Category: Blackboard

What’s new in Blackboard May 2025

WordPress User [ksg2] Blackboard, Blackboard Tests, E-submission, Monthly Update, Ultra Leave a comment

In the May update, we are particularly excited about auto-generate AI Conversations with the AI Design Assistant, Qualitative Rubrics, and Enhancements to Gradebook and Tests.

New: Auto-generate AI Conversations with the AI Design Assistant

Back in November we launched AI Conversations.

The AI Design Assistant can now auto-generate AI Conversations. AI Conversations are conversations between students and an AI persona.

  • Socratic Questioning: Conversations that encourage students to think critically through continuous questioning.
  • Role-play: Conversations that allow students to play out scenarios with the AI persona, enhancing their learning experience.

Creating personas and topics for an AI Conversation can take a lot of time. To streamline this process, the AI Design Assistant can generate three suggestions at once. You can select what the AI Design Assistant generates. You can choose to generate:

  • AI Conversation title
  • AI persona
  • Reflection question

These suggestions provide inspiration for an AI Conversation. Instructors can refine the AI Design Assistant’s suggestions in several ways:

  • Provide additional context
  • Adjust the complexity of the question
  • Select context from the course
  • Manually revise the question

Image 1. The auto-generate feature is now available in AI Conversations.

Image 2. There are several ways to customise AI Conversations.

We recommend that you look closely at the AI persona to check for any biases that might be there and edit these.

We would love to hear about your use cases of AI Conversations – do let us know via elearning@aber.ac.uk.

New: Qualitative Rubrics

Lecturers can now create and use no-points rubrics for Blackboard Assignments. This rubric type allows instructors to assess student work based on criteria and feedback, rather than numerical values.

Instructors can select No Points as a rubric type when creating or generating a rubric. This option is available alongside existing percentage and points-based rubrics. Instructors can also edit rubrics to switch between different rubric types, including percentage, points range, and no points.

Image 1: No Points option is available in the Rubric Type dropdown.

This feature was requested in our recent Blackboard Assignment (Safe Assign) pilot.

Enhancements to Gradebook and Tests

Accessibility Enhancements to the Gradebook

The Markable Items tab in the Gradebook now features a redesigned interface to improve accessibility and navigation for keyboard-only and screen reader users. This enhancement supports an accessible experience for instructors grading student work, reducing the time and effort required to manage student grades.

With this update, the Gradable Items tab uses a table-based layout to enhance usability:

  • Screen reader users can now hear both header and row announcements, allowing for smoother navigation through student submissions.
  • Keyboard users can now move efficiently across rows or down columns using arrow keys.

Image 1: Gradebook with Markable items tab highlighted

New: Text-based columns in the Gradebook

Instructors can now create custom text-based columns in the Gradebook, giving them the ability to record information for an assessment, such as performance code, group membership, and tutoring information.

These columns allow instructors to record up to 32 characters. The column is not restricted to text input.

Colleague might want to use this to record dissertation supervision teams or markers.

Instructors can:

  • Create text-based columns via the Add workflow in both the grid view and Gradable Items page;
  • Name the column, control student visibility, and add a description;
  • Add and edit text information for a specific student using an inline eidt workflow.

Text-based columns exclude the following:

  • Points values (automatically set to 0 points)
  • Due dates
  • Categories
  • Gradebook calculations and related calculation UIs

Content in text-based columns auto-posts and supports sorting functionality within the Gradebook grid view. Instructors can also download and upload text-based columns using the Gradebook’s upload/download function.

Image 1: Instructors can select Add Text Item to create a text-based column.

Image 2: Instructors can enter column name, set visibility for students, and enter a description for the text-based column.

Students can access text-based columns and associated information in their Gradebook when the column is set to Visible to students.

New test setting: View submission one time

There is a new test result setting option, View submission one time.

When a student completes the test, they can review their answers and detailed feedback, such as which questions were answered correctly.

Image 1: Allow students to view their submission one time highlighted:

Instructors

To access this setting option, select Available after submission in the Assessment results section of the Assessment Settings, then select View submission one time from the Customise when the submission content is visible to students dropdown. This dropdown is available only if Allow students to view their submission is selected.

Note that this setting does not alter the recommended settings for online exams.

Ideas Exchange:

This section aims to keep you updated on progress of enhancements requested on the Blackboard Ideas Exchange.

We are pleased to see the Qualitative Rubric included in this month’s release as this is a feature that was requested as part of the SafeAssign pilot.

If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Blackboard Course Creation 2025-26

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

We will be creating the new blank Blackboard courses for 2025-26 on Monday 2nd June 2025.

Once courses have been created, we will run a weekly feed between the Module Management System and Blackboard to reflect any updates or changes. Students won’t come onto courses until registration has been completed in September.

If you want to know more about why we create blank courses at the start of each academic year, do take a look at our blog post on Course Creation from 2024.

What’s new in Blackboard April 2025

WordPress User [ksg2] Blackboard, Monthly Update, Uncategorised Leave a comment

In the April update, we are particularly excited about a new feature called the Learning Object Repository. There is now the ability to print Blackboard Documents, and updates to the grading and feedback workflow for staff and students.

New: Learning Object Repository

The new Learning Object Repository is an institutional repository designed to centralise resources across courses and organisations.

We can upload items to the Learning Object Repository for instructors to copy into their courses. Note that items copied into courses cannot be edited.

This feature is available for Blackboard Documents at this stage but there are plans to develop options to include files in the future. We have also requested a folder level structure be developed so that we can organise content items for instructors to find.

Over the next couple of months, we will be working on developing the process for colleagues to request for items to be added to the Learning Object Repository. We aim to have this in place ready for your 2025-26 courses.

Some initial ideas from us include links to generic skills resources, generative AI policies, and optional health and safety statements.

If you have any ideas about how we might use the Learning Object Repository, please contact elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Content Designer: Print Document

We have seen some significant changes to the Documents feature in Blackboard over the past 6 months. Now colleagues and students can print these Documents or save to PDF so that they can review content offline.

The print function retains the Document layout. Note that for instructors, knowledge check blocks print with all the question and answer options. All other blocks print as displayed outside of editing mode.

Image 1. The new Print button for Documents is now available for students.

Grading and Feedback

There are some minor enhancements to Grading and Feedback this month.

Indicator to see if a student has reviewed their feedback

In the Gradebook, instructors now have enhanced ability to monitor student engagement with assessment feedback. An indicator on the individual student’s Overview page now displays whether a student has reviewed the feedback for a given assessment.

When a grade is posted, the indicator includes a label of Not reviewed with the existing Completed label in the Status column. When the student reviews the feedback, the status updates to Reviewed with a review timestamp.

If the new grade indicator is reset for the assessment, such as when a grade is updated or if the assessment has multiple attempts, the timestamp updates when the student reviews the feedback again. If all attempts are deleted, the Not reviewed or Reviewed label is removed.

Image 1: Instructor Gradebook view has Reviewed and Not Reviewed labels in the Status column.

To see whether a student has viewed their feedback:

  1. Navigate to the Course
  2. Select View everyone on your course and search for the individual student
  3. Under the Mark screen you will see whether the student has reviewed their feedback

Enhanced grading experience for group submissions

Blackboard Assignment can manage group submissions where a student in a group submits a file, and marks and feedback can be allocated for all students.

In this month’s update the grading interface for group submissions has been updated to match that of individual submissions.

Replace Feedback column with actionable Results column in student Gradebook

The students’ Gradebook has changed to include:

  • A new Results column replaces the Feedback column
  • A View button in the new Results column replaces the Feedback column’s purple feedback icon

When a grade is posted and the new grade indicator (purple circle) is turned on, the View button displays for the assessment.

