| This spring marked an exciting milestone for our campus—the first semester with all courses fully in Blackboard Ultra—and we’re happy to report that it went reallywell. Thanks to the flexibility, resilience, and collaboration of our instructors and students, the transition was smooth and full of great teaching moments along the way. As we wrap up the semester and look ahead to summer, the Center for Instructional Technology is gearing up for the next season with fresh opportunities, helpful resources, and continued support to keep the momentum going. |
| Upcoming update to Blackboard loginThe Office of Information Technology (OIT) is transitioning The University of Alabama to a new single sign-on (SSO), Okta. This effort will consolidate all university login experiences into one secure, consistent system. As part of this transition, the Blackboard login page will change to provide login paths for UA users and non-UA users to access their Blackboard courses. When? May 10, 2026 – Blackboard will transition to Okta as the single sign-on provider. What does this mean for you? If you access Blackboard via https://ualearn.blackboard.com, the login page will have a new look. Users should select the appropriate button: Login with myBama ID or All Other Users Login. Visit CIT News for more information about the Blackboard login page update. If you have questions or concerns about this new login experience, please contact the Center for Instructional Technology. |
| Blackboard Tips & Tricks |
| Save Time with Batch Edit Need to adjust due dates or content visibility? Batch Edit lets you select several content items at once and update availability and due dates in one step—no more clicking into items individually. It’s a huge time‑saver when prepping your course for the start of the term or making mid‑semester adjustments. More information on Batch Edit Utilize the Course Accessibility Report The course accessibility report acts as a complement to the existing accessibility indicators. It provides an accessibility summary and overview at the course level. It includes an Overview tab that shows the accessibility score for the course, course content grouped by content type, and a list of all issues identified in the course, and a Content tab that shows you the content with accessibility issues. Getting started with the Course Accessibility Report video |
| What’s New in Tech? |
| Updated Groups Management page with students list on the left and groups list on the right.Groups Management for Instructors Groups management has been reimagined from the ground up with a cleaner layout and more intuitive controls. The updated interface displays more information in less space, making it easier to manage groups and members without excessive scrolling. |
| Course Switcher with new search bar at the top.Improved search and navigation in Course Switcher The Course Switcher in Blackboard Ultra makes it faster and easier to move between courses. Users can now search for a course directly from the Course Switcher and navigate to it without first returning to the Courses page. |
| Stay on track with important Blackboard updates. A full overview is available in the Blackboard blog post: What’s New in Blackboard – May 2026 |