Category Announcements


UA Ultra Practice Course for Instructors

The University of Alabama is transitioning from Blackboard Original to Blackboard Ultra. All UA courses that use Blackboard must transition to Ultra by January 2026. No classes will use Blackboard Original after Fall 2025.  In anticipation of the move to Ultra, all UA instructors received a Blackboard practice course in Ultra Course View. Practice in…


Turnitin Assignment interface update

This month, we enabled the option to use a new Turnitin assignment interface. This update brings some user interface changes but the service retains the same features. The (New) Standard Assignment will include updated workflows and improved accessibility for all users. Instructors have an option to choose the Classic Standard Assignment or the New Standard…


Zybooks links in Blackboard

We have upgraded Zybooks to a new integration method with Blackboard. This integration has better connection between the Zybooks platform and your courses. If you have any questions, please contact the Center for Instructional Technology.


Final Exams & Grading Resources Spring 2025

Hello from your Center for Instructional Technology! We wanted to share some valuable resources about Blackboard exam best practices and final grading information. These links are largely from CIT’s Knowledge Base and cover a range of topics to help manage your end-of-term processes. If you would like help with these or other instructional technology needs, please email cit@ua.edu. …


Known Issue – Turnitin Maintenance 03-29-25

Turnitin and Turnitin Draft Coach will be unavailable to all users during an emergency maintenance window. If you have any questions, please contact the Center for Instructional Technology.


Known Issue – Panopto Scheduled Maintenance 4-12-25

Panopto will be unavailable to all users during a scheduled maintenance window. This maintenance will improve their cloud infrastructure. View Panopto’s Cloud Upgrade FAQ article for more information. If you have any specific questions, please contact the Center for Instructional Technology.


A Message from the Provost | Blackboard Ultra

From: Office for Academic Affairs <academicaffairs@ua.edu>Sent: Monday, March 3, 2025 9:01 AMTo:Subject: A Message from the Provost | Blackboard Ultra Dear Faculty,‌‌ The University of Alabama has been transitioning to Blackboard Ultra as the University’s enterprise-supported learning management system (LMS) since 2022. This transition is an important part of creating a more student-centered university and brings many benefits…


Blackboard Scheduled Downtime 12-21-24

Anthology (Blackboard’s parent company) will be performing scheduled maintenance. This maintenance will ensure optimal performance, security, and up-to-date technology. Expected downtime: 6 hours Impact: UA’s Blackboard will be unavailable to all users during this maintenance. When: December 21, 2024 ; start time 1:16 AM Please contact the Center for Instructional Technology if you have questions…


Known Issue – Respondus tests and Mac Keyboards

There is a known issue where pressing the function key that leads to the emoji menu can cause a freeze for the keyboard (Mac users). This issue will be resolved by Respondus within the next few weeks. Until then, students must perform a hard shut down on the device, then start LockDown Browser again. Contact…