When students select the View button, the new grade indicator turns off, and students are redirected to their submission. If no submission is made, the side panels with feedback opens. The View button remains unless the instructor deletes the graded submission and all attempts.

Image 1: Previous view of the student Gradebook included Feedback column with feedback icon and new grade indicator when feedback is available for review.

Image 2: New view of the student Gradebook includes an actionable Results column, with the new grade indicator turning off after the student views the feedback.

Ideas Exchange:

This section aims to keep you updated on progress of enhancements requested on the Blackboard Ideas Exchange.

We are pleased to see the Feedback Indicator included in this month’s release. This is a feature that we requested and was important in our recent SafeAssign Pilot survey.

Greek has also been added as an output language for the AI Design Assistant. This was requested by a colleague in Lifelong Learning.

If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Changes to Blackboard Course Roles 

WordPress User [kaw] Blackboard Leave a comment

Over the next few months, we are making the following changes to the course roles in Blackboard.   

Additional Lecturer and Additional Tutor will no longer be available

(from June 2025). 

Teaching staff should be added using the most appropriate role via Module Management (which will feed directly to Blackboard within an hour). Anyone with Additional Lecturer or Additional Tutor in previous years’ courses will keep their access but the roles won’t be available for new enrolments. 

Departmental Administrators and External Examiners will be added to courses with the role of Facilitator  

(from June 2025).  

This will give the same access as before but will help us to make sure that students don’t see these colleagues as teaching members of staff. This should cut down on the possibility of students incorrectly contacting administrators and External Examiners. Note that both External Examiners and Department Administrators will be listed as Facilitators in the Course Register. You will be able to tell which is which because External Examiners don’t have an AU email address (@aber.ac.uk).  

Some surplus roles have been removed

(from March 2025).  

These were mainly roles created for system test purposes. However, if anyone was added with one of the deleted roles, they have been changed to Student. Any queries about enrolments should be sent to elearning@aber.ac.uk.   

Staff with any role must be added to a course via Module Management 

Any staff added manually will be removed from the course on the following Monday night. Student enrolments must be managed via the Student Record. New course enrolments are added within an hour of the change, and students are removed from old course enrolments on the following Monday night. 

You shouldn’t notice too many differences, but it will improve some technical aspects of staff and student access to Blackboard courses.  

These changes to course roles are designed to remove all course roles that have been created in-house at AU. This is because they don’t update as part of the Blackboard monthly updates. This means that course roles may not have the permission to use new tools or an up-to-date Welsh interface. Changing to using just the in-built Blackboard roles should improve access and bilingualism, as well as be more efficient.  The only exception to this is the AU-created Course Viewer role which will remain. We have voted for the Blackboard Ideas Exchange entry for a built-in Course Viewer role, and we will make use of it if it is introduced.  

Following our retention schedule, the removed roles will be finally deleted in 2030 when the last of the courses using them are removed from Blackboard.  

Exemplary Course Award Winner 2024-25

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

We are delighted to announce the winner of this year’s annual Exemplary Course Award.

Congratulations to Mari Dunning from Lifelong Learning for the award-winning course: XM18210: Writing Women: Feminism in Poetry and Prose.

The panel noted exemplary practice in the courses’ clear introduction and design, strong support and guidance, active and engaging participatory activities, and creative tasks. This was all achieved through an accessible and enthusiastic online learning environment.

Many congratulations to our highly commended and commended recipients:

  • Law & Criminology’s Dr Kathy Hampson for the course LC37120: Critical and Radical Criminology
  • Lifelong Learning’s Henrietta Tremlett for the course XM15710: Autobiographical Writing
  • Computer Science’s Dr Yasir Saleem Shaikh for the course CSM0120: Programming for Scientists

These 3 courses demonstrated some excellent practices, including: clear and accessible structures, effective use of weekly quizzes, engaging and varied activities, clear marking and feedback processes, creative assessment design, and well-designed learning objectives communicated with clarity.

