staff have an Ultra practice organisations with the naming convention First Name, Last Name Ymarfer Ultra / Ultra Practice Course (Ultra_username) which can be accessed from the Organisation tab on the lefthand menu.

Content from the Original Practice Organisation can be copied over to the Ultra Practice Organisation. See our FAQ for further information.

Further information on the move of Organisations from Original to Ultra is available on this blogpost.

Please contact  elearning@aber.ac.uk if you have got any questions regarding this process.

Online Mini Conference: Exemplary Blackboard Presence

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Conference, Events and Networks, Exemplary Course Award, Mini Conference 2024 Blackboard Exemplary Practice Leave a comment
Distance Learner Banner

The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit is pleased to announce its final event of the year.

On Wednesday 18 December (10:00-14:30), we will be hosting an online Mini Conference looking at Exemplary Blackboard Presence.

We’re delighted to be joined by two external presenters.

  • Carol Chatten is from the University of Edge Hill and will be showcasing their Medical and Education Course. This course recently won Blackboard’s ECP.
  • Robert Farmer from the University Northampton will be sharing their course on Critical Thinking which also won Blackboard’s ECP.

Also joining us to share their winning courses are School of Education’s Panna Karlinger and Law and Criminology’s Lauren Harvey. Both entered our internal Exemplary Course Award last year.

We’re hoping that this event will inspire attendees and give colleagues ideas as to how they can develop their courses ahead of Semester 2.

We’re also using this event as a springboard to start thinking about an enhanced Blackboard presence.

And finally, we’ll be sharing the latest AI Design Assistant tool that we’re looking to enable in January: AI Conversations. This builds on the other AI Design Assistant tools that we already have enabled in Blackboard.

Colleagues can book for this half day event via the online booking system and a Teams invitation will be sent out.

We hope that you can join us.

Do let us know if you have any questions (elearning@aber.ac.uk).

Ally AI Alt Text Assistant

WordPress User [kaw] Accessibility, Blackboard, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) Leave a comment

If you are stuck for ideas for the alternative text on your images, the Ally AI Alt Text Assistant can give you suggestions.

Screenshot of the ALT Text screen with Auto-generate description highlighted

You should always check the suggestion provided by the AI Assistant as it may not always provide an accurate description of the image. You can edit any the AI generated suggestions.

Have a look at the accessible learning material guidance to find out why Alt Text is important. The Poet training tool provides guidance on how and when to use Alt Text as well as online tools to practice creating useful Alt text for images (please note that the Poet web site is an external site and is not available in Welsh).

What’s New in Blackboard November 2024 

WordPress User [rsf09] Blackboard, Ultra, Ultra Leave a comment

The November Blackboard Update includes improvements to printing Tests, Documents and Batch Editing. 

Print Tests with questions from Question Pools 

Related Blackboard Help topic: Question Pools 

Instructors can now print tests that include questions from Question Pools. An answer key will also be printed with the corresponding test. This ensures that Instructors always have an answer key that matches the test. Blackboard generates the answer key and prints it ahead of the test. The answer key is also clearly labelled to ensure awareness.   

The system generates a different version of the answer key and test each time a test is printed when the test: 

  • Randomizes questions or answer options   
  • Includes Question Pools 
  • Instructors can use the print option to save the answer key and test as a PDF.   

Image 1. Printing a test 

Printing a test 

Improvement to Resizing Blocks in Documents 

Related Blackboard Help Topic: Create Documents   

To help with resizing blocks that are vertically tall, Blackboard have modified the resize handle. Now, instructors can resize a block by selecting the vertical edge of a block. It is not necessary to place the mouse directly over the handle.  

Image 1. Resize handle in a Document 

Resize handle in a Document 

For more information on Blackboard Documents see our previous blogpost on Enhancements to Blackboard Documents. 

Batch Edit: Usability Improvement  

Related Blackboard Help Topic: Batch Edit  

“Change dates to a specific date and/or time” is the most popular option used in Batch Edit to change dates in a batch, so it is now the default option. This change simplifies the process for users and helps instructors to prepare courses for teaching and learning even faster.  

Image 1. Edit Dates option in Batch Edit 

Edit Dates option in Batch Edit 

Exemplary Course Award 2024-25

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Exemplary Course Award Leave a comment
ECA logo: Exemplary Course Award with the four criteria showing in a circle: Course design Interaction and Collaboration Assessment Learner Support

We are delighted to announce that the Exemplary Course Award for 2024-25 is now open.

The ECA is judged across 4 categories:

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

Applicants are asked to introduce 3 standout practices for their Course to help frame their application before self-assessing their course – this can be a 1,000 word narrative or an 8-minute Panopto recording.

