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What’s New in Blackboard November 2024
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
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
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
Exemplary Course Award 2024-25
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:
- The addition of 1.13 criteria: a Blackboard Ally score of 85% or more.
- 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).
Information Services User Survey 2024
The IS User Survey gives you an opportunity to tell us what you think about our services and how we can improve them. It is also a chance to win one of two £50 vouchers for 10 minutes of your time!
Have your say today: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/aber/is24
Weekly Resource Roundup – 30/10/2024
As leader of our PGCTHE programme, I keep an eye out for resources to help staff teach effectively. These include webinars, podcasts, online toolkits, publications and more. Topics include active learning, online/blended teaching, accessibility/inclusion, and effective learning design based on cognitive science. Below I’ve listed items that came to my attention in the past week. In the interest of clarity, our policy is to show the titles and descriptions in the language of delivery.
Online events and webinars
October
- 31/10/2024 LTA Connect: Compassionate Pedagogies – Pass/fail grading as compassionate assessment
November
- 1/11/2024 Jisc Artificial Intelligence, An introduction to generative AI in education (online training course)
- 4/11/2024 RAISE Student Engagement Reading Group, ‘Ungrading’ and assessment for learning, Hasinoff, A. A. et al (2024), “Success was Actually Having Learned:” University Student Perceptions of Ungrading, Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 12
- 6/11/2024 UDL UK and Ireland Network, UDL for Beginners (Universal Design for Learning)
- 11/11/2024 TILE Seminars, The British Psychological Society (BPS) Teachers’ Toolkit
- 11/11/2024 CETI University of Westminster #Talking Teaching Webinars, How can Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) be embedded in the curricula?
- 13/11/2024 University of Warwick, Cultivate, Evaluating Teaching and Learning in HE Forum, Evaluating with students
- 20-21/11/2024 University of Staffordshire, International Pedagogic Conference
- 20/11/2024, TIRIgogy CPD, Part 1/2: Introduction to approach and framework of AI-generated assessment rubrics
- 21/11/2024 Compassionate Assessment Event 6 Dr. Juuso Henrik Nieminen, “Dr Nieminen has particularly focused on understanding the social effects of assessment on students’ inclusion, belonging and identities.”
- 20/11/2024, TIRIgogy CPD, Part 2/2: Focused workshop for personalised support in developing assessment rubrics using the Rubric Revolution framework
- 28/11/2024 QAA, How collaborative partners can enhance student engagement and programme delivery – Knowledge Exchange Forum
December
- 10/12/2024 TILE Network Seminars, Ecopedagogy – Authentic Learning, Teaching, Assessment, and Wellbeing
Resources and publications
- Carless, D. (28/10/2024), Longitudinal Development of Student Feedback Literacy (2-minute preview of 7-minute video), SCAPE Social Contexts and Policies in Education; Carless, D., & Young, S. (2/8/2024), Towards an idealized model of feedback uptake: longitudinal development of feedback literacy from a social constructivist perspective, Studies in Higher Education, 1–13.
- Davalos, J. & Yin, L. (18/10/2024), AI Detectors Falsely Accuse Students of Cheating—With Big Consequences, Bloomberg UK
- Deeprose, M. (2/10/2024), Using generative AI to improve digital accessibility efficiency, featuring Copilot, Whisper, and Claude (30-minute video with supporting material), DigiEduWebinar series
- Garcia Vallejo, M. C. (29/10/2024), El modelo PAIR aplicado a la evaluación universitaria / The PAIR framework applied to assessment in HE, Verum, sine mendacio, certum et verissimum: Mari Cruz Garcia´s website on digital pedagogies, learning design, GenAI and many more…
- Hosseini, D. (26/9/2024), Experimenting with generative AI: (re)designing courses and rubrics, Dustin Hosseini
- International Journal for Students as Partners (15/10/2024), (8) 2
- Jisc (n.d.), Welcome to Explore AI – A Collection of AI Demos, Use Cases and Resources to Discover and Explore (toolkit), Jisc Explore AI
- Jisc (n.d.), Generative AI in Practice – Examples of generative AI use in colleges and universities (case study collection), Jisc Explore AI
- Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences (LATISS) (6/2024), (17) 2
- Metz, C., Isaac, M. & Griffith, E. (21/10/2024), Microsoft and OpenAI’s Close Partnership Shows Signs of Fraying, New York Times
- Saunders, R. (23/10/2024), S5E8 Erik Brogt on Classroom Delivery and Interaction (42-minute audio recording), L&T Chat Show podcast series
- Shepperd, P. (16/10/2024), Navigating the terms and conditions of generative AI, Jisc Involve Blog
- UK Council for Graduate Education (2024), UK Research Supervision Survey 2024 (2-minute video plus full report)
Other
- Call for proposals (open dates) Unfiltered by EmpowerED: A Podcast Series where educators share unedited stories of inspiration and challenge
- Call for proposals (open dates) Future Teacher Webinars
- Monthly series European Network for Academic Integrity, ENAI monthly webinars free open webinars on various topics related to academic integrity.
