Category: EMA

[Open] Issue with accessing group submissions in Blackboard Gradebook cells

Posted on by digitaleducation

We have identified an issue in the Blackboard Gradebook when attempting to access group submissions via the Marks tab. The issue occurs when clicking on the New Submission cell and then selecting the View Submission option, when a message appears saying: “Assign this mark to everyone in the selected group?” This behaviour appears to be a bug and has been reported to the supplier. The DEO’s recommended approaches for Marking group assignments in Blackboard Online do not use these steps and are thus unaffected, so we suggest that you use these. However, if you prefer to use the affected process, we have developed a workaround:

  1. Access the Gradebook and identify the group assignment column.
  2. Click once on the assignment column header once to sort it in ascending order (↑).
  3. Click on the New Submission cell and then select View Submission to access the marking panel.
  4. Mark the assignment.
  5. Close the panel once you have completed the group marking, this will take you back to the Gradebook.
  6. Repeat steps 3 – 5 until you have finished marking; you will be able to access submissions normally until you exit the Gradebook.
  7. If you have left the Gradebook and need to continue marking, please repeat the steps from 1.

If you would prefer to view a recording showing how to resolve this issue, please use the following link: View_group_submission_fix.

If you have any questions, or require further support with this issue, please let us know at digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.

Assessment Period: Key Information for Students and Administrators

Posted on by digitaleducation

As we approach the assessment period, the Digital Education Office (DEO) would like to remind students and administrators of best practices for file preparation and assignment submission to keep in mind during the exam period. Please share this information with your students; we have also published this guidance on our DigiTalk blog if you would prefer to send them a link with the information.

Familiarise yourself with DEO’s guidance

It’s important for students to familiarise themselves, before their assignment deadline, with the guidance on preparing submissions in several formats, and with the assignment submission interface. You can do that now by looking at the three guides below:

For a list of assessment information relevant to students, please see our online submission guides for students.

How to avoid last-minute issues when submitting assignments

  • Allow as much time as possible to submit before the deadline, so that if you experience any technical difficulties, you can receive advice and resolve the issue before the submission due date and time.
  • Use a wired connection, as it tends to be more reliable than wireless connections, especially if the file to be uploaded is large.
  • Always use a laptop or PC rather than a tablet or mobile device when submitting work to Blackboard. We do not advise using the Blackboard app for assignment submissions.
  • Close any documents you are uploading before submitting them, as files being synchronised in the cloud may not save the latest changes until they are closed. It is also recommended to close any windows and programs other than Blackboard that could interfere with your submission.
  • Use Microsoft Edge as it is the recommended browser for accessing institutional resources, such as Blackboard. Google Chrome and Firefox are also supported. Please avoid using Safari, as its default privacy settings may cause access issues.
  • Always follow your school’s submission instructions. If you encounter issues, try switching browsers or clearing the cache; if problems persist, attempt resubmission or wait and try again later. For further assistance, contact your school office.

 If you have any questions about this blog post, please message us at digital-education@bristol.ac.uk.

[Resolved] Some Blackboard submission receipt emails being delayed

Posted on by daniel.sinclair

We have been notified by Anthology that the issue relating to students not receiving Submission Receipts via email (reported 11/12/2025) has been resolved. Students submitting to Blackboard Assignments or Blackboard Test submission points will now receive receipts via email.

Students who did not receive submission receipts prior to the fix can view their receipt numbers by re-opening the submission within the Blackboard course. The receipt number is shown at the top right:

SUBMITTED 09/12/2025, 11:44; RECEIPT: 2BE29BA2F5234EB09794DAE0CDD693A7

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

[Resolved] Some Blackboard submission receipt emails being delayed

Posted on by Hanrahan Highland

We are aware of an issue where some email copies of receipts for work submitted in Blackboard are being significantly delayed in reaching students, who may then be concerned that their submission has not been properly completed.

Students can always access their receipt number by re-opening the submission within the Blackboard course. The receipt number is shown at the top right:

SUBMITTED 09/12/2025, 11:44; RECEIPT: 2BE29BA2F5234EB09794DAE0CDD693A7

The issue has been raised with Blackboard and we will provide updates here.

[RESOLVED] Turnitin Delay in Similarity Reports and Student Upload Time

Posted on by digitaleducation

We previously reported a service disruption with Turnitin that was causing slow student uploads and a delay in Similarity Report generation. This issue has now been resolved by the supplier.

Reports that were stuck in pending should now have been generated, and student submission times have returned to normal. If you are still experiencing issues with report generation, please contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk for support.

[CLOSED] Turnitin Delay in Similarity Reports and Student Upload Time

Posted on by digitaleducation

The Digital Education Office has been made aware of an unexpected service incident affecting Turnitin. During this time students may find that submission uploads are slow and both staff and students may find that similarity reports are stuck processing.

We have tested this locally. We are finding a delay in processing reports, but currently no delay in upload times.

