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Small fixes, big difference for every student.

Picture a student pulling up your syllabus before the first day of class. If they're using a screen reader and your document contains unstructured text, complex tables, and images without adequate...

August 11, 2026 · 2:00 PM

Ready, Set, Accessible! Fall Course Prep Day Resources

Recordings, slide decks, and links... oh my!

The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation shared the resources from the Ready, Set, Accessible! Fall Course Prep Day. Held on August 3rd, this half-day virtual event was designed to help...

August 10, 2026 · 9:15 AM

Blackboard's August Update Redesigns Grading, Navigation, and Group Tools

A quick rundown of what's new for faculty & students

Blackboard's August update is one of the bigger releases we've seen in a while, touching grading, navigation, assessments, and course workflows all at once. Here's what's changing, organized by...

August 7, 2026 · 3:31 PM

Call for Applications: USM Faculty Mini-Grant to Boost Course Accessibility

Deadline: September 11, 2026

The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows program. This initiative will support up to 12...

August 4, 2026 · 9:30 AM

Improve Your Digital Content: Join Us for Accessibility Workshops (August 17 & 21)

Enhance digital content accessibility for all users

As we gear up for the FA2026 semester, the Instructional Technology team is hosting Improve Your Digital Content Workshops on August 17th and August 21st. Whether you are completely new to Digital...

July 30, 2026 · 12:15 PM

Level Up Your Course: Join Us for Blackboard Week (August 10th–14th)

Daily webinars to optimize your Fall courses

As we gear up for the FA2026 semester, Instructional Technology is hosting Blackboard Week from August 10th to August 14th. Whether you are completely new to Blackboard or a seasoned pro looking...

July 28, 2026 · 10:00 AM

Blackboard Launches New Gradebook on August 7

Same grades, less clicking.

After a year-long redesign with faculty feedback sessions – including on-site at UMBC – Blackboard will launch a new gradebook starting August 7, 2026. The redesigned gradebook grid view will...

July 20, 2026 · 10:00 AM

FA2026 Courses Created in Blackboard on July 15, 2026

Reminder: New Course Creation & Student Enrollment Process

Blackboard course shells for Fall 2026 were created on July 15, 2026. All Fall 2026 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes (SOC), regardless of designation as lecture, lab, etc, or...

July 16, 2026 · 8:00 AM

Streamline Grading and Feedback with Gradescope

Pilot in Blackboard Begins Fall 2026

In partnership with the Math and Physics Departments, the Division of Information Technology is pleased to announce a pilot for Gradescope, a feedback and grading platform that integrates with...

July 14, 2026 · 11:30 AM

July Update Brings Rubric Evaluation Report to Ultra Courses

Discussion descriptions, AI conversation timers, course favs

This month's Ultra update provides a new report that gives instructors class-wide rubric data at a glance, and a dedicated field that separates discussion context from prompt. Paired with clearer...

July 2, 2026 · 10:29 AM

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