Following the self-assessment, the courses are assessed by a panel of experts.

The changes to this year’s form include:

  1. The addition of 1.13 criteria: a Blackboard Ally score of 85% or more.
  2. The ability to request reports on your course (Student Engagement and Course Summary). These reports can be requested from the Digital Education Group (elearning@aber.ac.uk).

To help prepare for applications, two workshops are being run by the Digital Education Group on:

  • 14 January 2025, 14:10-15:30
  • 20 January 2025, 10:10-11:30

Places can be booked via the online booking page.

Application forms can be downloaded from the Digital Education Group’s webpages.

Completed applications need to be emailed to elearning@aber.ac.uk before 12 noon on Friday 31 January 2025.

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

What’s New in Blackboard October 2024 

WordPress User [rsf09] Blackboard, Monthly Update, Ultra, Uncategorised Leave a comment

The October Blackboard Update includes generating question banks from course materials and more  customisation options for email notifications. 

Generate question banks from course materials 

Related Blackboard Guidance Topic: Question Banks  

Creating questions is time consuming. Instructors now have the option to generate questions in a question bank. Generating question banks from course materials provides inspiration and saves time.  

To generate a question bank, select the Auto-generate option from the + on the Question Banks page.  

Image 1. Auto-generate a question bank 

Question bank main screen with the dropdown selected and Auto-generated appearing

From the menu, instructors can select content items. These content items provide context for the questions. Instructors can further refine the questions they ask by entering a description of the learning objectives or topic.  

Image 2. The context picker for creating new questions 

Selecting items with the context picker 

Instructors can select the type of question to generate, such as multiple choice or fill in the blank. The complexity of the questions can also be adjusted. Instructors choose which questions to include in the question bank.  

Image 3. The Auto-Generate Question Bank page

Question bank generation page, showing options on the left and questions on the right 

Email notifications for followed discussions 

Related Blackboard Guidance Topic: Discussions  

To encourage participation in discussions, Blackboard have expanded notifications to include email. Emails are sent when users opt for Email me right away notifications.  

Key Enhancements:   

User Notification Settings: New notification options allow users to manage their emails for discussions they follow. To help with consistency, these settings align with the user’s settings for their activity stream.  

  • Activity on my responses  
  • Activity on responses I have replied to  
  • Responses from instructors  
  • Responses for followed discussions  
  • Replies for followed discussions  

How to access your Email notification settings: 

  • In Blackboard go into your Profile 
The Blackboard navigation menu with the user profile highlighted  
  • Under Global Notification Settings click on Email notifications  
Email notifications highlighted under Global Notification settings 

Email notifications highlighted under Global Notification settings 

  • Adjust your settings as you prefer 
Notification settings for emails 

Image 2. An example of an email for discussion activity 

Example email notification of discussion activity 

Blackboard Assignment with SafeAssign Pilot

WordPress User [kaw] Blackboard, E-submission, Feedback, Marking, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) Leave a comment

A big thank you to all the staff who have signed up to the Blackboard Assignment with SafeAssign pilot. There’s still time to volunteer if you are interested (email elearning@aber.ac.uk).

Since the last blog post, we have made SafeAssign available for use in Blackboard Assignments. We have also held the first two training sessions. More training sessions will be organised for semester one – visit the Events and Training page to book a place.

We’ve been exploring some of the options for marking in Blackboard Assignment that staff might find useful:

  1. Delegated marking allows staff to mark essays by group. If you divide up marking in your modules between several members of staff, then delegated marking will help you.
  2. Parallel marking allows two staff to mark a piece of work independently without seeing each other’s comments or marks.
  3. Anonymous comments. By default, marking comments in Blackboard Assignment contain the name of the staff member marking. If this is not appropriate for your marking, you can make them anonymous (see below).

Please note that deleted Blackboard assignments can be recovered for up to 30 days after deletion. If you need deleted assignments restored, please contact elearning@aber.ac.uk as soon as possible, providing details of module and the assignment name.

Anonymous Comments

When you create a comment, click on the anonymous marking icon

Screenshot of a Blackboard Assignment comment box with the anonymous marking icon highlighted

You can edit existing comments to make them anonymous by clicking on the comment.  Click on the three dots in the top right-hand corner of the comment and then click on Anonymous.

Screenshot of a Blackboard Assignment comment box with the three dots and Anonymous option highlighted

For further information on the marking tools available in Blackboard Assignments, see Blackboard Annotate Guidance.

Supporting your students

To help your students use Blackboard Assignment to submit their work and find their feedback, we strongly recommend that you include the following FAQs in Assessment and Feedback Learning Module in your Blackboard course: