April 2025 Release Notes (3900.114)

Impact: Instructors and administrators

Updated Help Topic: Learning Object Repository

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-3138

The new Learning Object Repository is an institutional repository designed to centralize resources across courses and organizations. Administrators can upload objects to the Learning Object Repository for instructors to copy into their courses.

This is the initial release of the Learning Object Repository. The capabilities of this release are best suited to reusing institutional content. Program or department uses will be better suited to future planned updates.

Good candidates for objects to keep in the Learning Object Repository include:

Image 1. The new button for the Learning Object Repository is on the Tools page.

Managing objects

By default, users with the System Administrator (Z) role are the only users who have access to the Learning Object Repository to manage objects. To create a custom role or give someone access to the Learning Object Repository, users must be granted the following system privileges:

Inserting objects

By default, users with the Instructor, Course Builder, or System Administration roles are the only users who can insert objects from the Learning Object Repository into a course or organization. To give a user access to insert objects from the Learning Object Repository, administrators must grant the following privileges:

If you want to remove access to inserting objects from the Learning Object Repository, remove the following privilege:

Instructors

Instructors access the Learning Object Repository through the More options menu on the Course Content page. Instructors can copy an object from the Learning Object Repository, but certain attributes are locked down. For example, instructors are locked out from editing the title, description, and body of a Document.

Image 2. Instructors hover over the Information button to be informed that a Document is managed by their institution, and they have no editing privileges.

Impact: Administrators

Updated Help Topic: Learning Object Repository

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-3138

Administrators can copy objects to the new Learning Object Repository. Many institutions already have objects that are candidates for this repository, such as institutional policies, support information, technology requirements, and more. This feature allows administrators to copy existing objects directly into the Learning Object Repository, removing the need to create new objects from scratch and saving valuable time. To access the Learning Object Repository, select the Learning Object Repository button on the Tools page. To copy items, select the More options menu.

Image 1. The option to copy items is in the More options menu of the Learning Object Repository.

Impact: Instructors and students

Updated Help Topic: Create Documents Documents

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-95

Instructors and students can now print Documents or save them to PDF, providing more ways to engage with content. This new option allows users to:

To print a Document, select Print. Use the browser to print options to select the following:

When printing from a mobile device, the Document prints as displayed on a desktop web browser.

Students

• Knowledge check blocks appear in the same way that they are on the Document page when the student chooses to print.

  • If a student hasn’t answered a knowledge check, the block prints as unanswered.

  • If a student has answered the knowledge check, the block prints as displayed along with any instructor feedback.

Image 2. The new Print button for Documents is now available for students.

Impact: Instructors and administrators

Updated Help Topic: Achievements Achievements

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-6344

Impact: Administrators

Updated Help Topic: Achievements Achievements

Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

Achievements are now available to instructors by default. Institutions that had already adjusted the state of Achievements had their choices respected.

Achievements states:

We made this change to bring attention to this feature for instructors who weren’t yet using Achievements. Achievements are a useful tool for motivating and rewarding students.

Impact: Administrators

Updated Help Topic: Achievements Achievements

Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

The default state for the Check for Achievements tab visibility for students setting is now Off. In institutions using Achievements, students who haven’t earned any Achievements will have the Achievements tab on their course pages. Institutions that had already adjusted the Check for Achievements tab visibility for students setting had their choices respected.

Check for Achievements tab visibility for students setting:

We made this change so students will know that they can earn Achievements in their courses before they’ve earned any. Students who are aware of Achievements will be more motivated learners.

Availability: Available for all Ultra courses.

Activation: None needed.

Configuration: To adjust the Check for Achievements tab visibility for students setting, select Configure in The Ultra Experience is Here! module. Go to Check for Achievements tab visibility for students and select On or Off.

Impact: Instructors

Updated Help Topic: Achievements Achievements

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-6049

Instructors

Instructors can now access Achievements through the Student Preview. This helps instructors preview achievements from the student perspective, providing a more accurate representation of the student experience. Instructors can also verify that the Achievements page is available for students in their courses.

Image 1. The Achievements page is now in the Student Preview.

Impact: Instructors

Updated Help Page: Course Activity Report Course Activity Report

Instructors

We improved sending messages from the Course Activity report.

• Instructors can now select all students for courses with over 3000 students. Previously, the option to select all students was only for courses with 3000 students or fewer.

• To be more user-friendly, the Recipients field now includes the following group labels:

  • All students

  • Selected students

  • Selected students with alerts

  • Selected students without alerts

These enhancements make it easier to communicate with students in large classes, including students with or without alerts.

Image 1. The Recipients field responds to instructor filters.

Impact: Instructors and students

Updated Help Topics: Navigate Inside an Ultra Course for Students , Navigate Inside an Ultra Course for InstructorsNavigate Inside a CourseNavigate Inside a Course

Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

Instructors and students

The color of the activity indicator for discussions, journals, and conversations is changed from blue to purple to better unify the color scheme of Blackboard. Users now have a more consistent and cohesive experience.

