News

Turnitin, Turnitin Draft Coach, and Gradescope will be unavailable to all users during a scheduled maintenance window. If you have any questions, please contact the Center for Instructional Tech

Welcome Back! Fall semester is here, and the CIT team is ready to help you hit the ground running. Whether you’re polishing your syllabus, organizing course materials, or planning your first week, we’re here to support your teaching goals and help things go smoothly. Let’s make this a great start to the year! Friendly Reminders Blackboard Course…

The Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) will enable select Blackboard AI Design Assistant (AIDA) features for UA instructors on Monday, August 4, 2025.  Need-to-knows  About the AI Design Assistant  The AIDA is a set of features that help instructors create and design courses, using generative AI to help create learning modules, assignment, discussion, and journal…

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

We, at CIT, are proud to be a part of the UA family. As we step into the heart of summer, we’re excited to share the latest updates, innovations, and stories with you. July is a season of reflection, growth, and preparation—and this month’s newsletter is filled with insights to inspire and inform. Whether you’re…

Issue Blackboard tests that require Respondus Lockdown Browser and are copied from Original to Ultra may have sporadic issues with access. Issues with accessing the test may be due to a settings error in the Ultra test. In the Ultra test settings, the access code needs to be turned off, but it toggles on. Workarounds…

Welcome to the 2025 Summer Semester! The Center for Instructional Technology is here to support your teaching goals with tools, training, and updates to enhance your courses and assessments. Stay tuned for tips to make this summer smooth and productive. Friendly Reminders! Blackboard Course Retirement CIT is beginning our routine and annual process of cleaning…

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…

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…

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.