Detailed instructions about how to create new Resource List links in Blackboard Original courses, using the updated Talis Aspire tool, can now be found on the Library website (support guide 5: “Publishing and sharing your list”), alongside contextual information on creating and managing the lists themselves. If you need support with updating your links, or with Resource Lists in general, please contact lib-resource-lists@bristol.ac.uk, including the unit code and name of your unit in the message.

To create new Resource List links in Blackboard Ultra courses, please follow the DEO guidance.

The old links are still working, allowing you to refer to these while creating your new links, but will stop working by the end of September, so please create the new links as soon as possible. Note that the Resource Lists themselves do not need to be updated – these will still work fine – it’s only the links to the Lists from inside Blackboard that need updating. Any links created by the old method, such as those copied from a previous year’s course, should be deleted once the new links have been created.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.

As part of the improvements to the ways other tools are integrated with Blackboard, the Talis Aspire Reading Lists integration has been upgraded, so the links in this coming year’s Blackboard courses to Talis Aspire Reading Lists (or Resource Lists) will need to be updated accordingly. Note that the Talis Lists themselves do not need to be updated – these will still work fine – it’s only the links to the Lists from inside Blackboard that need updating. Unfortunately, there is no way to automatically convert the old links to the new format, so the links will need to be re-added, following our guidance. Any links created by the old method, such as those copied from a previous year’s course, should be deleted.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.

If you have any questions, please contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.

Each year, the Digital Education Office delivers a plan of work on our digital education environments and systems. This plan includes any significant system changes or software upgrades, but also includes more minor changes to systems and processes, ensuring everything works well for the next academic year.

We have updated the Service Improvements page, documenting and advertising completed work and letting you know what to expect in terms of improvements before the start of term. Any major changes will also have been announced via other channels, such as this blog and the staff bulletins.

The tool we use to provide pop-up support and guidance within Blackboard is changing on Thursday 1 August. This means that the pop-up messages you sometimes see in Blackboard may look a little different, but can still be easily removed by clicking on the ‘x’ in the top right-hand corner.

Please note that this also means you will no longer see ‘Eesysoft course reports’ within Blackboard. If you require additional data that was previously available within the course reports, please contact the Digital Education Office on digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.

Additionally, you will no longer see an option for “UoB support” within Blackboard. This previously appeared in the bottom right-hand corner of Blackboard when you clicked on the question mark in a speech bubble, which is shown below. You will still see the question mark and can access Blackboard’s help pages by selecting ‘Blackboard support’ and going into ‘Blackboard Help’.

Please refer to our online guides or contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk if you have any queries.

The Resource List tool has temporarily been made active again by Anthology (Blackboard) and all existing links should now be working. It is still advised that you replace these links with the new Talis Aspire Reading List link, as the old tool will not be available in future years. 

Due to the deprecation of the Resource List tool by Anthology (Blackboard), you will need to replace the old links with the new Talis Aspire Reading Lists tool to access the reading lists from within your courses.

To replace a link in the left-hand menu in an Original course, click the ‘plus’ symbol at the top of the menu and choose ‘Tool Link’. “Talis Aspire Reading Lists” will appear within the drop-down menu. Once created, click the link to set up your reading list (you may be asked to authenticate the tool on first use); you will then see your reading lists and you will be able to add the required list to your course.

You can also add a link within the content area of your course via the ‘Build Content’ drop-down menu.

If you are using an Ultra course, you can find the Talis Aspire Reading Lists link under ‘Course Tools’.

If you have any questions, please email digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.