We are pleased to announce the Xerte upgrade has been successful and Xerte is now available to staff and students.
Author: Martin Nutbeem
Improvements to Collaborate Ultra video gallery
Collaborate 
Ultra has recently been updated to provide a richer video gallery. Three new views are available:
- Gallery – displaying 25 attendees, with arrows allowing scrollable pages for larger groups.
- Speaker – current speaker displayed as a large window at the top with other users as smaller windows below.
-
Tiled – current speaker displayed as a large window to the left with smaller windows for other users to the right.
In addition to the visual improvements, Moderators can select an individual attendee’s video or avatar window, to change their role or send them a message.
The new gallery is currently only active for Moderators and Presenters but will be rolled out to students soon.
You can read advice and guidance on using the new video gallery and views here: https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Moderator/Moderate_Sessions/Video
Xerte upgrade and downtime Wednesday 14th April
IT Services will be upgrading Xerte to version 3.9 between 8am and 1pm on Wednesday 14th April. During this time Xerte resources will be unavailable to staff and students.
This upgrade brings security updates, and improved functionality including:
- Accessibility enhancements
- Stand-Alone pages
- Page enhancements
- Media sub-folders
We will blog again when Xerte is available for staff and students.
Scheduled Maintenance – Blackboard Collaborate Ultra 8th April
Blackboard Collaborate has advised us that there will be scheduled maintenance taking place on Thursday, April 8th, between midnight and 4 am. During this time, users will experience intermittent availability. The purpose of the maintenance is to update Collaborate to the latest version. The new version will provide an improved video gallery for instructors.
During the maintenance, you can check Blackboard’s service status page.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have any questions, please email digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.
Please check the IT service status page to see how the University’s systems and services are working and for planned maintenance information.
Resolved: Issues with File Upload in Blackboard Collaborate
Blackboard have confirmed that the issues causing file uploads to fail for some users within Collaborate have now been resolved.
Please contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk if you continue to experience issues uploading files with the Blackboard Course code and name of Collaborate Session.
Issues with File Upload in Blackboard Collaborate
We are aware of an ongoing issue with the File Upload function in Collaborate. The issue presents as uploaded files failing to convert after an extended period.
We have reported this problem and can confirm Blackboard are currently investigating.
In the meantime, you can use the Share Content > Share Application/Screen function and choose either Share Entire Screen or Share Application options during your session.
We apologise for any inconvenience and will update here as soon as the issue has been fixed.
Scheduled Maintenance – Blackboard Collaborate Ultra 25th Feb
Blackboard Collaborate has advised us that there will be scheduled maintenance taking place on Thursday, February 25th, between midnight and 4 am. During this time, users will experience intermittent availability. The purpose of the maintenance is to update Collaborate to the latest version.
During the maintenance, you can check Blackboard’s service status page.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have any questions, please email digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.
Please check the IT service status page to see how the University’s systems and services are working and for planned maintenance information.
Scheduled Maintenance – Blackboard Collaborate Ultra 11th Feb & Video Recording Feedback 13th Feb
Blackboard has advised us that there will be scheduled maintenance taking place on the following dates:
- Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Thursday 11th Feb between midnight and 4am. During this time, users will experience intermittent availability. The purpose of the maintenance is to update Collaborate to the latest version
- Video Recording Feedback in Blackboard Learn Assignment Grading, Saturday 13th Feb between midnight and 3am. During this time, users will experience intermittent availability to video feedback recording and playback. This is a one-time maintenance update.
During both maintenance periods, you can check Blackboard’s service status page.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have any questions, please email digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.
Please check the IT service status page to see how the University’s systems and services are working and for planned maintenance information.
Resolved: Issues with File Upload in Blackboard Collaborate
Blackboard have confirmed that the issues causing file uploads to fail for some users within Collaborate have now been resolved.
Please contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk if you continue to experience issues uploading files with the Blackboard Course code and name of Collaborate Session.
Issues with File Upload in Blackboard Collaborate
We are aware of an ongoing issue with the File Upload function in Collaborate. The issue presents as uploaded files failing to convert after an extended period.
We have reported this problem and Blackboard are currently investigating.
In the meantime, you can use the Share Content > Share Application/Screen function and choose either Share Entire Screen or Share Application options during your session.
We apologise for any inconvenience and will update as soon as the issue has been fixed.