The award is assessed based on a rubric across four areas:

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

The courses were of such a high standard, and we look forward to sharing their practices with you in due course.

Many congratulations to this year’s well-deserved recipients.

Blackboard Achievements

WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Technical Updates, Uncategorised Leave a comment
Screenshot of the Achievements tab and associated badges in a Blackboard course

We have enabled a new feature on Blackboard called Achievements.

Achievements allow instructors to link student achievement to badges to help recognise their accomplishment or proficiency.

See Blackboard Help for an overview of achievements. The help site will give you advice on the types of activities they can be used for as well as how to set them up.

To create a badge, you need to associate it with a Gradebook column – such as a test, assignment, or Turnitin. You can specify a certain level that needs to be attained to generate the badge. 

Students can then view their achievements on the course or organisation from the Achievements tab. We’d welcome working with colleagues to explore how achievements could be used at a scheme or department level.

What’s new in Blackboard March 2025

WordPress User [ksg2] Blackboard, Blackboard Discussion Boards, E-submission, Marking, Monthly Update, Ultra Leave a comment

What’s new in Blackboard March 2025

In the March update, Blackboard has changed how release conditions work with due dates and included the ability to copy banners from one course to another. Other updates include enhancements to Tests, Assignments, & Gradebook, and Discussions.

Release conditions panel: due dates now included

When instructors customise release conditions for a content item, the due date for the item is now included with the date and time fields.

Image 1: The due date of a content item now displays after the date and time fields

The due date of a content item now displays after the date and time fields

.Release condition rules, with the date/time section highlighted to show the red warning text about dates

This means that due dates must be between the release conditions of Date/Time that have been applied.

Copy banners between courses

Instructors now have the option to copy banners between courses. Banners can be copied from Ultra or Original courses. 

Image 1: The Copy Items page now has the option to select the course banner under Settings

The Copy Items page now has the option to select the course banner under Settings

Follow the instructions on copying content for further information.

Tests, Assignments, and Gradebook

The following enhancements are grouped under tests, assignment, and gradebook activities.

New student submission review page for tests

A new and enhanced student-facing submission review page for tests has been developed.

The new layout means that all feedback is clearly laid out and easy for students to identify.

Image 1: The student view of the graded test submission includes a submission timestamp, submission receipt, and feedback for individual questions.

The student view of the graded test submission includes a submission timestamp, submission receipt, and feedback for individual questions.

If the test is visible and feedback has been posted, students can access the review page from:

  • The gradebook feedback button for the test
  • The small panel that displays when students access a test from the Course Content page

If a student submits multiple attempts, they can review each attempt on the submission review page. The instructor defines which attempt to grade in the test’s final grade calculation setting.

Please note that this does not affect online exams as we advise that the test is hidden from students to prevent them seeing their results.

Show/hide calculated columns in the gradebook

Instructors can now configure visibility for calculated columns from Items Management in the Gradebook by click on the associated calculation:

Image showing markable items in the Gradebook

Pop-out rubric with Blackboard Assignment

Grading rubrics on Blackboard Assignments can pop out into a separate window as part of the assignment workflow.

Image 1: Instructors can pop out the rubric by selecting the expand icon in the rubric panel.

Instructors can pop out the rubric by selecting the expand icon in the rubric panel.

When the pop-out rubric is open, the ability to add Overall Feedback and grade with the rubric in the main grading interface is inactive. This prevents an instructor from editing the same information in two separate places simultaneously.

We recommend using two screens with this enhancement.

Discussions

Usability improvements for Discussions

Several improvements have been made to Discussions:

  • Improved visibility: Posts now have a grey background to stand out better against the page.
  • Full post display: Long discussion posts are now fully visible without the need for scrolling, enhancing readability.

Image 1. A long discussion post displayed in its entirety with a grey background.

