What’s new in Blackboard April 2026

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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.

Mini Conference: Neurodiversity, Tuesday 14 April: Programme Announcement

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On 14 April, Student Journey with the Department of Psychology will be hosting their next Mini Conference, this time focusing on Neurodiversity.

This event will take place in person.

We’re excited to announce our programme.

The programme is available on our webpages.

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.

There is still time for colleagues to sign up.

Please sign up via the training booking site.

If you have any further questions, please contact the conference organisers on elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Exemplary Course Award Winners 2025-26

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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.

Exemplary Course Award

Call for Proposals: 14th Education and Student Experience Conference, 8-10 September 2026

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We are now inviting proposals for the 14th Annual Education and Student Experience Conference, Tuesday 8-Thursday 10 September 2026.

Submit and view the call for proposals online.

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.

Booking already open

Colleagues can already book their place at this year’s Education and Student Experience. Please complete this booking form.

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

What’s new in Blackboard March 2026

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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.

Peer Assessment Tools available in our virtual learning environment

WordPress User [ksg2] Blackboard, E-submission, Interactive Tools, Turnitin Leave a comment

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.

Workflow

  1. Create Assignment and set Peer Settings (see Peer Review for Qualitative Peer Assessments)
  2. Students submit their work as normal (see Blackboard web site)
  3. After Due date and time has passed, students review submissions see Blackboard web site
  4. After the Peer Review Due Date, staff complete marking (see Blackboard web site)
  5. Student view staff feedback, peer feedback and final mark

Note that:

  1. Students won’t be allocated any reviews if not enough assignments are submitted.
  2. Late submissions will be allocated to students. Late submission is allowed automatically as part of the peer assessment process.
  3. 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.
  4. Students can provide written feedback in the review process but can’t assign a mark (unless this is included in the text feedback box)
  5. 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.
  6. You can hide peer reviews if you feel the content isn’t appropriate

Turnitin PeerMark

Workflow

  1. Create a Turnitin Assignment and enable PeerMark
  2. Go back into Turnitin Assignment to set up Peer Mark Settings
  3. Students submit to Turnitin submission point
  4. After PeerMark start date, students are able to view another student’s assignment and leave feedback / scores to questions
  5. PeerMark feedback is visible to students immediately
  6. Lecturer needs to allocate a final mark manually

Guidance:

Overview of PeerMark: https://help.turnitin.com/feedback-studio/turnitin-website/instructor/peermark/about-peermark-assignments.htm

Creating a PeerMark Assignment: https://help.turnitin.com/feedback-studio/turnitin-website/instructor/peermark/creating-a-peermark-assignment.htm

Student guidance on Using PeerMark: https://help.turnitin.com/feedback-studio/turnitin-website/student/student-category.htm#peermark

Discussions

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

  1. Instructor creates a Discussion
  2. Students contribute to the Discussion
  3. Students respond to other Discussion posts

For further advice on creating discussions, please see below for Blackboard guidance:

Journals

Workflow

  1. Instructor creates a Journal (private between instructor and student)
  2. Students reflect weekly on their contributions to project
  3. Instructor has overview and monitors
  4. Can be used for students to give an idea on group contributions throughout process of peers

Create Journals: https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Ultra/Interact/Journals

Guidelines for students

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1469787416654794 – contains guidance for students. Suggests providing a session for students on how to write feedback.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2019.1697424

“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).”

https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/peer-feedback – includes some useful questions and prompts that could be used to structure feedback.

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.

Our Academy Forum handout on Peer Assessment provides further information and Aberystwyth University Case Studies.

Blackboard User Group: Exemplary Course Award Presentation

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

We had the pleasure of recently presenting at the Blackboard User Group on the Exemplary Course Award that we run here at Aberystwyth University. Blackboard run their own Exemplary Course Programme which we use as the basis for our award.

The session title, Celebrating Excellence, Shaping Practice: Aberystwyth University’s Exemplary Course Award Programme, charted the history of the event here at AU.

We’ve been running the ECA since 2014. In that time, over 50 modules have submitted applications.

Since the start of the award, we’ve had applications from all sections of the University. Those that offer on campus teaching provision, Lifelong Learning Courses, Distance Learning Courses, Welsh language and English medium courses, large and small courses have all been recipients of the award.

In the presentation, we gave an overview of how we manage the process and discussed the impact of running the award over the last 12 years. The ethos of the process has always foregrounded reflection giving applicants the opportunity to enhance and refine their course before submitting.

We’ve looked at the ways in which we have marked success over the years, as well as the changes we have applied to streamline the process.

We also discussed how we might change this for the future. We are exploring ways in which the student voice can be brought into the nomination process. We’re also considering running smaller awards alongside the Exemplary Course Award – an award that focuses on each of the 4 criteria: Course Design, Assessment, Interaction and Collaboration, and Learner Support.

We were joined by previous award winners: Lauren Harvey (Law and Criminology) and Mari Dunning (Lifelong Learning).

Both Lauren and Mari spoke about their courses as well as their experience of engaging with the process.

Colleagues are welcome to submit a direct application to Blackboard’s Exemplary course Programme.

Slides from our presentation can be downloaded here:

PresentationDownload