Based on new analysis of how Blackboard (Bb) Ultra has been adopted across campus, DoIT has decided to modify its approach to faculty support across colleges. 

Specifically, DoIT will focus on supporting the College of Engineering and IT (CoEIT) in Spring 2020, and the College of Natural, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CNMS) in Fall 2020. In addition, the rollout period for all colleges and focus areas will extend across two terms (not one, as previously announced). There are no changes in DoIT support focusing on the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) in Spring 2021. Also, DoIT still plans to discontinue support of Blackboard Classic prior to Fall 2021.

When DoIT announced the phased rollout of Blackboard (Bb) Ultra on April 4 of this year, we did so based on the number of courses typically using Bb in each college as of Spring 2019, starting with least to greatest, to afford more time to colleges using Bb the most. To date, 270 courses have moved to Bb Ultra in Fall 2019, nearly doubling the 147 who did so in Spring 2019. 

However, of the 270 Fall 2019 Ultra courses, 61% are from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), which was not expected, followed by 11% from the College of Engineering & Information Technology (CoEIT), and 3% from CNMS. The Division of Professional Studies (DPS), Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs (DUAA), Erickson School and Social Work collectively represent 65 courses (24.5%), which was DoIT’s priority focus for Fall 2019. 

As a fully redesigned system, Ultra benefits from an intentional focus on accessibility and mobile responsiveness. In addition to extensive checks to meet accessibility standards, Ultra includes support for Ally, an integrated tool that checks course content for accessibility and generates alternative formats for users.

With the November update, both the accessibility meters for faculty and the alternative formats for all users will be as visible as they are in Original courses. Accessibility scores for instructors will be available with attachments in document and tests with, appearing next to the files they are scoring. This makes it easier for instructors to see how their content scores and fix any issues. Students will be able to easily download alternative formats of files and images by selecting the alternative file icon and choosing the desired format.

Note: Accessibility scores and alternative format icons are only available with attached files. They will not be available with files and images added through the Ultra content editor. Instructors may also reference the Course Accessibility Report.

Faculty and students may also note a complete redesign of all icons throughout the Ultra system. Most notably, the updated icons are darker and will appear more prominently, particularly in Ultra courses. Additional updates in November include moving the Batch Edit tool into the overflow menu with other bulk course management tools to better align with how it's used and updating the assessment creation buttons to use Save and Cancel rather than Done. The blank Learning Module will also be removed from the Ultra course page to avoid confusion.

Finally, with the November update, Ultra Documents now have a description field that will appear on the Course Content page, which allows instructors to give high-level details about what the Ultra documents contain, reducing unnecessary clicks for students.

The next Blackboard Learn update will be posted to our test site around November 12th and pushed to production around December 5th. Faculty who are interested in test driving new features before they are released to production should open an RT ticket to request early access. 

As always, if you have any questions, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 
• What’s new in Ultra? | Known Issues 
• Open a ticket via RT
• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• Sign up for a webinar & other training 
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff
• Review your course content with Ally

Nearly 2,500 faculty and staff members’ accounts are now being protected by Duo, and the numbers continue to rise. Whether you’ve been using Duo for years, or you’re a new user, it’s nice to be reminded of a few best practices for using Duo. These tips, and a number of other topics, can be found on our Duo FAQs.

Reduce how much you’re prompted by Duo - Use Remember me for 30 days

Do you like the security you get by using Duo, but don’t want to use the second-factor step every time you log in? Simple. Just check the “Remember me for 30 days” checkbox on the Duo authentication screen.

NOTE: Only use this option on computers you control and trust. For example, your office computer or home computer. Do not use this option on public computers.

Don’t type or call - Use Push notifications

By far, the easiest way to use Duo is with a push notification to your smartphone. More than likely you have your smartphone with you. Simply press “send push” on the Duo authentication screen and acknowledge the push notification on your device.

Protect yourself from being locked out - Register multiple devices

In the event you don't have your standard authentication device with you, like your smartphone, be sure to register additional devices such as your desk or home phone.

Have more questions about using Duo? Browse our Duo FAQs, submit an RT ticket at my.umbc.edu/help, or contact the Technology Support Center (TSC) at (410) 455-3838.