- Subscribe to SEDA’s mailing list for email discussions about educational development and emerging teaching practices. This is one of the sources I use when identifying useful material for the Roundup.
- Join the #LTHEchat on Twitter Wednesday nights for one hour of lively discussion about learning and teaching in HE. I often find out about good resources for the Roundup from the chat.
Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff. I hope you find this weekly resource roundup useful. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact our team at lteu@aber.ac.uk. You may also wish to follow my Twitter feed, Mary Jacob L&T.
Weekly Resource Roundup – 23/10/2024
As leader of our PGCTHE programme, I keep an eye out for resources to help staff teach effectively. These include webinars, podcasts, online toolkits, publications and more. Topics include active learning, online/blended teaching, accessibility/inclusion, and effective learning design based on cognitive science. Below I’ve listed items that came to my attention in the past week. In the interest of clarity, our policy is to show the titles and descriptions in the language of delivery.
Online events and webinars
October
- 24/10/2024 Future Teacher Webinars, Developing learners’ digital skills
- 31/10/2024 LTA Connect: Compassionate Pedagogies – Pass/fail grading as compassionate assessment
November
- 11/11/2024 TILE Seminars, The British Psychological Society (BPS) Teachers’ Toolkit
- 13/11/2024 University of Warwick, Cultivate, Evaluating Teaching and Learning in HE Forum, Evaluating with students
- 20-21/11/2024 University of Staffordshire, International Pedagogic Conference
- 21/11/2024 Compassionate Assessment Event 6 Dr. Juuso Henrik Nieminen, “Dr Nieminen has particularly focused on understanding the social effects of assessment on students’ inclusion, belonging and identities.”
December
- 10/12/2024 TILE Network Seminars, Ecopedagogy – Authentic Learning, Teaching, Assessment, and Wellbeing
Resources and publications
Resources
- Active Learning Network, Publications
- Advance HE (15/10/2024), Enhancing assessment and feedback: A case study compendium
- Beatson, E. & Phipps, L. (10/10/2024), Imagined Futures, User Guide and Workshop Resources
- Blommerde, T. (14/10/2024), Marking or Grading in the Age of AI: What Every Educator Needs to Know (10-minute video)
- British Psychological Society (n.d.), Teachers’ Toolkit
- Furze, L. (28/8/2024), Updating the AI Assessment Scale, Leon Furze
- Green Web Foundation (n.d.), Thinking about using AI? Here’s what you can and (probably) can’t change about its environmental impact
- Harvard, B. (16/10/2024), 5 reasons my class begins with retrieval practice almost daily, The Effortful Educator
- Jones, C. (22/10/2024), Understanding the impact of professional development, WonkHE
- QAA Cymru, Medr (22/10/2024), The Impact of Staff Professional Development on Teaching Practice and Student Learning and Performance, Enhancing the Student Experience in Wales, QAA
- UNSW Sydney (n.d.), Ethical and Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence at UNSW
Webinars and podcast series
- CAST UDL webinars
- Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE) webinars, University of London
- Digitally Enhanced Education Webinars
- EmpowerED Webinars
- Future Teacher Talks
- L&T Chatshow podcast series
- LD Project Podcast
- MyFest Equity Unbound webinar recordings
- Pedagodzilla, the pedagogic podcast with the pop culture core
- RAISE Reading Group webinars ‘Our monthly Reading Group regularly takes place on the first Monday of the month, at 16:00 (GMT). We like to discuss a pre-decided paper related to student engagement.’
