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.
Last month we had the pleasure of welcoming our Education and Student Experience Award recipients to an event.
The Education and Student Experience Award fund was launched last year at our Education and Student Experience Conference.
The event aimed to give colleagues undertaking these projects and their supporters, as well as the panel, an update on progress – to share successes, as well as identify any challenges that colleagues might have come across.
Each of the four projects gave a presentation.
Please read below for an overview of each project and the PDF files associated with each presentation.
Project 1: The Aber Medieval Physic Garden
Led by Elizabeth New (History & Welsh History), alongside Sian Nicholas, Eleri Phillips, and a student steering committee. The aim of this project is to create an outdoor amenity for staff and students that support education and recreation on campus. The project seeks to enhance students’ learning through collaborative mentored historical research, gardening, and public engagement.
Project 2: Developing a Sustainable Student Gear Hub
This project is led by Emma Sheppard (DGES), alongside Toni Beardmore, Eleri Phillips, Morgan Jones, Emma Butler-Wray, Hywel Griffiths, and Tom Holt.
The aim of the project is to promote accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences by developing a ‘library of things’ for student borrowing and use.
The library will make use of second-hand useable resources and students will be able to participate in repair cafes, making the library sustainable.
Toni Beardmore and Eleri Phillips presented at the event. Please see their slideshow below:
Project 4: Pulling together – supporting teamwork assessment more effectively
Department of Life Science’s Scott Tompsett is collaborating with Cal Walters-Davies and Caroline White from Student Journey to identify common issues for students in relation to group work.
They are investigating how to make groupwork more accessible to neurodivergent students.
They aim to develop a suite of resources for students and teaching staff to better facilitate group work and will test these in several modules.
Scott presented at the event and the slides from the presentation are below.
We’re sure that you will agree that these are such worthwhile projects.
You can hear more about these projects at the 14th Education and Student Experience Conference between 08 and 10 September.
Bookings for the conference, as well as the call for proposals is now open. You can find further information on our blog.
We are delighted to announce that we will be running the Education and Student Experience Awards again next year. The awards will be tied to the conference theme and will be open to conference attendees.
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.
We’ve got topics on neurodiversity and ai, neurodiversity and employability, and improving teaching for neurodiverse students amongst many other topics.
In the afternoon, we are running a series of workshops which delegates can sign up to attend.
We are delighted to announce the winner of this year’s annual Exemplary Course Award.
Congratulations to our joint winners:
Dr Christopher Phillips from International Politis for the award-winning course: IP25320: Warfare after Waterloo: Military History 1815-1918
Dr Catrin Wyn-Edwards from International Politics for the award-winning course: IPM3120: Race, (Im)mobility, and Incarceration.
The panel noted exemplary practices in the following areas:
Community ethos and student co-creation activities
Seminar packs with clear guidance and additional materials to expand on the main topic
Ethos of the module as part of the welcome and orientation
Clear and accessible module structures
Variety of source types
A range of assessment and feedback opportunities
Optional exercises for developing essay writing and critical thinking skills
Reading list organised into different sections
Embedding learning outcomes throughout the course
Many congratulations to our highly commended and commended recipients:
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences’ Dr Tristram Irvine-Fynn and Dr Hywel Griffiths for the course GS25520: Glacial and Fluvial Processes and Theatre Film and Television Studies’ Dr Lara Kipp for the course FM22120: Production Design Skills.
These 2 courses demonstrated some excellent practices, including innovative virtual field trip activities, anonymous student feedback mechanisms, authentic assessment design, and clarity on generative AI usage. 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.
Please complete this form no later than 22 May 2026.
The theme for this year’s conference is:
Co‑Creating Inclusive Futures: Flexible, Diverse, and Competency‑Driven Learning
The main strands of this year’s conference are:
Diversifying the Curriculum for Equity and Belonging
Building inclusive, decolonised curricula that reflect diverse identities and experiences, advancing the Race Equality Charter.
Flexible Learning for a Changing Landscape
Hybrid, blended, and accessible learning designs that support varied learner needs through thoughtful pacing, structure, and technology.
Competency‑Driven Learning
Clear, meaningful integration of skills, graduate attributes, and real‑world application of competencies.
Students as Co‑Creators and Collaborators
Authentic student–staff collaboration in curriculum design, assessment, research, and decision‑making.
Staff and students are welcome to propose sessions on any topic relating to learning and teaching, especially those that focus on the incorporation and use of technology. Even if your suggestion doesn’t fit into a particular strand, other topics are welcome.
We seek to encourage presenters to consider using alternative formats that reflect and suit the content of their sessions. As such, we are not specifying a standardised presentation format.
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.
