Users may receive email notifications for old, scheduled Blackboard course announcements. Blackboard Support is aware of this issue and is working to resolve it.
We will update this post as we receive more information. If you have any questions, please contact the Center for Instructional Technology.
RESOLVED – 7/04/24 @ 4:00 AM CT: The issue is resolved. Course Videos links are now present in all courses.
If you are still having trouble accessing Panopto content, please contact CIT.
Some Blackboard courses may be missing the Course Videos link. The Course Videos link allows instructors and students to access Panopto, our lecture capture and video management software.
Workaround
If your course is missing the link, you can access the videos directly in Panopto. Follow these steps:
If you are unable to see any video content, please contact CIT for more troubleshooting. We will update this post when the issue is resolved.
CIT is aware of some issues within Simple Syllabus. 1) Users may experience slowness when using Simple Syllabus. 2) Users may not see their upcoming course syllabus listed in the Simple Syllabus system.
There is a background process that is taking longer than expected, and the vendor is working to resolve it. We will update this post with any new information.
If you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact CIT.
Hello from your colleagues in CIT! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.
Save the date to join The Center for Instructional Technology to get your Fall courses polished and ready to go. CIT is hosting two days of workshops (both in-person and virtual) and one-on-one technical and pedagogical assistance to get you ready for the Fall semester. Watch for the complete schedule in the August newsletter.
Meet the new Blackboard! UA instructors can now explore and teach with Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View, and CIT and OTIDE have established a goal of having all courses designed and delivered in “Ultra” by Spring 2026.
Summer is a great time to explore the simpler, more modern Blackboard or prepare to teach with Ultra in the fall! Request a live course or request a practice course if you need a space to build or play, and follow along in our Ultra Team as we share tips, tricks, and things to try in Ultra this summer. We’ll invite you to the Team when we create your course.
A June update brings changes to the Courses tab you see from the Base Navigation menu where your name appears after logging into Blackboard Learn.
Some highlights:
For more on the Courses page, check out this CIT knowledge base article: How do I find my courses?
Instructors use the Blackboard app to create content, post announcement, grade student work, and much more (see Teaching a course with the Blackboard app to learn more!).
After the Blackboard Learn App 9.6 is released (July 2024), users will be required to update the app on their devices to ensure proper functionality. Users who do not update after the release will see a red banner informing them that their session has expired.
To ensure that The University of Alabama’s Panopto storage quota is not exceeded, a new Retention Policy has been created. Panopto recordings will be archived 2 years after their last viewed date. Recordings will be permanently deleted 2 years after they are archived. Read complete details here: Panopto Retention Policy
CIT has updated the method used to connect Blackboard and Panopto. We are currently reviewing the changes and making adjustments to folder structure. While this work is underway, the Panopto folder and embedded Panopto videos in your course may not look or function as expected. Please contact us if you need help, and we’ll share an announcement when the work is complete.
This change will also enable the ability to use Panopto content and folders with Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View. We’ll share more information after the update, but, for now, you can see a preview here: How to Use Panopto with Blackboard Ultra for Instructors
Panopto will soon release Panopto 15.0, which includes changes to the appearance and management of folders. No downtime is expected with this release.
For example, a new drop-down menu will be added to folder headers to allow highly used folder functions (Rename, Move, Share, Delete) to be accessible without having to open folder settings:
Read more about the changes to Panopto’s look and feel: What’s new: UI/UX Changes coming in Panopto 15.0 This update will also bring improvements to keyboard accessibility, screen reader support, and language support for Arabic. A full list of the features coming in 15.0 will be shared in Panopto’s release notes forum when the update is underway.
Perusall, an interactive social learning platform, is now integrated with Blackboard Learn, making it easier to create assignments, sync student groups and rosters, and sync your gradebook. Learn more.
Effective July 1, 2024, the Flip platform is no longer available in mobile app stores, and the Flip website has transitioned to view-only mode. Users will still have access to download existing Flip videos until September 30, 2024. Locate video and text-based discussion alternatives to Flip on the CIT website.
Instructors can now choose between new and classic views of the Turnitin Similarity Report. While the classic view offers familiar match types and interface, the Enhanced report has a redesigned look and feel and match groups such as “Not Cited or Quoted” or “Missing Citation,” making it easier to interpret and use as a formative learning tool to strengthen academic writing skills.
Video: Understanding text similarity for instructors: Enhanced similarity report
Read more at Turnitin Help: Using the New Similarity Report and see the new similarity report in action.
New to one of our instructional tech. tools? We would love to guide you step-by-step or provide tips and ideas for using technology in your class. Just let us know how we can help!
07.09 | People.ua.edu Workshop
07.09 | Getting Started with Panopto
07.12 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View
07.25 | Doing more with Panopto
Hello from your colleagues in CIT! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.
Thank you to each and every one of you who participated in our recent CIT Newsletter Survey. Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping our revamped newsletter, and we’re thrilled to share the exciting changes with you!
What’s New?
