11:50AM – Box has announced they have identified the root cause and services are returned. Visit status.box.com/ for updates.
11AM – Box has announced a complete service disruption and has confirmed this issue is impacting all Box Services. Users attempting to use Box may see errors and timeouts, but for the most part, services will be completely inaccessible. Visit status.box.com/ for updates.
Panopto has announced that it is experiencing a service disruption and that users may experience errors with all aspects of Panopto, including login, recording, playback, editing, browsing, and viewing.
Panopto will update this issue announcement by 17-Nov-2023 7PM Central.
Hello from your Center for Instructional Technology! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.
UA’s new online syllabus platform, Simple Syllabus, launches April 17. All sections must have a syllabus published in Simple by the first day of classes for Summer 2023 and future terms. Instructors will receive reminders to complete their syllabi before each semester begins. Syllabi include required course and section information, as well as institutional and, in some cases, college-specific statements and policies. Instructors should add and edit section-specific information using Simple’s built-in editor, which allows for text formatting, links, videos, images, tables, and more. Simple Syllabus will be available through myBama, Blackboard Learn, or direct login.
Gorgas Library Camellia Room 2020 on Friday, April 14, 9AM-9:45AM, 10AM-10:45AM, 11AM-11:45AM. No registration needed.
If you prefer individual help to set up Simple Syllabus, request an appointment. Appointments are available beginning April 17.
April 12, 2:00-3:00 pm
Join the Gradescope team to discover how other instructors use Gradescope to:
Register for Stories from the Classroom
Check out more workshops including Panopto, Hypothesis, and People.ua.edu at http://calendar.ua.edu.
The CIT Knowledge Base is your clearinghouse for tutorials, known issues, and best practices:
Instructors interested in teaching with Ultra Course View in an upcoming academic term should submit a request via the CIT portal: Blackboard Learn Ultra LIVE Course Pilot Request.
On August 1, 2023, Class Collaborate will be deactivated and no longer available to use at UA. This change does not affect the Blackboard Learn system, only the virtual web conferencing tool, Collaborate. Instructors and program managers should download any needed recordings from Collaborate by August 1, 2023. CIT suggests instructors use Zoom or Teams for synchronous class meetings and Panopto for lecture capture.
Academic courses in Blackboard Learn are subject to removal two (2) years following the end of the semester in which they are taught per UA’s LMS Course Retention Policy. For example, courses taught in Spring 2023 will be removed after May 2025. Courses taught prior to Fall 2021 are now eligible for removal. Fall 2021 courses will be removed starting in May 2023. Non-academic courses, referred to as non-integrated courses, are subject to removal following two (2) years of inactivity. Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades. Students should save any necessary coursework as well. Steps to save content are linked below.
More information on the policy and instructions for backing up Blackboard content are available in the LMS Course Retention Policy FAQ.
As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:45 to assist you. We look forward to working with you soon.
Email – cit@ua.edu
Phone – 205-348-3532
Website and Knowledge Base – http://cit.ua.edu
Hello from your Center for Instructional Technology! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.
It’s midterms and time to focus on your Gradebook. We are here to help answer questions or simply review your settings.
Drop in OR schedule a virtual appointment. Our doors will be open, and refreshments will be served.
Gordon Palmer Hall, Room A232
The CIT Knowledge Base is your clearinghouse for tutorials, known issues, and best practices for testing and grading in Blackboard.
Instructors interested in teaching with Ultra Course View in an upcoming academic term should submit a request via the CIT portal: Blackboard Learn Ultra LIVE Course Pilot Request.
Academic courses in Blackboard Learn are subject to removal two (2) years following the end of the semester in which they are taught per UA’s LMS Course Retention Policy. Courses taught prior to Fall 2020 are now eligible for removal. Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades. Students should save any necessary coursework as well. Non-academic courses, referred to as non-integrated courses, are subject to removal following two (2) years of inactivity. Steps to save content are linked below.
More information on the policy and instructions for backing up Blackboard content are available in the LMS Course Retention Policy FAQ.
In case you missed the Vision and Roadmap webinars for Blackboard Learn Original and Ultra, the recordings are available to watch.
As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:45 to assist you. We look forward to working with you soon.
Email – cit@ua.edu
Phone – 205-348-3532
Website and Knowledge Base – http://cit.ua.edu
Hello from your Center for Instructional Technology! We hope that your semester is off to a great start. Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.
