A small number of cases have been reported of missing or misaligned images or tables when assignments are viewed in the Bb Annotate (online marking) interface in Blackboard (Turnitin is unaffected). This has been reported to Blackboard and we are still awaiting their response.

Since the issue was first identified, the DEO has carried out testing and it appears that this happens under quite specific conditions, when a student submits a Word document in which an image or table has been cropped, aligned and formatted in a certain way.

What do we know about the issue?

1. So far, every case has been a Word document (PDFs are unaffected). You can see the file type in Bb Annotate by looking at the file name on the right-hand side, under ‘Feedback to Learner’. If this filename ends in .docx or .doc then it is a Word document.
2. This seems to be affecting images (eg photos of handwritten work) and occasionally tables.
3. On files which are potentially affected, a blue banner will appear at the top of the work, saying spacing may have changed
4. In all instances, the original file can be downloaded and displays correctly.

Warning banner

How to download originally submitted file

What should I do if marking submitted Word documents?

If you see the blue banner and you are expecting to see images or tables in the submitted work, you should download the original file and view this when marking.

There are three ways in which you can then provide feedback:

• Through Bb Annotate as normal, noting any formatting issues either by annotating the document or in the Feedback to Learner box
• Add feedback in the downloaded file (eg using Word comments) and upload this to the Feedback to Learner box.
• If you have not yet begun marking, it may be possible to batch download scripts and batch upload feedback files, bypassing the issue. For more information about this please see the B1 workflow and contact the DEO.

We apologise for any inconvenience or disruption caused and will provide an update when we have any further information from Blackboard.

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

If you are an Instructor viewing or marking a Blackboard assignment, you will now see a message across the top of the ‘Mark assignment’ screen saying “The conversion process may have changed the spacing in this submission. You can still download the original file.”

This is a system message Blackboard have added for all clients. It appears on all submissions not just those that may be affected by formatting errors. Turnitin assignments are not affected.

Conversion process message

Whilst most assignments submitted to Blackboard display correctly, occasionally formatting errors do occur, due to the way Blackboard converts documents. For example, the Digital Education Office has seen occasional cases where images do not appear or are misaligned. If you come across a paper you suspect has a formatting error, you can click the download icon and compare the online with the downloaded version (which will be in the originally submitted file format). When marking, you can refer to the downloaded version if you need to check an affected area.

If you need to record that a formatting issue has been noted, you can add a comment in the ‘Feedback to Learner’ box (for students) and/or the ‘Marking notes’ box (visible to staff only).

In some extremely rare cases, it is possible that the online paper is rendered unreadable; in this case, markers should download the original version. If adding feedback, you can either add this in a feedback file or type it in the ‘Feedback to Learner’ box.

How to download submission

How to add feedback to learner or marking notes

The Digital Education Office is continuing to work with Blackboard to identify ways to reduce the likelihood of formatting issues. Blackboard suggest PDF files will more reliably render correctly, so if a student does report a formatting issue with their Word submission, uploading a PDF version is another option.

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