Coco Ni, a UMBC student majoring in Information Systems with a certificate in Chinese Studies, shares her hands-on job experience with the Division of Information Technology’s (DoIT) A/V Services Installs Team. In May, Coco will be joining the other members of the Class of 2026 as they graduate from UMBC! 

Coco’s Digital Story

In celebration of this milestone, Coco recaps her experiences in the DoIT Student Digital Stories series. This video highlights her time and some of the hands-on work she has done performing installs and teardowns of A/V devices around different buildings and classrooms on campus. All of these helped her gain valuable skills to build up her resume and have motivated her to explore a career where she gets to help people with technology.

Congratulations, Coco, on your soon-to-be graduation! We appreciate your contribution to the A/V Services Team.

During Summer 2026, DoIT staff and Blackboard will archive our entire instance of Blackboard, which will save individually backed-up copies of every course and organization through SU2023. Courses offered before and including AY22-23 will be retired by the end of SU2026. 

Beginning June 1, courses offered from the following terms will be scheduled for retirement:

• Any courses older than five years
• Fall 2022
• Winter 2023
• Spring 2023
• Summer 2023

The Blackboard system's overall performance and efficiency will improve by removing files and database transactions from the content server and database. AY23-24, AY24-25, and AY25-26 will remain on the server. Fall 2026 will begin a new academic year of data retention (AY25-26).

Reminder: End of Support for Blackboard Original Course & Organization Shells

Blackboard has announced that they will end support for Original courses and organizations on December 31, 2026. At this point, all Original content in courses and organizations, including development and sandbox courses, will be placed in a read-only state, which can be viewed by those respective enrolled users, but not edited by instructors or leaders. This change applies to all Original content.

Organization leaders with active Blackboard Original course shells are encouraged to take action now to decide whether you will move to Ultra or retire the organization

• If moving to Ultra, request a new Ultra organization site by submitting a ticket.
• If retiring the organization, download content you wish to retain, especially for legacy organizations more than 7 years old, in a Blackboard export package or exported file attachments.

FAQs about Course Retirement

Is my content gone forever? No, Blackboard archived courses captured all course data, files, student submissions, discussions, grades, etc. through SU2023. These archives will reside on a secure cloud storage location.

When will I lose access to courses that are being retired? The archiving process will begin on June 1st. Faculty can place an RT ticket to have their course content restored through November 2026. 

Can I save a copy of my own courses? Yes -- and it is strongly encouraged! Instructors can export (course content) and/or archive (course content & student data) their courses. You should also download a copy of your gradebook. We recommend saving these files to UMBC's cloud storage to ensure long-term access in the event you change computer systems.

Can I restore (regain access to) only course content? Yes. Course content consists of files and course structure (menu, folders, etc.). Faculty can only import course content to an existing Blackboard course shell. Please submit a RT request for assistance importing an exported course file.

Can I restore course data? Course data consists of student submissions, discussions, and grades. We generally prefer not to restore full courses to avoid reinstating user accounts and confusing students with old content. If you must restore archived course data, please open an RT ticket with justification included.

How long will you keep the retired courses? We will keep the retired courses for approximately 2 years after Blackboard archives the courses. Faculty who may need content beyond 2 years should plan to save copies of their exported courses to UMBC Box or other cloud storage.

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

The Central and Departmental Collaboration Group presents the FY2027 Research Administrator’s Mentoring Program, starting July 1, 2026 and running through June 30, 2027. 

This year-long program is designed for UMBC central and departmental research administrators who would like to be paired with a Mentor/Mentee in order to share resources, network, and learn from each other about UMBC, research administration, and connection.

The broader Mentoring group will meet up to 5 times a year to share ideas and questions and each smaller Mentor group (2-4 people) will meet monthly as schedules align. 

Research Administrator's Mentoring Program FY2027 Sign-Up Form is available as of today and the deadline for sign-up is May 29, 2026

If you have any questions about the program, please reach out to Amy Steinly-Marks (asmarks@umbc.edu) and Emma Wheatley (emma9@umbc.edu) and we will be happy to respond.