TurningTechnologies is now Echo360 Point Solutions, and the classroom computers will now reflect the new name and branding. The processes in the desktop software (used by instructors) are unchanged.
Effective January 1, 2023, new People.ua.edu sites will no longer be created for graduate students. All existing site owners who are graduate students will be contacted in early 2023 about their next steps. UA offers two alternative solutions: Adobe Portfolio (part of Adobe Creative Cloud) and Microsoft Sway (part of Microsoft 365 Education). Both products are available to all UA staff, faculty, and students.
Instructors interested in teaching with Ultra Course View in an upcoming academic term should submit a request via the CIT portal: Blackboard Learn Ultra LIVE Course Pilot Request.
When a Turnitin Feedback Studio (TFS) assignment is created in a Blackboard Learn course, Turnitin automatically assigns a default class expiration date as 6 months in the future, or the latest TFS assignment due date in the course, whichever is farther away. When the Turnitin class expires, students can no longer submit papers or access TFS activities. To extend the Turnitin class expiration date, make a new Turnitin assignment with due dates that match the last date when students should be able to view the TFS assignments and tools for the course. For more information visit Turnitin Assignment Settings.
Academic courses in Blackboard Learn are subject to removal two (2) years following the end of the semester in which they are taught per UA’s LMS Course Retention Policy. Courses taught prior to Fall 2020 are now eligible for removal. Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades. Students should save any necessary coursework as well. Non-academic courses, referred to as non-integrated courses, are subject to removal following two (2) years of inactivity. Steps to save content are linked below.
More information on the policy and instructions for backing up Blackboard content are available in the LMS Course Retention Policy FAQ.
Hypothesis social annotation tool used by U Alabama now features an integration with the VitalSource eText platform. If you are teaching with eTexts from VitalSource and are interested in having students annotate the material, the Hypothesis integration is available to you now when you create assignments in Blackboard. You can learn more about how to create a Hypothesis assignment with VitalSource content in the Hypothesis knowledge base.
Wednesday, February 1, 2023, 11:00am-12:00 pm CST
Join this virtual, one-hour session to learn how to use Gradescope to:
Tues Feb 7, 2023, 10:00 am – 11:00 am CST
Get an exclusive look at the upcoming Learn enhancements and feature releases. Join Blackboard product management leaders as they provide an update on the Learn roadmap and give you an exclusive look at what’s next for Blackboard Learn. Complete the registration form to reserve your virtual seat. If you can’t attend the session, you will get a recording if you register.
Register today at https://learn.anthology.com/RoadmapWebinarSeries#registerAnchor
Tues Feb 7, 2023, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CSST
Effectively communicating complex academic and technical processes and concepts relies on sound design principles and the ability to render them using industry-standard tools. Discover essential tools and workflows in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Express that will help you develop clear and powerful visual representations for your presentations, papers and research. Link to register for free: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/edgegainltd/782559/#
Thursday, Feb 9, 12:00 –1:00 pm
We have a special treat! Our favorite representative from Hypothesis, Becky George, will present a LIVE and in-person Hypothesis workshop in Gordon Palmer Hall, Room A232. Becky will give an overview of Hypothesis, guide you through the basics, then answer your specific questions. Please bring your own device. Lunch will be provided (in-person workshop only). The in-person workshop is limited to 20 participants so register early! – Annotate with Hypothesis Registration
February 10, 2023, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, Bryant Conference Center
The Online Learning Innovation Summit is a campuswide professional development conference hosted by UA Online. Faculty, staff and graduate students from across The University of Alabama and the region will come together for brainstorming, problem-solving and sharing experiences and best practices surrounding online learning and teaching technologies. Learn more at OLIS 2023.
As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:45 to assist you. We look forward to working with you soon.
Email – cit@ua.edu
Phone – 205-348-3532
Website and Knowledge Base – http://cit.ua.edu
IT’S TIME! Time to get your Spring courses polished and ready to go. CIT is here and ready to offer technical assistance, pedagogical assistance, a quiet space, moral support, and coffee and yummies! Come see us!
CIT will be joined by representatives from OIT Security, Research Computing, and Audio Visual Solutions classroom support to answer your questions. Space will be available to help you focus and prepare your course for the semester.
