Clicker software updated on classroom computers

• January 20th, 2023
• in Announcements

Look for the Point Solutions icon on classroom computers!

Last year, TurningTechnologies merged with Echo360.  The software and mobile app changed their name to Point Solutions, and the classroom computers will have the updated version of the software. The processes in the desktop software (for instructors) are the same, but with new branding from Echo360.

For more information about Echo360 visit the CIT Knowledge Base or echo360.com.

Known Issue: Reminder for Turnitin Maintenance on Jan 14

• January 5th, 2023
• in Known Issues

Turnitin will take an 8 hour maintenance window on Saturday, January 14 from 11:00 AM CT – 7:00 PM CT.

The following CIT supported services are unavailable during these times:

Turnitin
Draft Coach
Gradescope
Feedback Studio for iOS

If you have any questions, please make a request through the CIT Support Portal.

Known Issue: Turnitin Maintenance Jan 14

• December 15th, 2022
• in Known Issues

Turnitin will take an 8 hour maintenance window on January 14 from 11:00 AM CT – 7:00 PM CT.

The following CIT supported services are unavailable during these times:

Turnitin
Draft Coach
Gradescope
Feedback Studio for iOS

If you have any questions, please make a request through the CIT Support Portal.

Qualtrics will require Duo after Dec. 15

• November 22nd, 2022
• in Announcements

Beginning Thursday, Dec. 15 Duo will be required to access Qualtrics accounts. Users will receive a Duo prompt after logging in with myBama credentials at Qualtrics.ua.edu. Duo is required for many other applications including Box and Microsoft 365.

For more information about Duo, visit OIT’s Duo two-factor authentication page.

Instructional Technology News – November 4, 2022

• November 4th, 2022
• in Instructional Technology News

Hello from your colleagues in CIT! Below you’ll find resources to help with your teaching needs, as well as announcements and workshops. If you need help with instructional technology, please contact cit@ua.edu.

Introducing Dr. Karen Burns, CIT’s Assistant Director of Education and Outreach!

I am excited to serve in this new role! I have been a part of CIT since 2008, responsible for people.ua.edu, VoiceThread, Flipgrid (now Flip), and Zoom. During that time, I completed my master’s degree and doctorate degree through the College of Education with a focus on instructional leadership and technology. I am particularly passionate about all things related to gamification and game-based learning. If you are really curious, you can read more about me on my website, http://kaburns.people.ua.edu.

Anyone up for a scavenger hunt or escape room? Get in touch at cit@ua.edu!

Resources for Teaching and Learning:

• Communicate with Students Using Blackboard
• Testing Tips for Instructors
• Add accommodations to a Blackboard test
• Grade Reporting at UA
• Grading in Blackboard
• Ally Quick Start for Instructors : Ally measures the accessibility of each file attached to your course and creates alternative formats of your course content based on the original.
• Ally Quick Start for Students: Ally provides alternate formats for course content. Look for the Download Alternative Formats icon and download a format that suits individual learning needs.

Explore Blackboard Ultra

Learn about UA’s Ultra pilot and request a practice course: Ultra Course Pilot Information

Upcoming Events from CIT, OIT, UA Online and more!

• View a full list and registration information
• Anthology, Blackboard’s parent company, is hosting a Digital Teaching Symposium November 10
• OIT + Microsoft Teams training session: Using a Class Team with your Student.
• Submit a Proposal to OLIS by November 14!

It’s back! Hosted by UA Online, the Online Learning Innovation Summit returns on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, at Bryant Conference Center. Faculty, staff and graduate students will come together for a full day of sessions on inclusive online classrooms, course quality, digital accessibility, technology tools and innovative course design.

This year’s theme is Transforming the Online Classroom: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovation. Do you have a success story, an innovative strategy or a demonstration you would like to share? The OLIS Planning Team welcomes your proposals. Visit the OLIS website to submit a proposal by November 14^th and to register for the event.

RESOLVED: Pearson MyLabs & Mastering unavailable in Blackboard

• November 3rd, 2022
• in Known Issues

Update 11/3/22 10:36 AM: Pearson reports the issue as resolved.

RESOLVED: The issue with MyLabs & Mastering customers receiving a 504 error has been resolved. Thank you for your patience

We are aware of an issue with Pearson MyLabs & Mastering in Blackboard. Pearson’s status page lists this service disruption starting at 9:44 AM on November 3, 2022.

INVESTIGATING: We are investigating an issue that is impacting your course access. Customers may experience a 504 error message when accessing courses or course content.

Users can check on the availability of MyLabs & Mastering on Pearson’s status page. CIT will continue to monitor the issue and update this post as new information becomes available.

Resolved – Blackboard files error

• October 25th, 2022
• in Known Issues

Update Oct 25 3:24 PM: Blackboard Support reports that the Blackboard files issue was with one of their vendors and is now resolved. If you are still seeing the error, please clear the cache in your internet browser.

If the issue persists contact the Center for Instructional Technology.
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We are aware of an issue with access to files in Blackboard. Users may see a screen with a Blackboard logo, the words “Learn SaaS”, and an icon of a computer screen and a wrench.

We are working with Blackboard Support to resolve this issue and we will update this post with any updates.

Known Issue – Courses not Syncing to Blackboard

• October 24th, 2022
• in Known Issues

Update Oct 25 8:45 AM: Events continue to pass through the queue for course creation and enrollment sync. Delays are possible with a large amount of courses being created.
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Update Oct 24 4:40 PM: Events are passing through the queue for course creation and enrollment sync. If you are still having issues with this process, please let CIT know by submitting an online request.
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We are aware of an issue where courses are not syncing to Blackboard. These courses are marked with an integration code of LEARN in the Blackboard Learn Section Maintenance tool, but they do not show up in Blackboard. This means that newly created courses and enrollment changes from myBama may not currently be reflected in Blackboard.

If you are experiencing this issue, please let us know by submitting an online request. We will continue to update this post as we get more information.

RESOLVED – Mediasite Unavailable

• October 17th, 2022
• in Known Issues

Friday October 21, 2022 @ 10:41 AM: At this time, all issues have been resolved relating to Mediasite. If you experience any further issues, please contact UA Online Technical Support.

Mediasite is currently unavailable for all users. Mediasite is the video platform used in UA Online and Early College courses.

An update to the platform began on Friday, October 14 at 11:59 PM and was scheduled to end Monday, October 17 at 8:30 AM. Mediasite technical support is aware of this issue, and we will update this post as soon as new information is available.

Known Issue: Old Turnitin assignments unsupported

• October 6th, 2022
• in Known Issues

In May 2022, we updated the method used for connecting Blackboard to Turnitin. This update brought some user interface changes and allows for more system updates in the future. Turnitin Support has confirmed that their support for the previous Turnitin tool ended on August 31, 2022. For more information about these changes, please visit our knowledge base article: Changes to Turnitin 2022

Instructors using the previous version of Turnitin should recreate their Turnitin assignments using the following guide: How do I create a new Turnitin assignment?

A message from Turnitin:

As part of Turnitin’s commitment to providing the best possible user experience via our integrations, we will no longer provide support for the Blackboard Basic plugin, and only access will remain to past assignments and submissions via your Blackboard Learn environment. Per previous reminders, the end-of-life date was August 31, 2022.

Along with Blackboard’s plan to end support for all building blocks, this allows us to shift focus on providing a unified LTI 1.3 integration option with access to all Turnitin Feedback Studio features, and without the requirement for institutions to regularly upgrade their experience.