Instructional Technology News – January 21, 2022

• January 21st, 2022
• in Instructional Technology News

Hello instructors,

Melissa from The Center for Instructional Technology here! I hope your semester is off to a successful and healthy start. I have a few updates to share.

New Support Portal

CIT is thrilled to share our new online support portal is now live! Members of the UA community are encouraged to use the portal to submit an instructional technology help request, report an instructional technology outage, request a third-party product’s integration with Blackboard Learn, or get instant answers to frequently asked questions. The portal is the best way to request help from CIT, as we are currently experiencing high call volumes and are unable to assist walk-in visitors at this time.

Panopto Support

Panopto offers 24/7 support for UA instructors and students. Contact Panopto directly at support@panopto.com or 855-765-2341. Answers to frequently asked questions are available on the Panopto Support website.

Instructional Technology Updates

Several CIT-supported products recently received updates. Here are a few highlights:

• Blackboard Ally – Ally now supports Instructor Feedback for WYSIWYG content, enabling instructors and other course content creators to get real-time feedback in the course content editor.
• Hypothesis Blackboard Groups integration – UA instructors may now create small reading groups using Blackboard’s built-in Groups functionality. This provides more flexibility to build and manage your own student reading groups.
• Panopto January 2022 Product & Service Update – January’s update brought many additions and enhancements to Panopto at UA. Headline features include video reference copies, more discussion notification options, audio descriptions, student video submissions in Blackboard, and more.

News from OIT

• Changes to Retiree and Departing Faculty/Staff Email Accounts
• Log Into Zoom with SSO
• Check Junk Folder and Other Outlook Tips
• New myBama Launches Jan. 23
• Crimson Google Account Service Ends May 2022

We’re here to help

Your colleagues in The Center for Instructional Technology provide training, support, workshops, webinars, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. Submit a help request or join us at an upcoming webinar.

Want more updates from CIT? Subscribe to our news updates and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

RESOLVED – Known Issue: Demo Student view not available in some Blackboard Learn courses

• January 14th, 2022
• in Known Issues

Update 01/27/2022 12:15 p.m.: Demo Student users have been enabled across UA’s Blackboard Learn production environment (ualearn.blackboard.com).

CIT has learned that, in some Spring 2022 courses, the demo user or Student View is not functioning correctly. Instructors who receive an error or encounter other issues when attempting to access Student View or the Demo Student should email cit@ua.edu and include their myBama username and course number and section where the issue has occurred. CIT can re-enable the demo user.

Real-time information about Blackboard status, as well as updates about scheduled maintenance and past incidents, is available on the Blackboard status page.

RESOLVED – Known Issue: Blackboard Learn Partner Cloud / LTI tools

• January 10th, 2022
• in Known Issues

Update 01/27/2022 1:30 p.m.:

From Blackboard:

With the Learn SaaS 3900.30.0 Maintenance Release to Production environments we have resolved this incident.

Related Blackboard status Incident Report: Learn Partner Cloud / LTI Tools Issue

Blackboard has identified an issue affecting LTI tool and Partner Cloud integrations, such as Pearson REVEL and Turnitin. A maintenance update is being applied to UA’s Blackboard Learn on Monday, January 10 to resolve the issue. This notice will be updated once the maintenance is complete. Other components or Blackboard Learn should not be affected by this issue or the maintenance update. Contact cit@ua.edu if issues persist once the update is complete.

Real-time information about Blackboard status, as well as updates about schedules maintenance and past incidents, is available on the Blackboard status page.

Instructional Technology News – January 6, 2022

• January 6th, 2022
• in Instructional Technology News

Hello instructors,

Happy New Year! This is Melissa from The Center for Instructional Technology with some news and tips as we prepare for the start of the Spring 2022 semester.

Coffee and donuts event postponed

In the interest of our mutual health and wellness, the Center for Instructional Technology has decided to cancel the Coffee and Donuts event scheduled for Monday, January 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Please contact the CIT at 205-348-3532 or cit@ua.edu or schedule a consultation with us to discuss your instructional technology needs. We hope we get to share physical space with you soon. Please mask up and stay safe!