A long discussion post displayed in its entirety with a grey background.

We made several changes to enhance the accessibility of key features on the discussion home page.

  • Participation metrics: The number of posts and replies is now listed directly on the discussion home page, replacing the total response counter. This change makes important information more immediately available.
  • Direct edit option: The Edit button is now directly accessible from the post, saving instructors time.

Image 2. The changes made to the discussion home page included the addition of an Edit button and a count of posts and replies.

The changes made to the discussion home page included the addition of an Edit button and a count of posts and replies.

Hidden Discussions tab from student course view

The Discussions page will only be available to students if any of the below conditions are met:

  • Students have permission to create new discussions
  • The instructor has created a discussion or discussion folder on the course

Anonymous discussions: New privilege to reveal author

System administrators can now reveal the identity of the author of an anonymous discussion post or reply. If you are running an anonymous Discussion and need to de-anonymise a comment, contact elearning@aber.ac.uk outlining the course, discussion, and post, as well as the rationale for requesting it be de-anonymised.

If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Update on Blackboard Assignment and SafeAssign Pilot

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

Since September 2024, Information Services (IS) have been running a pilot of Blackboard Assignment and SafeAssign to evaluate the use of SafeAssign. This is part of our commitment to making sure that we are using the best tools available. The purpose of this blogpost is to summarise the outcomes of our pilot.  

18 staff volunteered to use Blackboard Assignment for submission and marking, and SafeAssign for text-matching. These staff were based in seven different departments and taught a range of UG and PG modules. All staff were offered training and provided with written guidance on using both Blackboard Assignment and SafeAssign. The training sessions provided an opportunity for staff to discuss different assessment scenarios with E-learning staff and to ascertain the suitability for Blackboard Assignment and SafeAssign. We also sent out surveys to staff on their use of e-marking and feedback tools. 

A big thanks to all the staff and students involved in the pilot and all those who completed the surveys.  

Outcome

AU will continue to use our current suite of e-assessment tools: 

  • Turnitin 
  • Blackboard Assignment 
  • Blackboard Tests  
  • Assessed Blackboard Tools 

The pilot allowed us to reflect on the requirements for an e-assessment solution. It was clear from this that we need a combination of different solutions for different assessment requirements.    

We would recommend Blackboard Assignment be used for: 

  • Multi-part assignments 
  • A Welsh language interface for marking and submission 
  • Panopto submissions  

One of the main purposes of the pilot was to investigate the efficacy of SafeAssign and its functionality as a text matching solution. Over the next few months, with input from stakeholders, we will decide whether we leave SafeAssign switched on and we’ll communicate this decision after Easter.  

Survey Results

As well as taking part in training, staff in the pilot were asked to complete a survey before and after using Blackboard Assignment and SafeAssign. The first survey was about their use of Turnitin, and the second one was about their experiences of using Assignment and SafeAssign. 

We also sent out the first survey to all staff asking for their feedback on Turnitin, and use of Turnitin tools that have no equivalent in SafeAssign. This survey was designed to help us understand whether any of the features in Turnitin are essential to the AU marking and feedback process.  Overall, 71 staff took part in these first surveys.  

Some of the most frequently used and important features in Turnitin are not currently available in Blackboard and SafeAssign. Two of these were ranked as regularly used:  

  1. Timed and automatic release of marks and feedback (78% of respondents)  
  1. Seeing whether students have viewed marks (60% of respondents)  

Three features ranked as essential from an e-assessment solution:  

  1. Timed release of marks (66% of respondents)  
  1. Submitting on behalf of students (51% of respondents)  
  1. Revealing individual names whilst marking anonymously (51% of respondents)  

The key finding from the survey was that timed release of marks is considered both important and used frequently by staff, making it an essential requirement for any AU marking and feedback system.  

