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Showing items tagged blackboard. Show All

Fix Point Values on Tests, Automate Encouragement, and Customize Achievements in November Ultra Update

Speed up grading and celebrate student success

Imagine if you could adjust test points in seconds without regrading everything manually? What if your course could automatically cheer students on when they succeed -- or nudge them when they...

Posted: November 6, 2025, 11:28 AM

Black and white robot dog running with the words "New to Ultra" written on light turquoise background

Free Digital Accessibility Workshops from Blackboard

Self-paced solutions for faculty & staff flexibility

Instructional Technology is pleased to offer four workshops on digital accessibility and Ally, available at no cost to UMBC faculty and staff, through July 31, 2026 using a special registration...

Posted: November 4, 2025, 9:49 AM

A human figure with outstretched arms inside a circle of two curved arrows, suggesting movement. Below the figure are two words: digital accessibility.

Fix Your Content Day: Let’s Make Course Materials More Accessible

One day of small steps to improve course accessibility

On Tuesday, November 18, UMBC will host its own Fix Your Course Content Day, dedicated to improving the accessibility of digital course materials in Blackboard. This one-day push is a chance for...

Posted: October 21, 2025, 9:09 AM

Add metadata to tests & question banks in the October Ultra Release

Improved student experience for fill-in-the-blank tests

The October Ultra release is a lightweight update featuring a valuable feature for faculty assessment management, allowing easier reuse of test questions and question banks. Instructors can...

Posted: October 2, 2025, 10:51 AM

Alternative Formats: Empower Student Choice with Anthology Ally and Connect Formats to Learning Needs

Three ways to leverage Ally’s alt formats for all learners

In today's diverse college classrooms, providing students with options for how they engage with course materials is not just a convenience - it's a critical component of effective teaching. By...

Posted: September 18, 2025, 2:00 PM

Organize Assessments and Speed Up Feedback with September's Ultra Update

Discover new AI tools, question titles, block styling

The September Ultra release introduces improvements to assessment creation, content formatting and an optional AI-powered virtual assistant. These enhancements are designed to help instructors...

Posted: September 3, 2025, 3:34 PM

Meet AVA: Blackboard’s AI-Powered Virtual Assistant for Faculty

AVA supports feedback and frequently asked student questions

This fall, UMBC faculty will have the opportunity to test Blackboard’s new AI Virtual Assistant (AVA), a suite of tools designed to support common teaching tasks. AVA Feedback Assistant will...

Posted: August 12, 2025, 12:29 PM

New Online Form Available to Request Merge of Blackboard Course Shells

Improved Process Supports Instructor Course Management

DoIT is pleased to announce a new form to help faculty manage their Blackboard course shells with greater efficiency. As part of our ongoing updates to the course creation and enrollment process,...

Posted: August 11, 2025, 4:47 PM

August Ultra update delivers smarter image descriptions, captioned video announcements, and table of contents for learning modules

Get back-to-school ready with new Ultra design features

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...

Posted: August 6, 2025, 11:10 AM

FA2025 Courses Created in Blackboard on July 16, 2025

Reminder: New Course Creation & Student Enrollment Process

Blackboard course shells for Fall 2025 were created on July 16, 2025. All Fall 2025 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes (SOC), regardless of designation as lecture, lab, etc, or...

Posted: July 17, 2025, 7:37 AM

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