News

Spring 2025 course sections will be made available to course instructors in Blackboard after November 15, 2024. This date is subject to change, depending on University and external events. We recommend faculty access Spring 2025 courses from November 15 onwards. Courses are listed as private and unavailable to students until opened by the instructor. Faculty can access this checklist to prepare for teaching in the Spring 2025 semester, and view additional help guides and frequently asked questions.

SafeAssign in Blackboard will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on November 19, 2024, from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM Eastern Time.

During this time, the service will be completely unavailable, and any submissions will need to be resubmitted after the maintenance. This upgrade is critical for improving system performance and ensuring more efficient plagiarism detection for both Blackboard and API clients.

We appreciate your understanding. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Learning Platforms team at 305-284-3949 or learningplatforms@miami.edu.

Blackboard is currently experiencing intermittent issues with it's SafeAssign tool. This is causing originality report generation to be delayed. Blackboard is aware of the issue and is currently investigating. Students, where possible please try resubmitting your assignment if you receive any error. Instructors can temporarily allow students multiple submissions for that assignment in order to obtain a SafeAssign originality report. This has now been resolved.

We are excited to announce upcoming enhancements to Ultra that will improve how faculty and students navigate course content and assessments. These updates will be released between September 5-6, 2024. Help guides will be shared soon!

New Course Layout

• Content Layout Shift: The Course Content page will now be located on the left side of the screen, making it easier to access and improving visibility while navigating through course modules.
• Improved Page Structure: Course elements—such as Learning Modules, Folders, and Content Items—are now better differentiated, reducing confusion and making it easier to find and organize content.

Needs Grading Improvements

A new Gradebook Overview tab has been added to make grading more efficient, with two key sections: Needs Grading and Needs Posting.

• Needs Grading: This section provides a prioritized list of items that are ready for grading. and navigation buttons to scroll through the list. Instructors can quickly access submissions by selecting "Grade now."
• Needs Posting: This section helps instructors manage assessments with grades that are ready to be posted. Instructors can select "Post now" for individual items, with similar navigation options for larger workloads.

New Knowledge Check Feature in Documents

• The Knowledge Check feature in the Content Designer for Documents allows instructors to add interactive multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions directly within course materials.
• Students receive instant feedback with unlimited attempts, while instructors gain insights through detailed participation metrics.
• Although grading and notifications for Knowledge Checks are not yet supported, this feature can be resized and moved within documents to enhance student engagement.

New Student Activity Log

Additionally, the Student Overview page now includes a Student Activity Log. Instructors can use this track what a particular student has done in a course.

As part of our regular archiving schedule, on Wednesday, September 26, 2024, Spring and Summer 2020 Blackboard courses, and any sites (organizations, templates, or sandboxes) that have not been accessed in 2 years will be removed from Blackboard and backed up offline for two (2) additional years.

 View the informational guide to learn how to export, or access archived content.

Available with Ultra Course View, Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant helps educators co-create essential course elements like:module titles, descriptions, images, test questions, prompts for assignments, discussions and journals, and rubrics.

This practical tool harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to streamline the design process, making it easier and more efficient for educators to develop engaging and organized courses.

View the guide here

Starting May 20, 2024, we’re moving from Class Collaborate (previously known as Blackboard Collaborate) to more advanced web-conferencing tools, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, for a better online collaboration experience.

• Class Collaborate links and recordings will no longer be available in Blackboard as of May 20, 2024.
• You can download your Class Collaborate recordings before May 20, 2024, and upload them to Kaltura (mediaspace.kaltura.com).
• For support during this transition, please contact the Learning Platforms team at learningplatforms@miami.edu.

For more information, visit our support site: https://lpt.it.miami.edu/platforms/integrations/retired/class-collaborate/index.html

Summer 2024 course sections will be made available to course instructors in Blackboard after April 2, 2024. This date is subject to change, depending on University and external events. We recommend faculty access Summer 2024 courses from April 2 onwards. Courses are listed as private and unavailable to students until opened by the instructor.

Starting January 1, 2024, Blackboard is phasing out support for Building Blocks (B2s) in the Original Course Experience. If your course relies on a specified B2 integration(s), content or links will become inaccessible after December 31, 2023.