Image 1. The activity indicator now appears in purple beside a content item’s title.

Impact: Students

Updated Topic: "Control what students can access" section on Create ContentCreate Content

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-3193

We've enhanced the assessment workflow for students when an instructor sets a test or assignment to Hidden from students. If an instructor sets a test or assignment to Hidden from students while the students are actively taking the assessment, students who have the assessment open can continue working on it without interruption. This ensures that students can finish their work without disruption.

Previously, if an instructor set an assessment to Hidden from students while students were actively taking the assessment, the students were abruptly kicked out of the assessment and redirected to the course content page.

Impact: Instructors

Updated Help Page: Not applicable

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-1612

Instructors

In the Gradebook, instructors now have enhanced ability to monitor student engagement with assessment feedback. An indicator on the student Overview page now displays whether a student has reviewed the feedback for a given assessment.

When a grade is posted, the indicator includes a label of Not reviewed with the existing Completed label in the Status column. When the student reviews the feedback, the status updates to Reviewed with a review timestamp.

If the new grade indicator is reset for the assessment, such as when a grade is updated or if the assessment has multiple attempts, the timestamp updates when the student reviews the feedback again. If all attempts are deleted, the Not reviewed or Reviewed label is removed.

Image 1: Instructor Gradebook view has Reviewed and Not Reviewed labels in the Status column.

Impact: Students

Updated Help Page: Grades (Students)Grades

Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-4329, LEARNU-I-5949

To encourage student to review their submitted assessments in the Gradebook:

When a grade is posted and the new grade indicator (purple circle) is turned on, the View button displays for the assessment. By proving a clear call-to-action, students are more likely to review their submission and feedback.

Students

When students select the View button, the new grade indicator turns off, and students are redirected to their submission. If no submission is made, the side panels with feedback opens. The View button remains unless the instructor deletes the graded submission and all attempts.

Image 1: Previous view of the student Gradebook included Feedback column with feedback icon and new grade indicator when feedback is available for review.

Image 2: New view of the student Gradebook includes an actionable Results column, with the new grade indicator turning off after the student views the feedback.

Impact: Instructors

Updated Help Page: Grade Group AssignmentsGrade Group Assignments

Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

We migrated group grading to Flexible Grading. Instructors now have a more streamlined experience when grading group assignment and test submissions in Flexible Grading. This update allows instructors to benefit from the more efficient grading interface and workflow of Flexible Grading when evaluating group submissions.

Some capabilities for individual submissions, such as per question feedback on group test submissions and pop-out rubric on group assignment submissions, will be added to group submissions after this initial release.

Impact: Instructors

Updated Help Page: Course Activity Report Course Activity Report

Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

Impact: Instructors

Updated Help Topic: Migrate from Moodle Migrate from Moodle

Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

Impact: Instructors and students

Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

LTI providers can now specify their desired height for embedded LTIs in Blackboard. Previously, all embedded LTIs were set to a fixed height, which often resulted in excessive white space below content.

Test/Stage: week of March 24th; Production: week of March 24th

Impact: Students

Updated Help Page: DashboardDashboard

Idea Exchange ID: not applicable

Students can now access details about a course certificate by selecting the certificate tile on the student dashboard. A pop-up appears with details about the certificate, including certificate requirements. This empowers students with a clear understanding of how to earn certificates.

Students

When a student selects a certificate tile on the Achievements page, a pop-up window appears. This window displays

• certificate status

• course that the certificate is aligned with

• certificate requirements

If the certificate is earned, its expiration date and a download button appear. The student selects Download to download a PDF copy of the certificate.

Image 1. A pop-up window now displays details about the certificate.

Test/Stage: week of March 3rd; Production: week of March 3rd

Impact: Managers

Updated Help Page: Create an OfferingCreate an Offering

Idea Exchange ID: not applicable

Managers

Managers can now award achievements based on a percentage score in addition to awarding based on points. They can make this selection based on the Blackboard configuration for the grade item. Managers save time awarding certificates or badges because they no longer need to convert percentages to total points in the Assign Certificate panel.

Image 1: A percentage of 100% now appears as an option along with points next to a grade item's name in the Gradebook Items menu.

Production: March 19, 2025

Impact: Instructors and Students

Idea Exchange ID: not applicable

As part of our ongoing efforts to support students through the power of flexibility and choice, Ally's document conversion process has been upgraded to include the first version of support for Office Math found in Microsoft Word documents. Students downloading the HTML and BeeLine Reader Alternative Formats will now see the math equations rendered as MathML via MathJax in their browser. This is an important first step to support math content in a wider range of Ally Alternative Formats and means that students will no longer be missing important math equations when downloading their preferred HTML option.

Image 1: HTML Alternative Format with rendered Math.

This conversion happens automatically as part of Ally's processing pipeline and does not require any configuration from the administrator. To be considered for conversion, the math content must be inserted as an equation in Word. Otherwise, Ally will not recognize this as math.