The second survey was sent to just the pilot group and asked them about their use of the tools in Blackboard Assignment and SafeAssign, as well as their recommendations for changing submission and marking tools. 6 staff responded to this survey.  They generally found it easy to use Blackboard and SafeAssign and didn’t report many problems for either them or their students. However, they highlighted limitations in functionality, which meant that some of the pilot group didn’t end up using Blackboard and SafeAssign at all: 

  • Issues navigating the marking interface 
  • File size upload limit (SafeAssign will only check files less than 10Mb) 
  • Lack of automated marks release  

Anthology Ideas Exchange

Anthology Ideas Exchange allows all Blackboard institutions to request and vote on functionality enhancements to the product.  As a result of training sessions and staff feedback, we made 21 suggestions via the Anthology Ideas Exchange. These were a mix of Turnitin functionality that doesn’t have an equivalent in SafeAssign, as well as changes to existing SafeAssign functionality. Some examples include: 

Enhancement Request Ideas Exchange Status 
Schedule grade posting 3052 Future consideration 
See if students have viewed feedback 1612 Planning to implement in the next 6+ months 
Anonymous marking switched off before grades released 1685 Follow up 
Annotate comment library export / import 1751 Future consideration 
Submit on behalf of students 164 Planning to implement but this will initially only be to submit in draft attempts made by students. 
Scheduled Grade Posting 3052 Future consideration 
Increase file size limit for SafeAssign 5711 136 Future consideration 

If you have suggestions or changes for any part of Blackboard on that you would like us to add to the Ideas Exchange, please email elearning@aber.ac.uk. You may also be interested in the new section in our monthly update blog which highlights any Ideas Exchange ideas that we have added or voted for which have been added to Blackboard.  

What’s new in Blackboard – February 2025

WordPress User [brr26] Blackboard, Monthly Update Leave a comment
, , , , , , ,

In the February update, Blackboard has improved the workflows for Assignments and Tests and further enhanced the AI Design Assistant. Additionally, there are new options for managing and creating content and some improved accuracy when uploading grades and feedback.

Assignments, Tests, Marking and Grades

Conversion of existing assignments to new assignment workflow

The Create Test and Create Assignment workflows used to share the same content settings, but the workflows have been separated since last August. This month’s update will run an automatic bulk conversion of any assignments created before August 2024 to ensure that all assignments past and present will benefit from this new workflow. See the August 2024 Blog for details on the workflow differences.

Assignments following the conversion: There will be no option to add questions to assignments and attempts will only be created with students interact with the assignment, such as submitting a file or adding content. Clicking on the assignment will not create an attempt.

Tests following the conversion: Tests with questions will remain the same. Any tests without questions will be set to Hidden from students. When you copy tests over from previous modules, they will also be set to Hidden from students. Some assignment-specific options have been removed from the test settings menu:

  • Collect submissions offline
  • Use grading rubric
  • Maximum points
  • 2 grades per student
  • Peer review

Additionally, the functionality for student visibility options and release conditions for tests have been updated. Now, instructors must add one or more questions to their test to make it visible to students or to add release conditions. This ensures that students only see assessments that they can actively engage with.

Image 1: Settings panel with assignment-specific options removed.

Settings panel with assignment-specific options removed

Masking access codes for Tests

In the past, when an exam invigilator entered an access code for an online exam using Blackboard Tests, the code was visible on the screen when entered. This compromised the security of the testing environment. Now, the code is masked (******) to ensure enhanced security. An option to view the code is available but the default state keeps it hidden which provides better privacy and protection during exams.
Image 2: Masked Access Code.

Screenshot of Masked Access Code

Improved accuracy when uploading grades and feedback

Instructors can now upload grades and feedback for assignments, journals, and discussions with improved accuracy. Previously, uploaded grades were always stored at the override level, which left any underlying attempts or submissions ungraded. This caused the Needs Grading and New Submission flags to remain visible, even when grading had been completed offline. Uploaded grades and feedback are now correctly mapped to the corresponding attempt or submission which reduces confusion and provides better clarity for instructors. See guidance on Working Offline with Grade Data for further information.

