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This summer, UMBC is teaming up with the Maryland Department of Disabilities to upgrade nine teaching labs in the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building—marking a major step in fostering inclusive STEM education. The goal: ensure all students, including wheelchair users and those with various disabilities, can fully participate in core chemistry and biochemistry courses.

What's Changing in the Labs?

• Wheelchair-accessible sinks, fume hoods, lab benches, and cabinets

• Lowered equipment stations for independent use

• A research lab redesigned for accessible hands-on experience

Lecture Hall Upgrades Include:

• Wheelchair-accessible seating in multiple locations with fold-down tablets

• TV monitors for better visibility for low-vision students

• Standing desks and seating variations for diverse body types, pregnant students, and orthopedic needs

• Assisted listening tech and designated interpreter areas for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing

Additional accessibility projects include:

• Restroom renovations in the Biological Sciences Building

• Elevator upgrades across multiple academic buildings

“The Office of Accessibility & Disability Services greatly values our longstanding partnership with Facilities Management to assist us in the mission of inclusive access and elimination of barriers for all UMBC community members,” says Tawny McManus, Assistant Vice President for Accessibility.

Learn how these changes are reshaping inclusion in STEM at UMBC: Read more here.

See original post here:  https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/accessibility/posts/151158

Greetings!

NOTE: We are now opening up relaunch dates to include August 25-29 and September 2nd-5th. Please fill out this form no later than Friday, August 15th EOD. 

We are pleased to announce the official relaunch of our shared services center! To mark this occasion, we will be hosting an in-person event where participants will:

• Attend a one-hour presentation on our updated services and structure

• Meet the team supporting your department

• Take part in a Q&A session, followed by an opportunity to meet the team in person!

To ensure this event works for as many attendees as possible, we would appreciate your input on:

• Date/Time

Please complete the form no later than Friday, August 15th. Your feedback will help us finalize the event details and ensure a meaningful and productive relaunch gathering.

Link to Google Form: here. 

Thank you!

Office of the Provost SSC Team

MSRP webinars are open to all Faculty and Staff. 

Click here to Register. All webinars are approximately 45 minutes in length.

MSRP webinars are open to all Faculty and Staff. 

Click here to Register. All webinars are approximately 45 minutes in length.

This month’s Ultra update makes it easier than to generate meaningful descriptions for complex images. August also brings new tools for recording video announcements, styling course materials, and helping students stay organized with improved module navigation.

The newest enhancement to Ally’s AI-powered Alt Text Assistant brings advanced support for describing complex images -- including charts, diagrams, graphs, and even handwritten notes. Instructors can continue using the same one-click workflow to generate alt text for images embedded in Blackboard-created content. This upgrade is especially valuable for STEM, social science, or data-rich courses where traditional alt text tools fall short, helping faculty meet accessibility standards while saving time and improving the learning experience for all students.

Image 1. Instructors can generate descriptions for complex images using Ally's AI Alt Text Assistant.

With the new video announcement feature, instructors can record short videos (up to 5 minutes) directly into course announcements. Each video includes automatic captions and transcripts, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards while offering a more personal and engaging way to communicate with students. Whether you’re introducing a new unit, clarifying expectations, or just adding a human touch, video announcements help strengthen instructor presence and build rapport, especially in fully online or asynchronous courses.

Image 2: The announcement screen where instructors can record or upload video and audio.

The redesigned Learning Module Table of Contents introduces a collapsible sidebar that helps students orient themselves, track their progress, and move through content more efficiently. Students can check off items as they complete them and choose to navigate via the sidebar or previous/next buttons. Assessments now open in a full panel, creating a more consistent and less fragmented experience. This streamlined structure helps reduce cognitive load, supports self-regulated learning, and improves the overall usability of content-heavy modules.

Image 3. Learning Modules now contain a Table of Contents panel to orient students within Learning Modules for their courses.

Instructors can now apply content styling to blocks within Ultra Documents, adding visual structure and emphasis to text with just a few clicks. Style options like “question,” “tip,” “key points,” “next steps,” and “highlight” feature icons and color coding to distinguish them from standard content. These simple formatting tools help draw attention to important information, scaffold learning more clearly, and make your content more engaging for students. Update Aug 8: This feature is postponed to September.

Image 4. Instructors can select styling options from a dropdown menu that appears in Edit mode on all block types.

Finally, instructors can select and copy individual LTI tool links. Some tools may function immediately after copying, while others might require manual relinking or configuration to work properly in the new course.

To learn more about these updates, and more, please join our What's New in Ultra for Teaching & Learning session on August 14.

When you can expect the update

Faculty should see the latest updates in their Ultra courses around August 7-8 2025. UPDATE: The release will be installed around August 19-20. The next update to our Ultra test environment will take place on August 12, 2025; release notes are posted to the What's New in Ultra that same week. Faculty who are interested in test driving new features before they are released to production should open an RT ticket to request early access. Please watch the FAQs, including the What's New with Ultra page, and myUMBC for additional information about Ultra.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, 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
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff

Thumbnail-image: New to Ultra [decorative]