myBama will be unavailable from 5 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Jan. 26 due to maintenance. During this maintenance window, as always, UA’s Blackboard Learn instance can still be reached via the direct URL at ualearn.blackboard.com.
Panopto will be updated with the latest features and improvements on Saturday, Jan 4th 2020. We expect up to 3 hours of downtime, with a target start time of 8:00 p.m. CST. During the update, users will not be able to access videos through Panopto, and any attempts to upload from recording clients will result in a “Server unable to connect” message.
With the End of Life of Oracle SE 8 , Folder Uploads on IE11 via the folder picker is no longer officially supported through the Box Web Application. The folder picker option in IE11 will continue to be available to end users until December 27, 2019. Following this date, users will still be able to select files from the picker, but will no longer see the folder option in IE11. To continue leveraging folder uploads with Box, please upgrade to a supported browser or utilize another Box official application such as Box Drive .
The Blackboard app and Blackboard Instructor app will be unavailable starting December 16, 2019 at 9:30 p.m. until December 17 at 2:30 a.m. for a scheduled maintenance update. Please access Blackboard Learn in a web browser during this five-hour window.
The Center for Instructional Technology now offers Panopto as the University’s lecture capture software. Tegrity has been used for recording lectures at the University since 2007; however, the software will be discontinued in 2020. UA’s Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) selected Panopto as its replacement.
Like Tegrity, Panopto is a lecture capture software that enables students, faculty and staff to record and share videos. The more robust feature set is an easy tradeoff for the inconvenience of switching systems. Now with Panopto, users can combine recordings for easy storage and then download those recordings as MP4 files. Panopto also offers non-destructive editing so users will never lose valuable information again.
Many faculty and staff have already started using Panopto during the fall 2019 semester and are reaping the benefits.
“It’s quick and easy to start at the beginning of each class and then easy to post to a folder on my Blackboard course home page,” said Jil Chambless, a math instructor referring to MATH 121 lectures she recorded this semester. “Several students have told me they find these helpful, not only if they miss class, but also for reviewing after a class they attended. This semester’s videos will be helpful in case of the need for academic continuity in the future.”
CIT is working to migrate 10,000 hours of Tegrity content to Panopto. Once this process is complete, instructors will have the opportunity to request the inclusion of content that was not transferred during this initial migration. The CIT will continue to have access to Tegrity content through 2020.
The CIT encourages instructors to start using Panopto on the first day of class as a “record day one” initiative. Not only does this allow instructors to become familiar with the new software, but recording the first day of class allows instructors a way to share critical information with students who may not be in attendance on the first day.
“Students often sign up for additional classes after the first day of class begins,” said Rachel Thompson, director of the CIT. “Students who are not yet enrolled or do not attend the first day of class miss out on important information such as course requirements, expectations and schedules. Recording the first day of class allows instructors to have this information readily available to share with students.”
Panopto has been installed in classrooms across campus. Instructors can access Panopto via the desktop icon, or by visiting the application menu. Step-by-step guides and tutorials for using Panopto are now available on the CIT website. Additionally, workshops on Panopto best practices will be offered throughout the semester, check out the UA events calendar to see workshop dates and to register.
The goal of the Faculty Technology Showcase is to provide an opportunity for our community to share how technology is used across campus. The Center for Instructional Technology, along with the Teaching and Learning Committee, invites administrators, faculty, staff, and graduate students who use technology in both innovative and practical ways to present and demonstrate. These uses of technology may enhance teaching and learning, assist with research, and/or increase professional productivity.
The Faculty Technology Showcase follows a digital poster presentation format, with several presenters stationed around a room, and multiple 50-minute time slots. Presentations are conversational and interactive, with opportunities for questions, networking, and demonstrations. This is a come-and-go event, so attendees may drop by for an hour or stay for the whole thing. Programs and pictures from previous showcases can be found at https://cit.ua.edu/news/faculty-technology-showcase/
Please share this information widely. We look forward to reading this year’s proposals.
For questions regarding the Faculty Technology Showcase, contact Mo Fiorella at CIT:
cit@ua.edu
205-348-3532
Box Engineering Teams continue to investigate the issue impacting uploads, downloads, and previews. We have amended this status post to include impact to additional endpoints including Box Sync, Box Drive, and our API.View Box status at https://status.box.com/.
This issue is also affecting Box View and the Box integration in Blackboard.
Update: Box reports that services have been restored as of 11:52 am CST. https://status.box.com/incidents/7w9jcjzm3s8z
OIT encourages Mac users to not upgrade to Catalina at this time. If you have any questions, please contact the IT Service Desk at 205-348-5555.
OIT has discovered several enterprise-wide incompatibilities with the Mac OS Catalina. One of these instances is that 32-bit applications cannot run on Catalina. This includes Endnote, McAfee, OIT’s remote support tool, and several other applications. Tegrity is experiencing compatibility issues as well.
UPDATE, 5:49 pm cst: Blackboard Learn is now available.Outage Details will be posted at status.blackboard.com when available.
Original: Blackboard Learn is currently unavailable. The outage appears to be widespread, impacting many Blackboard Learn customers. We will provide updates as we get them from Blackboard.
Blackboard engineers will perform system maintenance on UA’s Blackboard Learn system between the hours of 11:00 p.m. Thursday Oct 3 until 5 a.m. on Friday October 4. UA’s Blackboard Learn system will be unavailable during this maintenance window.
