Beginning with SU2018, the UMBC Blackboard (Bb) site will receive monthly updates as part of Blackboard’s continuous delivery model, which is a requirement for UMBC to move its Bb system to the Ultra Experience next summer.
Monthly updates feature tool enhancements, new features, and, as needed, maintenance items, which allows DoIT to deliver additional innovation to support teaching and learning to the campus community on a more consistent basis. These updates will be featured on the Instructional Technology group at myUMBC and on the New Features & Updates FAQ
- When: Monthly, usually Friday evenings (beginning as early as 5 PM)
- Why: Updates to core tools and services as required by Blackboard, new features & enhancements
- What happens: No downtime. Allow up to 24 hours for all updates to propagate throughout the system. Some tools and services may be slower to respond as those backend processes restart across supporting servers. Although users should not notice any disruption in service, we advise faculty to avoid scheduling tests due dates during these periods.
Previously, UMBC scheduled downtime downtime for monthly server updates and planned major software updates once per year. The schedule was revised in August 2015 after UMBC moved Blackboard to managed hosting and updated in July 2017 with the migration to Blackboard cloud environment.
We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve our systems to bring you a better Blackboard experience.