Tailored Content: We’ve listened to your preferences and fine-tuned our content to better suit your needs. Whether you’re interested in technology policy updates, best practices, or monthly workshops, our newsletter now delivers exactly what you’re looking for.
Sleek Design: Our fresh design is not just eye-catching; it’s also user-friendly. Navigating through the newsletter is now a breeze, allowing you to focus on the content that matters most to you.
We believe in continuous improvement. Keep sharing your thoughts, and together, we’ll make this newsletter even better.
Thank you!
Summer is a great time to explore Ultra or prepare to teach with Ultra in the fall! Request a live course or request a practice course if you need a space to build or play, and follow along in our Ultra Team as we share tips, tricks, and things to try in Ultra this summer. We’ll invite you to the Team when we create your course.
Starting July 1, 2024, the Flip platform will no longer be available in mobile app stores, and the Flip website (Flip.com) will transition to view-only mode. Users will still have access to download existing Flip videos until September 30, 2024.
CIT is currently assessing how these modifications will impact UA instructors. Additionally, they are exploring alternative tools that can offer instructors similar functionality to what Flip provided.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out at cit@ua.edu.
From the simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices to the streamlined experience for instructors and students, there is more to Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View. Instructors of non-OTIDE courses can teach with Ultra now, and all Blackboard courses will be designed and delivered in Ultra by Spring 2026. Visit the CIT site to learn more about Ultra and request a practice course: Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View
You can allow anonymous discussion posts in ungraded discussions if you’d like students to feel freer to share their thoughts without judgment. You can turn anonymous posts on and off as the discussion progresses. Any posts made while anonymous keep their anonymity if anonymous posts are later turned off. Select the Discussion Settings button to customize your discussion.
Anonymous discussions
You can allow anonymous discussion posts in ungraded discussions if you’d like students to feel freer to share their thoughts without judgment. You can turn anonymous posts on and off as the discussion progresses. Any posts made while anonymous keep their anonymity if anonymous posts are later turned off. Select the Discussion Settings button to customize your discussion.
Printing for assessments
Instructors can now print assessments, a convenient solution for:
The print option is available in Forms, Tests, and Assignments with questions. Printing also provides the option to save as PDF.
To print an assessment, from Content and Settings, select Print.
New Sensitivity Levels in Respondus Monitor
Controlling your sensitivities is a good thing. That’s especially so in Respondus Monitor. The flagging system in Respondus Monitor now supports three sensitivity levels: Strict, Standard, and Relaxed. The default setting is Standard, and it produces results like before. The Strict sensitivity setting detects when portions of the face have moved outside of the video frame, or when both eyes of the test taker aren’t visible. When this occurs, a Partial Missing flag will appear in the proctoring results.
With the Relaxed setting, what you’ll notice most is that it reduces the sensitivity of Missing flags. If the face or eyes are partially missing from the webcam video but Respondus Monitor can still detect the student is there, the Missing flag is less likely to trigger.
To learn more about Respondus, visit cit.ua.edu/technologies/respondus/.
“Respondus Lockdown Browser creates a secure web environment for online tests. Instructors seem more comfortable allowing tests outside of the classroom when they require the use of this browser. Our support team can help students of instructors use this tool and troubleshoot any issues they are having.”
Erin Warner
Instructional Technology User Services Program Manager
Center for Instructional Technology
06.06 | Build a digital portfolio and personal website
06.12 | Live polling with Microsoft Forms
06.18 | Getting started with Panopto
06.20 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session
Panopto will be unavailable on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 from 3:30 AM CT – 6:30 AM CT for a scheduled maintenance. Panopto is our supported lecture capture and course videos system. This maintenance will not affect other instructional technologies during this time.
We will update this post with any information regarding the maintenance window and its progress.
Gradescope will undergo a scheduled maintenance on Saturday, June 29, 2024 from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM. During this time, all features of Gradescope will not be accessible.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Center for Instructional Technology.
Panopto discovered an issue with video playback statistics beginning on May 30th and 31st.
What is the issue?
Video playback statistics for the minutes delivered are not recorded if the browser tab loses focus of the window containing the viewer [user switches tabs or rearranges windows in a way that hides the browser window containing the viewer]. Even if the viewer is only hidden for a brief period of time, playback statistics will no longer be recorded for that user’s view of the video unless the video is refreshed by reloading the page.
A view will still be recorded in this scenario but the playback minutes are not. Unfortunately, all affected viewing data will be lost.
When will this issue be resolved?
Panopto is releasing a hotfix to address this issue at the end of business hours on June 6, 2024.
Starting July 1, 2024, the Flip platform will no longer be available in mobile app stores, and the Flip website (Flip.com) will transition to view-only mode. Users will still have access to download existing Flip videos until September 30, 2024.
CIT is currently assessing how these modifications will impact UA instructors. Additionally, they are exploring alternative tools that can offer instructors similar functionality to what Flip provided.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out at cit@ua.edu.
Turnitin is experiencing a service incident. Users may experience slowness when uploading submissions, and there may be a delay in Similarity report generation.
Turnitin Support is working to identify the issue and a resolution. We will update this post with any new information.