Hi everyone!
I’m selling this full-size mattress and bed frame.

Both are in perfect condition. bought new and only used for 6 months by only person.

$70 for both. I can sell them separately if interested.

It comes with two sets of bedding and two pillows as a free gift.
Pickup only. In Baltimore, near to Hollins Market.

Available for pickup starting saturday may, 16.
text me by email: douglasjgoncalves@gmail.com

Rent: $450/month
Includes: All utilities and maintenance

Location:
• 2-minute drive to UMBC
• 2-minute walk to the Paradise UMBC shuttle stop
• Across from Circle Drive

Room & Home Details:
• Private, lockable bedroom (upstairs for added privacy)
• Full shared bathroom
• Shared kitchen, dining room, and living room (1st floor)
• Laundry room in basement
• Designated parking spot behind the house
• Security surveillance installed around the property

Tenant Requirements (Strict):
• Female tenants only
• No couples
• No room sharing
• No drugs, alcohol, smoking, or parties

Preference:
Female UMBC students

Availability:
Available Now

Contact:
WhatsApp only: 443-813-7954
Please message to schedule a tour.

We'll be having our last meeting tomorrow, but instead of our usual prompt and write, we'll be having a powerpoint party! Now's the chance to educate others on whatever topic you want.

Come join us this Thursday from 4-6PM at the Harbor MPR. Can't wait to see what everyone will bring :)

In recognition of the annual student staff banquet this Thursday, the physical Residential Life office will close at 4:00pm on Thursday, May 7. Please plan any in-person visits accordingly. 

Thank you for your understanding.  Please contact campus police in the event of an emergency.

Did you know that UMBC Public Health has a LinkedIn group? We love to connect with our alumni, share jobs and internship opportunities, and coordinate events for students and alumni. Request to join the group. It is a private group, so if you reach out to someone there, they will know you are a UMBC student or alumnus. All members are vetted by our administrators. Vetting may take several days. Majors and minors welcome!

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8763237/

What does digital accessibility look like in practice -- and how can busy faculty make meaningful progress without redesigning their entire course?

Professor Nancy Kusmaul -- outgoing Faculty Senate President and incoming Chair and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work -- offers a perspective grounded in everyday teaching. 

Rather than describing accessibility as an added task, she emphasizes that it often builds on what faculty are already doing. Small adjustments - checking a document or considering how course materials are shared - can make a meaningful difference to students. Her advice to colleagues? Start small and stay consistent.

“The best first step is to just take it a little bit at a time.”

Kusmaul encourages faculty to focus on manageable actions -- reviewing one week’s material, running one accessibility checker, or making incremental changes as the semester progresses. This approach not only reduces feeling overwhelmed, it can build sustainable habits over time. She also underscores an important shift in mindset: accessibility is not about perfection.

“What can you do today to make your content a little bit more accessible than it was yesterday?”

Perhaps most importantly, Kusmaul reminds us why this work matters. Accessible course materials support not only students who request accommodation, it also helps those who may never ask -- removing barriers before they impact learning.

How can you get involved?

If you’re an instructor curious about your course’s accessibility score, Ally’s course report is available directly in Blackboard - look for the Ally Accessibility Report under Books & Course Tools. 

For more information, see the following resources:

• umbc.edu/go/allydemo
• umbc.edu/go/allytraining 
• umbc.edu/go/allyfaqs
• umbc.edu/go/allyreport (requiresUMBC VPN to view from off-campus)
• UMBC Digital Accessibility
• USM Digital Accessibility Hub

A HUGE thanks goes out to Melody Wright for conducting a "Personal Branding, Networking, and Influence" workshop yesterday.  We were taught tips for managing our personal branding like listing our strengths, what we want to be known for and other details in order to develop our Value Statements.  Also pointers on networking were provided.  Good conversations in groups and good instruction from Melody.

Melody was gracious enough to share her Personal Branding, Networking and Influence slides.