In the October update, we want to draw your attention to a new feature with the Learning Object Repository. There is also an important and highly requested update to Fill in the Blank style question, and tagging questions in question banks to help colleagues with question organisation.
Updates to the Learning Object Repository
We were very excited about the launch of the Learning Object Repository. We have already made use of it for the Blackboard standardised template and for Generative AI statements.
This month’s update sees the ability for us to upload files to the Learning Object Repository which colleagues can then copy into their courses.
We can stipulate the availability of the content, so that it can be available or unavailable to students.
Updates to the Fill in the Blank Question for Students
The way that Fill in the Blank Questions displays has been updated. This is an enhancement that colleagues have requested so we are pleased to this available.
Fill in the blank questions now display the blanks inline with the surrounding text, whether the question is presented as a sentence, paragraph, or table. We also added hidden ARIA labels to blanks to improve screen reader accessibility.
Image 1: Before this update, the blanks appeared below the question.
Image 2: After this update, the blanks appear in-line with the question.
Tag questions with metadata in tests and question banks
Instructors can now tag questions with metadata when creating or editing questions in tests, forms, and banks.
Instructors
Questions can have multiple tags of the same type. Metadata is visible during question creation/editing and can be used to filter questions when reusing or adding to pools. Metadata is not visible to students during test-taking or review.
Supported metadata types include:
Category
Topics
Levels of Difficulty
Keywords
Image 1: Instructors can create and apply a tag to questions.
Image 2: Tags appear as filters in the question bank.
If you have any enhancements to request from Blackboard, please get in touch with us via elearning@aber.ac.uk.
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:
Navigate to the Course
Select View everyone on your course and search for the individual student
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.
