Category: Blackboard

New DEO Assessment Development Case Study

Posted on by Martin Nutbeem

The DEO has a new case study to share, available here on our case studies page.

Creative Assessment Submission – Video, Audio and Zines

Dr Rosie Nelson from SPAIS shares their work with Martin Nutbeem and the rest of the DEO to develop a digitally supported, decolonized approach to teaching and assessment on their Queering Sexuality and Gender unit in the School of Sociology, Politics, and International Studies (SPAIS). The assessment involved students creating and submitting media in the form of video, audio or a ‘Zine.  

Thanks to Dr Nelson for writing this case study. If you are looking for inspiration for developing your own assessments, this case study or one of the others on our site provides a great starting point. If you’d like support in developing digitally supported assessments, please contact the Digital Education Office. 

Access to PGR theses and new PGR organisations

Posted on by digitaleducation

This information is relevant if your school uses Turnitin to run similarity checks on PGR theses (practice, submission and re-submission).   

PGR students who submitted work to a Turnitin submission point in Blackboard before September 2023 will not be able to access their theses in Blackboard after August 2023. This is due to the supplier ending support for the older Turnitin integration with Blackboard. 

As we have communicated to schools directly, the DEO has been working with AQPO and representatives of administrative and academic staff to update the Blackboard Organisations for PGR Turnitin Submissions. 

Please take the following actions by 31 August 2023: 

  • Encourage students who may be affected to download their submissions before 31 August 2023.  
  • If you are one of the School Administrators who have received a form to complete for setting up new organisations, please complete the form by July 28. 
  • PGR student administrators should start using the newly created Turnitin Upload organisations which has been set up with the Turnitin LTI and the Academic Progress Monitoring form page. 

Please also note that, from 1 September 2023, staff who need access to the older theses will need to contact the DEO. 

Blackboard upgrade completed

Posted on by Hanrahan Highland

The Blackboard upgrade to the new Ultra Base Navigation has been successfully completed. You will see the new-look Blackboard the next time you log in. Your courses haven’t changed, but the way you navigate around Blackboard should now be easier and more intuitive, whatever device you’re using.

“I really like the ease of navigation of the updated Blackboard.”
– University of Bristol student

You can find more information and guidance in our Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation guide.

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

Blackboard upgrade time change: 3.45 pm – 6 pm

Posted on by Hanrahan Highland

The Blackboard upgrade on Wednesday July 5 is moving to slightly later in the afternoon. We will be carrying out the upgrade starting at 3.45 pm, with a projected finish time of 6 pm. All other details remain unchanged. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

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

Summer digital education improvements

Posted on by Suzanne Collins

Each year, the Digital Education Office delivers a summer 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 regularly update the Service Improvements Page over the summer, documenting and advertising expected and completed work. If you are interested in keeping up to date, it is worth bookmarking this page. Any major changes will also be announced via other channels, such as this blog. 

This year, many of these improvements have been prompted by outputs from the ongoing Digital Learning Environment (DLE) Review. Staff, students and professional services colleagues have been asked to share their experiences of using the digital education environment, as well as work with us to imagine the teaching and learning of the future. To find out more about the DLE review, please visit the DLE SharePoint page for staff. 

 

Blackboard upgrade, Wednesday July 5, 3.45 pm – 6 pm

Posted on by Hanrahan Highland

On July 5, we’re updating Blackboard to use the new Ultra Base Navigation. This update will give Blackboard a modern look and feel and provide easier access to important information.

Ultra Base Navigation has a modern, intuitive navigation menu that sits outside of courses and is always available.

Your courses will not change. They will look and operate exactly as they do now.

The benefits of Ultra Base Navigation include:

  • A modern, intuitive user experience.
  • Improved accessibility.
  • It works well on mobile devices. This navigation is designed to work well regardless of what device you’re using.
  • Just one click away. No matter where you are, UBN provides clearer paths to where you want to go, minimizing clicks and saving time.

To enable Ultra Base Navigation, Blackboard will be unavailable for a short time on the afternoon of July 5, between 3.45 pm and 6pm. After this, you will see a redesigned login page for Blackboard and can use the new navigation as soon as you log in.

You can find more information, with screenshots, on the project webpage: Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation. If you have any questions, please contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.

The look of the Blackboard submissions page is changing

Posted on by digitaleducation

The interface for Blackboard submissions such as essays, some timed assessments and some exams is changing on June 2, 2023. There is no change to functionality.

After June 2, if students need to upload a submission, this option will be contained within a ‘concertina menu’. This makes the interface less confusing, allowing them to select the options they need without having to navigate the options they don’t.

Below are three images: one showing the current interface and two showing the new interface.

Old submission point: this is the old submission point for Blackboard which has all upload options on display.
The old interface has all the ‘Attach Files’, ‘Write Submission’ and ‘Add Comments’ functions on display.
New submission point (unexpanded): the new submission points have three clickable options: one called "Create Submission", one called "Upload Files", and one called "Add Comments"
The new interface places the same features behind concertina menus.
New submission point (expanded): once the "Upload Files" option is clicked, three buttons are revealed; one for "Browse Local Files", one for "Browse Content Collection", and one for "Browse Cloud Service". 
Once expanded with a click, the same options are available.

[Open] Footnotes in Blackboard submissions can be rearranged unless in PDF

Posted on by digitaleducation

An error has been identified in Blackboard that can affect the display of submitted documents containing footnotes and formatting styles. The error rearranges the footnote order, affecting the marker’s view of the document. The Blackboard developers are aware of the error, and are working on a fix. In the meantime, we recommend that students submit documents in PDF where they contain footnotes.

This error affects the DEO’s “Blackboard Online” workflow, and we have updated the recommendations in our EMA – Blackboard Online Workflow guidance accordingly.

[Closed] Blackboard access disruption for some Internet Service Providers

Posted on by Hanrahan Highland

Blackboard has performed maintenance work this morning to improve the reliability and robustness of their network. For some Internet Service Providers (ISPs), this work is taking time to propagate through their networks, resulting in some people having difficulty in accessing Blackboard globally. The issue should resolve itself in time. In the meantime, if you are having difficulty accessing Blackboard, you may be able to resolve this by using a different ISP; for example, you could:

  • use a mobile phone as a hotspot
  • use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
  • move to a different location (such as on campus) to connect to a different network.