AI Design Assistant

More generated questions and Learning Modules

When using the AI Design Assistant, instructors can now set the number of questions generated for tests and question banks to a maximum of 20. The maximum number of learning modules that the AI Design Assistant generates also increased to 20. There is also an added option to exclude descriptions from learning modules generated by the AI Design Assistant. Instructors now have the option to write their own descriptions.

Image 3: The Auto-Generate Questions page displays a new maximum number of questions of 20.

Screenshot of the Auto-Generate Questions page displays a new maximum number of questions of 20.

For more information on the tools available with the AI Design Assistant see Blackboard AI Design Assistant Tools.

Managing and Creating Content

New image block on Document creator

Blackboard have added a new image block to Documents. Image blocks are used to upload your own images, use the AI Design Assistant to generate images, or select images from Unsplash. Image blocks can be moved throughout a Document, just like other block types. You have the option to resize images, set height, and maintain aspect ratios in image blocks.

Image 4: The new image block option in Documents.

A screenshot of the new image block option in Documents.

A dedicated image block makes adding images more apparent. Adding images via the image block also reduces white space around images and provides greater control over content design. For more information on using Documents in Blackboard see Enhancements to Documents.

Changing Folders to Learning Modules

Instructors can now change a folder to a learning module or a learning module to a folder. Benefits of changing a folder to a learning module include:

  • Thumbnail images: Learning modules come with thumbnail images, which provide a visually appealing course experience.
  • Forced sequencing: Instructors can force students to navigate learning modules in linear paths.
  • Progress bar: Learning modules have a progress bar for students that highlights the number of items that they need to complete and their progression on those items.
  • Previous and next navigation: Students can quickly navigate to the next or previous item in a learning module.

It is also possible to convert a learning module to a folder, though we would not recommend this, as it will remove the added benefits of using learning modules as listed above.

Image 5: The new option to change a folder to a learning module in the dropdown menu.

Screenshot of the new option to change a folder to a learning module in the dropdown menu.

Idea Exchange

This section aims to keep you updated on progress of enhancements requested on the Blackboard Anthology Idea Exchange. The following three items have changed their status to ‘Planning to implement’:

  • Support for a Dark Mode in Ultra Courses
  • Ability to add metadata to questions in tests and banks
  • Organising Pools

If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with the Digital Education Group.

Accommodations and Exceptions

WordPress User [kaw] Blackboard, Blackboard Tests, E-submission, Tests, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) Leave a comment
Blackboard Logo - Blackboard by Anthology

Blackboard has some options that you can use make sure students get any individual assessment arrangements they may need.

Accommodations are applied to a student on a course level and will apply to any Blackboard Assignment or Test in the course. However, it does not apply to Turnitin assignments. Accommodations are good for students who have an ongoing arrangement that does not vary between assignments on the same course.

Students can have a Due Date accommodation or Time Limit Accommodation.

With a Dute Date Accommodation, work will never be marked as late in gradebook, although you are able to see when it was submitted. A Time Limit Accommodation gives the student extra time on any assessment with a timer.

Students with accommodations have a flag which is visible only to staff in the Grade Book, Roster, and on the Assessment. If a student with an accommodation is part of a group assignment, all students in the group will have the accommodation applied for that assignment.

Exceptions are made for students at a course level for individual assignments. Again, they do not apply to Turnitin assignments. Exceptions are good for students who may have a deadline extension for an individual piece of work. Exceptions can be used for additional attempts, rescheduled due dates, or extended access. Exceptions can only be applied to non-anonymous submissions – this means that they are useful for multiple choice tests that don’t require manual marking.  They are visible only to staff through the Gradebook or Test Submission page.

All the information about Accommodations and Exceptions is available on the Blackboard Support site.