Friday, Jan 6, 9-11AM and 2-4PM
Monday, Jan 9, 9-11AM and 2-4PM
Gordon Palmer Hall, Room A232
Duo is now required to access Qualtrics accounts. Users will receive a Duo prompt after logging in with myBama credentials at Qualtrics.ua.edu. For more information about Duo, visit OIT’s Duo two-factor authentication page.
Effective January 1, 2023, new People.ua.edu sites will no longer be created for graduate students. All existing site owners who are graduate students will be contacted in early 2023 about their next steps. UA offers two alternative solutions: Adobe Portfolio (part of Adobe Creative Cloud) and Microsoft Sway (part of Microsoft 365 Education). Both products are available to all UA staff, faculty, and students.
Instructors interested in teaching with Ultra Course View in an upcoming academic term should submit a request via the CIT portal: Blackboard Learn Ultra LIVE Course Pilot Request.
When a Turnitin Feedback Studio (TFS) assignment is created in a Blackboard Learn course, Turnitin automatically assigns a default class expiration date as 6 months in the future, or the latest TFS assignment due date in the course, whichever is farther away. When the Turnitin class expires, students can no longer submit papers or access TFS activities. To extend the Turnitin class expiration date, make a new Turnitin assignment with due dates that match the last date when students should be able to view the TFS assignments and tools for the course. For more information visit Turnitin Assignment Settings.
Access Granted’s primary vendor is changing from RedShelf to VitalSource for Spring 2023. Links to VitalSource in Blackboard Learn courses may now be labeled Access Granted. With permission from Academic Affairs, a SupeStore support user may access Fall and Spring courses in Blackboard as a Course Builder. This means the user will have access to edit existing RedShelf and VitalSource links to reflect the correct information. This user will not have access to student submissions or grades.
This change enables the creation of Hypothesis assignments in Blackboard using documents from VitalSource’s extensive collection of texts and ebooks. In CIT’s Knowledge Base article, Hypothesis & Access Granted e-books, you can learn to:
Academic courses in Blackboard Learn are subject to removal two (2) years following the end of the semester in which they are taught per UA’s LMS Course Retention Policy. Courses taught prior to Fall 2020 are now eligible for removal. Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades. Students should save any necessary coursework as well. Non-academic courses, referred to as non-integrated courses, are subject to removal following two (2) years of inactivity. Steps to save content are linked below.
More information on the policy and instructions for backing up Blackboard content are available in the LMS Course Retention Policy FAQ.
Learn how you can use Gradescope to deliver and grade all your assignments, whether online or in person. The Gradescope team will walk you through how to cut down on time spent grading and get a clear picture of how your students are doing in your courses. Register at https://info.gradescope.com/noa-workshops
This workshop is ideal for instructors who are interested in using social annotation in their courses but aren’t exactly sure how to provide guidance to students. Registration is required.
Create a professional faculty website using People.ua.edu. Pre-registration is required at http://people.ua.edu.
Explore the features inside Flip and learn how to level up the ways your scholars communicate and share their learning. Registration is NOT required. Join us on Zoom.
Learn how to make reading active, visible and social, create community in the classroom by fostering peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, give students agency over their own learning. Registration is required.
As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:45 to assist you. We wish you all the best in 2023 and look forward to working with you soon.
Hello from your colleagues in CIT! We’re wrapping up Fall 2022 with final grades due tonight by 11:59 PM. Below, you’ll find resources to help you close this term and prepare for the next.
Curious about Blackboard Ultra Course View? Learn about UA’s Ultra pilot and request a practice course: Ultra Course Pilot Information.
UA’s Access Granted program is changing its primary vendor from RedShelf to VitalSource. To facilitate this change, the Supe Store will help with necessary changes to the Access Granted course materials links in Blackboard Learn courses. In some cases, links to VitalSource in Blackboard Learn courses may now be labeled Access Granted. (learn more about the change).
This change enables the creation of Hypothesis assignments in Blackboard using documents from VitalSource’s extensive collection of texts and ebooks. In CIT’s Knowledge Base article, Hypothesis & Access Granted e-books, you can learn to:
Academic courses in Blackboard Learn are subject to removal two (2) years following the end of the semester in which they are taught in accordance with UA’s LMS Course Retention Policy. Courses taught prior to Fall 2020 are now eligible for removal. Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades. Students should save any necessary coursework as well. Non-academic courses, referred to as non-integrated courses, are subject to removal following two (2) years of inactivity. Steps to save content are linked below.
