Posts

Redesigned Groups, Cascading Release Conditions in the May Ultra Update

Smarter tools for course design and student support

Have you ever spent more time wrestling with Blackboard's Groups tool than actually designing the group work itself, especially in a large course? The May Ultra update delivers meaningful...

May 5, 2026 · 9:03 AM

Blackboard's Groups tool gets a major redesign that makes managing students faster and easier

Preview it on our test server before it goes live on May 20

Have you ever wrestled with Blackboard's group management -- spending too many clicks trying to organize students, waiting for pages to load in large courses, or losing track of who's assigned...

April 27, 2026 · 10:49 AM

Raise a FA26 Bb Course Ally Score by Fixing the Prior Version

"Strive for 85" with Digital Accessibility

As announced last month, UMBC is working toward a campus-wide goal of highly accessible courses by the end of 2026. To help, DoIT recommends that faculty identify accessibility gaps in prior...

April 22, 2026 · 3:23 PM

UMBC Transitions Digital Badges to Accredible

New platform enhances analytics, sharing, and value

UMBC is transitioning its digital credentialing platform from Parchment Digital Badges (formerly Canvas Credentials/Badgr) to Accredible. This move supports continued growth in microcredentials...

April 20, 2026 · 11:56 AM

SU2026 Courses Created in Blackboard on April 16, 2026

New Process To Request Merged Course Shells

Blackboard course shells for Summer 2026 were created on April 16, 2026. All Summer 2026 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes (SOC), regardless of designation as lecture, lab, etc, or...

April 16, 2026 · 12:37 PM

Achieve ‘Strive for 85’ DA Goal: Enroll in CoRE Foundations

Opt-in, self-paced Bb training can lead to a microcredential

UMBC instructors are invited to "enroll" in the self-paced, online Course Roadmap to Equity (CoRE) Foundations training, which provides practical tools to achieve the ‘Strive for 85’ digital...

April 7, 2026 · 8:44 AM

Blackboard Seeks Feedback on Ally Course Accessibility Report

Short survey available to improve reporting features

Blackboard is currently working on improving the Ally Course Accessibility Report. They are collecting feedback from users in a short survey to understand how you use it, what’s working well, and...

April 3, 2026 · 1:22 PM

Set Multiple Due Dates for Discussions & Define Assignment Types in April Ultra Update

New tools for clarity, consistency, and control in your Ultr

Have you ever wanted students to see exactly what's expected of them in a discussion, without having to navigate back to the assignment details to check? Or needed to recognize that one group...

April 3, 2026 · 8:20 AM

Sprinting to the Finish - USM April Accessibility Newsletter (part 2)

Sponsored by the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation

The April issue of the USM Digital Accessibility Newsletter is now available. Here's what's inside: Why Planning Beyond the Deadline Matters Quick Fix Guide: Your Complete...

April 2, 2026 · 3:20 PM

Blackboard Seeks Faculty Feedback on New Gradebook

Gain early access, provide feedback from 4/20 to 5/1

Blackboard is preparing to launch a completely redesigned gradebook this summer, including a faster, cleaner, and significantly easier-to-use experience for faculty. To ensure the update meets the...

March 25, 2026 · 8:53 AM

Posts

Sort By

Filter Posts

Archived Posts

Archived Content