Review the list of affected integrations on our support site, including recommended alternatives to ensure a smooth transition.

Faculty and Staff

With Spring 2024 course sections available to course instructors in Blackboard, we have prepared additional resources to support you as you plan and organize your Blackboard courses for the upcoming semester.

• Access our updated checklist 
• View additional  help guides and frequently asked questions. 

Students

Please see the following quick tips to get started for the semester:

• Ensure your browser is compatible with Blackboard, use the browser checker. 
• Set up your login experience. Use the Duo mobile app (available via the App Store or Google Play) to  generate a passcode and authenticate with your CaneID and password. Learn more at it.miami.edu/studentresources. 
• To locate your courses, select ‘Courses’ from the left-hand menu, and use the Current Courses drop down menu to select the appropriate term. 
• If you are having trouble accessing a course, ensure it’s available! Courses are by default listed as private and unavailable until opened by your professor. 
• View additional  help guides and frequently asked questions. 

As part of our regular archiving schedule, on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Fall 2019 Blackboard courses, and any sites (organizations, templates, or sandboxes) that have not been accessed in 2 years will be removed from Blackboard and backed up offline for two (2) additional years. This also includes any Collaborate recordings.

 View the informational guide to learn how to export, or access archived content.

Spring 2024 course sections will be made available to course instructors in Blackboard after November 16, 2023. This date is subject to change, depending on University and external events. We recommend faculty access Spring 2024 courses from November 16 onwards. Courses are listed as private and unavailable to students until opened by the instructor. Faculty can access this checklist to prepare for teaching in the Spring 2024 semester, and view additional help guides and frequently asked questions.

Update your version of Respondus: Respondus frequently releases new updates to the browser, which can impact the test taking experience. Before taking an exam that uses Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor, students must ensure they have updated to the latest version of Respondus. Please use this link to learn more about how to update their version. To download Respondus, access this link for University of Miami students.

Address questions about Respondus: Before the final exam period, we encourage course instructors and students to update, and test Respondus through practice exams, and review any settings that may impact the test-taking experience. Access training resources, and tips as we head to the end of the semester.

Faculty and Staff

With Fall 2023 course sections available to course instructors in Blackboard, we have prepared additional resources to support you as you plan and organize your Blackboard courses for the upcoming semester.

• Live training sessions - register now!
• Access our updated checklist 
• View additional  help guides and frequently asked questions. 

Students

Please see the following quick tips to get started for the Fall 2023 semester:

• Ensure your browser is compatible with Blackboard, use the browser checker. 
• Set up your login experience. Use the Duo mobile app (available via the App Store or Google Play) to  generate a passcode and authenticate with your CaneID and password. Learn more at it.miami.edu/studentresources. 
• To locate your courses, select ‘Courses’ from the left-hand menu, and use the Current Courses drop down menu to select the appropriate term. 
• If you are having trouble accessing a course, ensure it’s available! Courses are by default listed as private and unavailable until opened by your professor. 
• View additional  help guides and frequently asked questions. 

New Tools

Course instructors now have access to three new tools to support teaching and learning activities in Blackboard. Here's a brief run-down: 

Qwickly Attendance Classic is an attendance-taking tool, where students can take attendance manually or enable students to check on their own browser using a PIN and a countdown timer for added security.

• Faculty: Manage Attendance
• Students: View Attendance

Qwickly Course Tools offers a range of features that streamline tasks for instructors and perform bulk actions, making it easier to manage courses, communicate with students, and perform administrative functions.

• Faculty: Apply Bulk Changes

Ally: Ally is a tool available within Blackboard that provides insight into the accessibility of course materials and content and populates alternative materials for students.

• Faculty: Improve Course Content Accessibility
• Students: Download Alternative Formats

New Features

Profile Customization: Students, faculty and staff can now customize pronunciation information when editing their profile. This allows you to add a phonetic spelling and short audio recording of how to pronounce your name. Edit your profile to make the change.

Student Profile Images: Student images are now attached to student profiles, and you will be able to view it in your courses on the roster, discussions, messages, and groups.

