As part of an effort to improve service on Blackboard, the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is changing how the Blackboard system operates at UMBC. Starting in Winter 2015, UMBC will move from running Blackboard on campus to using Blackboard’s own cloud-based instance, often referred to as hosted system, for course delivery. This is being done as part of a new agreement with a consortium of other research universities known as NET+ that is associated with Internet2. A benefit of this new approach is that Blackboard will handle software upgrades directly, which will minimize the impact to students and faculty. 

Currently, about 65 percent of all Bb clients are hosted by Blackboard. In Maryland, this includes Towson University, Morgan State University, Montgomery College, Bowie State University, the Community College of Baltimore County, and the Maryland State Department of Education.

“We’ve considered managed hosting before, but the innovation, commitment to standards and value of this agreement are very compelling,” says Jack Suess, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. “Ultimately, I believe it will help us advance UMBC’s focus on student success and better use technology to support pedagogical innovation by connecting UMBC to a wider community of research universities innovating with the same tools.”

In addition to managed hosting, the new agreement -- also announced today by Blackboard -- provides 24/7 end-user support, content storage, mobile and collaborative solutions, analytics and other resources. Once migrated, Blackboard will still be available in myUMBC, as well as the blackboard.umbc.edu and www.umbc.edu/blackboard web addresses. However, for Winter 2015 and Spring 2015, new course shells will be created on our hosted Bb server managed by Blackboard.

Starting in Summer 2015, the configuration and setup of courses will change. Specifically, all courses will have a permanent “master shell” for managing content that faculty will link to semester shells automatically populated with officially enrolled students. As a result, there will be no need for faculty to export old courses into new course shells, thus duplicating our overall file storage every semester, as is the case now.

Further details and plans will be announced on the DoIT News site throughout this academic year. In the meantime, DoIT’s instructional technology staff have created a focused set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Bb migration to managed hosting. For more information or help about Bb at UMBC generally, click the Help tab inside Bb or visit www.umbc.edu/blackboard/help.

Blackboard (Bb) Collaborate is a web conferencing tool that is accessible in all UMBC Bb courses under the tools menu.Bb Collaborate  allows instructors and students to meet virtually, anytime and anywhere. Instructors can supplement in-class dialogue by offering virtual office hours or review sessions to answer questions students have regarding course content.  Bb Collaborate  has many interactive features, including chat, video conferencing, whiteboard, and screen sharing. Students can access a collaborate session from their computers or mobile devices.

To learn more about Bb Collaborate:

• visit our Bb Collaborate FAQ page

• open an RT ticket  for any technical issues

• view the schedule of training workshops on the DoIT group page

• contact  the Instructional Technology Team with any questions or concerns

The  Grade Center is the instructor’s central hub for keeping track of student assignments to grade, reviewing submitted assessments, and tracking student performance. Whenever graded items, such as an assignment or assessments, are created in a Bb course, the system will automatically create a column in the Grade Center.

Save time and paper by requiring students to submit assignments through Blackboard. Then, use the Inline Grading tool  to embed feedback. Describe expectations and standardize the evaluation process with Rubrics.

Instructors can customize many Grade Center  features, such as grading schemas (points/percentages converted to letter grades), categories (labs, projects), color coding (e.g., red to indicate at risk) and other important column information. The Grade Center also works well with many other areas of Blackboard including the Retention Center.  

To learn more about the Grade Center:

• please visit our Blackboard FAQ page

• open an RT ticket  for any technical issues

• view the schedule of training workshops at the DoIT group page

Please contact the Instructional Technology Team with any suggestions or concerns. 

Due to an unforeseen logistical issue, Blackboard has moved this event to October 20. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to seeing you in October.

Blackboard is going on tour and coming to the Baltimore area for a free teaching & learning day! This event is an official stop on the national Bb on Tour. 

Hosted by Towson University, this event will take place on Wednesday, October 20. [original date: September 17]

The agenda highlights include: 

• Dynamic Presentations: given by your fellow peers in the Maryland and DC area on their best practices.
• Breakout Sessions: robust multi-track breakout sessions for Higher Education, and Learn & Collaborate users.
• Ask the Expert Stations: sit down, one-on-one, with Blackboard technical experts and get your questions answered.
• Feedback Sharing: help shape the future of Blackboard products by sharing your feedback in person and tell Blackboard about your needs and concerns.
• Partner Interaction Zone: from content providers, media and technology companies to system integrators and more, Blackboard is bringing a select group of partners on tour. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet with them.
• Expanded Higher Education Faculty Track: hear about new ideas and learn best practices to increase efficiency, improve student engagement and further enhance your skills on creating engaging content to meet course objectives.

Register for free today! We look forward to seeing you!

Beginning in September, Instructional Technology & New Media  is launching a series called "Instructional Technology of the Month".  This series will highlight an instructional technology supported by our office that can enhance teaching and learning both in the classroom and online.   The first spotlight will be posted next week and will feature the Blackboard Grade Center. Stay tuned.....