Our expectation is that stuck reports will process once the issue has passed.

We are monitoring the reports from the supplier. We will update this post with more information when it becomes available.

 

[Open] Some images in copied Blackboard Tests not displaying to students

Posted on by peter.peasey

The Digital Education Office has been made aware that some images in Blackboard Test assessments that have been copied from one course to another are not displaying correctly to students. This issue can occur when either tests or question banks are copied between Blackboard courses. We are actively investigating this issue with the supplier and will provide an update when it is resolved.

The standard checks and validation process described in our Blackboard Tests workflow will ensure any issues are discovered. At a minimum, this process should include:

  1. Checking the test using a test Student user; Student Preview mode is not adequate for this
  2. Ensuring that all questions within the test, including any within randomised question pools that a student may encounter, are reviewed in full.

Any issues with image display can be remedied by re-uploading the same images directly to the affected question/s and then rechecking these questions using a Test Student User account.

If an error persists after following this standard validation process, please contact digital-education@bristol.ac.uk for further support, including “Issues with image display in Blackboard Test” in the email title.

[Closed] Issue identified with Turnitinuk Bulk Uploads

Posted on by digitaleducation

We have identified an issue with Turnitinuk regarding bulk uploading files.

When attempting to bulk upload files, you will receive an error message that states, ‘Editing has been disabled for this native account’. Due to this, you will be unable to upload any files. 

If your current workflow is affected, please get in touch with the Digital Education Office at digital-education@bristol.ac.uk with the subject line “Issues with Turnitin Bulk Upload”. Please include the Unit ID and the name of the affected assessment in the content of the email.

Key changes for assessment workflows in Blackboard Ultra

Posted on by Dan Wilson

As many of you will already be aware, Blackboard Ultra has new and changed functionality that may necessitate changes in some assessment workflows around the University. While we have been actively engaging with school leads and local Digital Education colleagues in areas known to be using the affected workflows, we now ask that everyone reviews their current assessment workflows to ensure that you are prepared for the move to Ultra.

If your school or faculty is considering the use of any of the following assessment tools or practices this coming academic year, please read the relevant sections below.

Turnitin

There are minimal changes to this tool in Blackboard Ultra, but the way in which you access the Assignment Inbox has changed slightly. Please read through the updated Turnitin workflow guidance to see these changes.

Blackboard Assignments (download/upload, offline marking)

There are minimal changes to this tool in Blackboard Ultra, but the way in which you set up the assignment and manage the Gradebook (formerly Grade Centre) has changed. Please read through the updated Blackboard Offline workflow guidance to see these changes.

Continuous improvements are being made to this tool to address some of the issues you may have previously encountered. We will blog about these improvements when they become available.

As a new feature, Blackboard Assignments now include the ability to automatically run submissions through Turnitin to generate similarity reports. However, this practice comes with several limitations that must be considered. Please see the assessment planning page before using this feature.

Blackboard Assignments (non-anonymous, online marking)

There are changes to this workflow regarding setting up the assignment and managing the Gradebook (formerly Grade Centre). Marking has remained largely the same, but the way you access submissions has changed slightly. Please read through the updated Blackboard Online workflow guidance to see these changes.

As a new feature, Blackboard Assignments now include the ability to automatically run submissions through Turnitin to generate similarity reports. However, this practice comes with several limitations that must be considered. Please see the assessment planning page before using this feature.

Blackboard Assignments (anonymous, online marking)

There are significant changes to this practice. If you previously used the Mark with usernames hidden functionality, this is no longer available in Blackboard Ultra. Following feedback from Bristol and other UK institutions, Anthology (Blackboard’s supplier) are working to develop functionality that allows for trust-based anonymity, but any solutions they develop will not be available for this academic year.

The more strict, fully anonymous, Hide student names function in Blackboard Ultra severely limits your ability to manage these assessments and significantly increases the burden on staff and students. The Digital Education Office recommends against using this. Please see the assessment planning page and contact the DEO for a consultation if this is a route you are considering.

If you are still considering which workflow to use, or if you have any questions regarding assessment practice, please don’t hesitate to contact the Digital Education Office (digital-education@bristol.ac.uk) for support. 

Improved Navigation in Mark Approval Tool LTi (formerly Grade Approval Tool)

Posted on by Cleo Benedetto-Rea

The Mark Approval Tool in Blackboard is now paginated, giving users greater flexibility when viewing student data.

Users with the Marks Extractor role can now choose to display 10, 50, or 100 items per page.

  • Displaying 10 items per page helps avoid long scrolls.

  • Choosing 50 or 100 items reduces the need to click through multiple pages.

You can tailor the display to suit your workflow and preferences, which is especially useful when working with larger cohorts.

This improvement makes it easier to locate and select marks before extracting them to eVision/SITS, helping to streamline the process overall.

Reminder: Always drill down until you can see your students’ names and the Mark Column name to ensure you’re viewing the correct data.