Flexible Grading (Ultra Course View): Flexible Grading is a new, efficient assessment grading experience available to course instructors using Ultra Course View. View the helpguides to get started.

• Flex Grading Assignments
• Flex Grading Tests

As part of our regular archiving schedule, on Monday, August 28, 2023, Summer 2019 Blackboard courses, and any sites (organizations, templates, or sandboxes) that have not been accessed in 2 years will be removed from Blackboard and backed up offline for two (2) additional years. 

 View the informational guide to learn how to export, or access archived content.

Fall 2023 course sections will be made available to course instructors in Blackboard after June 7, 2023. This date is subject to change, depending on University and external events. We recommend faculty access Fall 2023 courses from June 8 onwards. Courses are listed as private and unavailable to students until opened by the instructor. Faculty can access this checklist to prepare for teaching in the Fall 2023 semester, and view additional help guides and frequently asked questions.

Ally, a new Blackboard tool that promotes inclusivity for all learners, will be available in Blackboard starting Thursday, May 11, 2023. Ally provides students with real-time, downloadable alternative formats of course content. Additionally, Ally provides guidance and tips for faculty and staff in making lasting improvements to content accessibility in their courses.

Access the informational guide.

Update your version of Respondus: Before taking an exam that uses Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor, students must ensure they have updated to the latest version of Respondus. Please use this link to learn more about how to update their version. To download Respondus, access this link for University of Miami students.

Use Chrome or Firefox for Respondus-Enabled Tests in Ultra Course View: For students taking courses in Ultra Course View (see example below), taking a test that uses Respondus LockDown Browser will require using a browser FIRST to launch the Respondus Lockdown Browser. Please use Google Chrome or Firefox as the starting browser (Safari is not fully supported for this workflow). View the full guide here.

Due to the increasing use of Blackboard, available cloud-based integrations, and to support daily, and long-term archiving of courses, the file upload size will be limited to 500MB.

Here are the details:

• Starting May 15, 2023, the file upload size limit will be 500MB.
• Students, faculty, and staff can continue to upload individual files as large as 500MB to Blackboard.
• If a file larger than 500MB is uploaded, you will receive a pop-up message with suggestions on other ways to upload the file (e.g., with Kaltura). 
• Existing files larger that 500MB will remain, however, we recommend review and clean-up of large files via the content collection.

View the informational guide for ways to upload large files and reduce content in your course.

Ally, a new Blackboard tool that promotes inclusivity for all learners, will be available in Blackboard starting Thursday, May 11, 2023. Ally provides students with real-time, downloadable alternative formats of course content. Additionally, Ally provides guidance and tips for faculty and staff in making lasting improvements to content accessibility in their courses.

Join us for a virtual training session taking place via Zoom on Thursday, April 20 from 12-1 p.m. where you will be able to learn more about Ally and ask live questions to Ally experts.

Register Here

As part of our regular archiving schedule, on Thursday, May 18, 2023, Spring 2019 Blackboard courses, and any sites (organizations, templates, or sandboxes) that have not been accessed in 2 years will be removed from Blackboard and backed up offline for two (2) additional years. 

 View the informational guide to learn how to export, or access archived content.

Preparing for the Summer 2023 Semester

Summer 2023 course sections are now available to course instructors in Blackboard.  Courses are listed as private and unavailable to students until opened by the instructor. 

Access our checklist  to prepare for teaching in the upcoming semester. Don't forget to access help guides, and frequently asked questions. 

Note - Fall 2023 course sections are available to course instructors in early June.  

OneDrive / Microsoft Teams Integrations Now Available in Blackboard

Blackboard now supports multiple Office 365 integrations such as Microsoft Teams and OneDrive allowing for collaboration between instructors and students.

View the informational guide to learn how to add these tools to your course.

OneDrive

• Attach Office 365 files including Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel from the Rich Text Editor
• View and organize your personal Microsoft office files
• Create collaborations where members of your course can engage together in real-time
• Create read-only access to embedded Office 365 files in your course

Microsoft Teams

With this integration, you can automatically create a team based on your class roster, upload class materials, set up a class notebook, start a video conferences, or chat.