More information on the policy and instructions for backing up Blackboard content are available in the LMS Course Retention Policy FAQ.
Need assistance setting up your course(s) for Spring semester? Need a cup of coffee to kick start 2023? We can help. Drop by the CIT for instructional technology guidance on Friday, Jan. 6 or Monday, Jan. 9. Our doors will be open, and refreshments will be served.
Aside from the CIT staff, additional representatives from OIT Security, Research, and AVS (classroom support and more) will be on hand to answer your questions. Space will be available to help you focus and prepare your course for the semester.
Friday, Jan 6, 9-11AM and 2-4PM
Monday, Jan 9, 9-11AM and 2-4PM
Gordon Palmer Hall, Room A232
As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:45 to assist you.
Email – cit@ua.edu
Phone – 205-348-3532
Website and Knowledge Base – http://cit.ua.edu
Access Granted’s primary vendor is changing from RedShelf to VitalSource for Spring 2023. Links to VitalSource in Blackboard Learn courses may now be labeled Access Granted. With permission from Academic Affairs, a SupeStore support user may access Fall and Spring courses in Blackboard as a Course Builder. This means the user will have access to edit existing RedShelf and VitalSource links so they reflect the correct information. This user will not have access to student submissions or grades.
Hello from your colleagues in CIT! We hope that your semester is going well. Below you’ll find resources to help with your midterm grading, as well as announcements and workshops. If you need help with instructional technology, please contact cit@ua.edu. For IT-related needs, email itsd@ua.edu.
Midterm grades are required for 100- and 200- level courses. For more information, visit Grade Reporting – Registrar’s Office. If there are discrepancies between course rosters in myBama and in Blackboard Learn, contact cit@ua.edu.
Blackboard instructor and student mobile functions in a single app: Download the unified Blackboard app now.
Learn about UA’s Ultra pilot and request a practice course: Ultra Course Pilot Information.
September 8 – Instructional Technology Update
Hello, colleagues! Below you’ll find instructional technology reminders, resources, and learning opportunities that we hope will help you and your students. As always, please request instructional technology help at cit@ua.edu. For IT-related needs, email itsd@ua.edu.
Respondus Lockdown Browser
Respondus Lockdown Browser locks down a testing environment within Blackboard Learn. Students taking exams that require Lockdown Browser will not be able to access any other browser functions or applications on the computer being used until the exam is complete.
Respondus Test Management
Respondus 4.0 test management software is now located in the OIT software catalog. If instructors need the updated password, visit the Respondus campus-wide software page and click “Download Respondus”. Use. your myBama username & password to access the download files and installation instructions.
Blackboard Learn Reminders and Resources
Turnitin Reminders
Panopto Support
Panopto offers 24/7 support for UA instructors and students. Contact Panopto directly at support@panopto.com or 855-765-2341. Answers to frequently asked questions are available on the Panopto Support website.
Learning Opportunities from OIT
Please let us help!
We’re here to help. Reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532. Join us at an upcoming webinar or schedule a consultation with us.
The Center for Instructional Technology exists to help with your instructional technology and accessibility needs. We provide training, support, workshops, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies which include Blackboard Learn, Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Flip (formerly Flipgrid), Gradescope, Hypothesis, Panopto, People.ua.edu websites, Respondus, Turnitin, PointSolutions responseware (formerly Turning Tech TurningPoint clickers) and Zoom.
CIT and our vendor partners regularly host workshops and webinars on UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. Explore offerings on the UA Events Calendar, and build an event digest email to receive notice of upcoming events (Department > Center for Instructional Technology).
Learn more about each of these technologies on our website. Want more updates from us? Subscribe to our news updates!
Classroom Support
Most classrooms across campus are supported by OIT’s Audio Visual Solutions (AVS) team. Use the classroom help phone (Dial 2) to reach the AVS help desk for immediate help with classroom technology. You can also contact AVS at 205-348-3453 or email avsolutions@ua.edu.
Support for Information Technology needs
Visit oit.ua.edu for more information about IT services including email, internet, account access, and more. You can also reach us at the IT Service Desk itservicedesk@ua.edu or 205-348-5555.
About the Blackboard Instructors listserv
OIT uses this list to communicate essential information about instructional technology updates and resources. All members of the UA community who are currently instructors in Banner or Blackboard Learn are subscribed to the listserv. Messages are sent at the most weekly unless a service interruption or ongoing issue merits more frequent communications.