- Talking HE podcast series
- Teaching in Higher Ed podcast
- Teaching Innovation and Learning Enhancement (TILE Network), (playlists)
- Transforming Assessment
- University of Limerick AI on Campus: Students’ Perspective limited podcast series
- University of Liverpool Centre for Innovation in Education podcast series
Other
- Call for proposals (open dates) Unfiltered by EmpowerED: A Podcast Series where educators share unedited stories of inspiration and challenge
- Call for proposals (open dates) Future Teacher Webinars
- Monthly series European Network for Academic Integrity, ENAI monthly webinars free open webinars on various topics related to academic integrity.
- Subscribe to SEDA’s mailing list for email discussions about educational development and emerging teaching practices. This is one of the sources I use when identifying useful material for the Roundup.
- Join the #LTHEchat on Twitter Wednesday nights for one hour of lively discussion about learning and teaching in HE. I often find out about good resources for the Roundup from the chat.
Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff. I hope you find this weekly resource roundup useful. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact our team at lteu@aber.ac.uk. You may also wish to follow my Twitter feed, Mary Jacob L&T.
What’s New in Blackboard October 2024
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
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
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
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
- Under Global Notification Settings click on Email notifications
Email notifications highlighted under Global Notification settings
- Adjust your settings as you prefer
Image 2. An example of an email for discussion activity
Weekly Resource Roundup – 9/10/2024
As leader of our PGCTHE programme, I keep an eye out for resources to help staff teach effectively. These include webinars, podcasts, online toolkits, publications and more. Topics include active learning, online/blended teaching, accessibility/inclusion, and effective learning design based on cognitive science. Below I’ve listed items that came to my attention in the past week. In the interest of clarity, our policy is to show the titles and descriptions in the language of delivery.
Online events and webinars
October
- 14/10/2024 Compassionate Assessment Event 5 Martin Compton, “Dr Compton is the lead for AI and innovation and for assessment design at King’s College London”
- 15/10/2024 Centre for Online Learning and Distance Education, Distinguished Speakers at the UOL: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
- 15/10/2024 Active Learning Network, Digitally Enhanced Learning – co-creation of active learning
- 17/10/2024 ACUE, Having Constructive Classroom Conversations in Challenging Times
- 17/10/2024 Oxford Brookes University Talking Teaching Across the Globe, Introducing a toolkit for supporting students understanding of speech in learning environments, Carmel Capewell
- 17/10/2024 CAST, UDL Guidelines 3.0 Part 3: Designing for Identity
- 17/10/2024 UKAT, Tutoring Matters – Reimagining Personal Tutoring and Advising to Address the BAME Awarding Gap
- 19/9/2024 LTA Connect: Compassionate Pedagogies – The role of compassionate leadership in supporting innovative teaching
- 22/10/2024 TILE Network Seminars, Transforming the Student Experience: Building Strong Communities, Clear Assessments, and Practical Skills
- 22/10/2024 Active Learning Network, Become an Active Learning champion
- 23/10/2024 Advance HE, Using the Framework for Student Retention, Attainment and Progression
- 23/10/2024 Centre for Online and Distance Education, Designing for worldwide inclusive cultures – launch event
- 24/10/2024 Future Teacher Webinars, Developing learners’ digital skills
- 31/10/2024 LTA Connect: Compassionate Pedagogies – Pass/fail grading as compassionate assessment
November
- 11/11/2024 TILE Seminars, The British Psychological Society (BPS) Teachers’ Toolkit
- 20-21/11/2024 University of Staffordshire, International Pedagogic Conference
- 21/11/2024 Compassionate Assessment Event 6 Dr. Juuso Henrik Nieminen, “Dr Nieminen has particularly focused on understanding the social effects of assessment on students’ inclusion, belonging and identities.”
December
- 10/12/2024 TILE Network Seminars, Ecopedagogy – Authentic Learning, Teaching, Assessment, and Wellbeing
Resources and publications
Resources on Generative AI
- Transforming Assessment (2/10/2024), 2 October 2024: How to ensure robust assessment in the light of Generative AI developments (1-hour video plus resources)
Other resources
- Anthony, P. (3/10/2024), Inclusive Teaching with Technology (video playlist), Digitally Enhanced Education Webinars
- Clarence, S., (10/4/2024), The value of theorising our teaching: In search of explanatory power, Theory Into Practice Blog
- Kuepper-Tetzel, C. (3/10/2024), The Distinction Between Feedback and Advice, and Why It Matters – A Summary (50-minute video plus resources), TILE Network Blog
- Saunders, R. (2/10/2024), S5E5 Nathalie Tasler and Vicki Dale on Creative Pedagogies (37-minute audio recording), L&T Chatshow podcast series
Other
- Call for proposals (open dates) Unfiltered by EmpowerED: A Podcast Series where educators share unedited stories of inspiration and challenge
- Call for proposals (open dates) Future Teacher Webinars
- Monthly series European Network for Academic Integrity, ENAI monthly webinars free open webinars on various topics related to academic integrity.
- Subscribe to SEDA’s mailing list for email discussions about educational development and emerging teaching practices. This is one of the sources I use when identifying useful material for the Roundup.
- Join the #LTHEchat on Twitter Wednesday nights for one hour of lively discussion about learning and teaching in HE. I often find out about good resources for the Roundup from the chat.
Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff. I hope you find this weekly resource roundup useful. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact our team at lteu@aber.ac.uk. You may also wish to follow my Twitter feed, Mary Jacob L&T.
Panopto
As teaching starts, you may find this information about Panopto useful. These are the answers to our most frequently asked questions about Panopto over the last few weeks.
Linking to All Panopto Recordings
You can create a link to the Panopto folder in your Blackboard course. This means that students will be able to see the recordings for the course all in one place.
Finding your Panopto folder
Panopto folders for all this year’s modules are in the 2024-25 folder.
To find the Panopto folder you want to record into:
- Click the dropdown button on the right-hand side of the Folder box.
- Click the dropdown arrow to the left of the academic year folder to expand it.
- Select the Panopto folder you want to record into.
You can also search for the Panopto folder you want to record into:
- In the Folder box start typing the module code or name of the Panopto folder you want to Record into
- Select the folder you want to record into.
What to do if you can’t see your Panopto folder
In a small number of courses, the Panopto folder wasn’t created over the summer. If you can’t find your Panopto folder using the steps above, you can create a folder from Blackboard:
- Login to Blackboard and find your course
- Click on Books and Tools > View course and institution tools
- Click on Holl Fideo Panopto / All Panopto Videos
You should then be able to find the Panopto folder to make a recording.
Introducing the New Panopto Archiving Rules
In accordance with the Lecture Capture Policy all Panopto recordings are retained for 5 years before they are deleted. This will not change. However, to cut down considerably on storage costs, the University needs to make use of the Archive function of Panopto.
From 1st November 2024, all Panopto recordings that have not been viewed in 13 months will be moved to the Panopto Archive, from where they can be restored should they be needed.
Restoring an archived recording:
As a member of staff or as a student, you can restore an archived recording if you need to access it for any reason, as long as you had permission to access the recording before it was archived. Please be aware that it can take up to 48 hours for a recording to be restored. When the recording has been restored, the original creator of the recording will be notified that it is available as will the person requesting the restoration (if different).
How Retention Rules will change in our Panopto storage environment:
Currently:
Every month; Recordings that have not been viewed in 5 years are deleted.
What will change:
At the start of every month; Recordings that have not been viewed for over 13 months will be moved to the Archive.
Also at the start of every month; Recordings that have not been viewed in 5 years will be deleted.
If you have any questions, please contact elearnining@aber.ac.uk