Prepare for Spring 2022

Blackboard

Looking for your Blackboard courses? On the Courses page, you can access all of your courses. Move between past, current, and upcoming courses using the previous/upcoming arrows or select a term from the dropdown menu at the top of the page (Current Courses is selected by default). Pro tip: If you access a course frequently, you can select the “Add to your favorites” star icon to pin it to the top of your course list. No more scrolling! Select the star icon again to remove a course from your favorites when you’re finished working in it often.

Need a refresher on Blackboard basics? Visit these “Getting Started” resources.

• Blackboard Instructor Webinar Series
• Blackboard Basics for Instructors – Getting Started (video)
• Blackboard Basics for Instructors – Course Set up (video)
• Blackboard Basics for Instructors – Grading and Retention (video)

A few more helpful Blackboard Learn tutorials:

• About Supersections – Combined & Cross-Listed Courses
• Create or Combine Blackboard Learn Courses
• Set Course Availability
• Copy Content from Existing Course
• Add a User to a Blackboard Course

Panopto

Using Panopto? Make sure it is connected to your course. To get started, click on the Course Videos link in the course menu of Blackboard Learn. If you receive a message that says your course is not provisioned, follow the prompts to configure your course. If you are using videos created for a previous course, be sure to copy or move those videos from the prior course’s Course Videos folder to this semester’s Course Videos folder; adjust the sharing settings so your current students can see them; or embed them in the current course. Here’s how:

• Copy and Move Recordings within Panopto
• Share Recordings in Multiple Courses
• Embed Panopto Videos in Blackboard Course

Learn with CIT

CIT and our vendor partners regularly host workshops and webinars on UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. Explore offerings on the UA Events Calendar, and build an event digest email to receive notice of upcoming events (Department > Center for Instructional Technology).

New ticketing system

Jira Service Management has replaced HelpSpot as CIT’s ticketing system. Users who submit tickets to CIT, Audio/Visual Solutions, and the IT Service Desk now receive new, streamlined communication from Jira. Please note that communications may appear different than previous experiences.

Important message for UA Zoom HIPAA and SARS accounts

Some UA faculty and staff may have received emails or login messages from Zoom inviting them to link the UA single-sign-on account to existing Zoom accounts that use an email alias containing ua.edu. Users with HIPAA-compliant or SARS-integrated accounts, please do not connect your HIPAA-compliant or SARS-integrated Zoom account to Zoom SSO yet. If you have done so already, you should be able to edit the email associated with the HIPAA-compliant or SARS-integrated Zoom account. Please do not affiliate a non-UA email account with your HIPAA-compliant Zoom account. Additional information about Zoom and single sign-on is available on the OIT website: Log Into Zoom with SSO

News from OIT

• Adobe Spark is Now Creative Cloud Express
• New myBama Launches Jan. 23

Scheduled maintenance

• Turnitin Scheduled Maintenance – January 7
• Panopto Scheduled Maintenance – January 8

We’re here to help

Your colleagues in The Center for Instructional Technology provide training, support, workshops, webinars, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. You can reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532. Join us at an upcoming webinar or schedule a consultation with us.

Want more updates from CIT? Subscribe to our news updates and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Instructional Technology News – November 29

• November 29th, 2021
• in Instructional Technology News

Hello instructors,

We’re in the home stretch! This is Melissa from The Center for Instructional Technology with some news and tips for this final week of fall semester classes.

Zoom Log in – Change to Log in with SSO

UA Zoom users should now log into Zoom through single sign-on using their myBama credentials rather than a unique username and password. SARS users should continue to log into Zoom with their existing usernames and passwords to continue to use the SARS + Zoom meeting functionality. Additionally, no changes will be made to HIPAA-compliant accounts at this time. Instructions and additional information are available on the OIT website: Log Into Zoom with SSO

Get ready for finals

Preparing to offer a final exam via Blackboard? CIT encourages you to:

• Book an appointment for an online exam settings review to help ensure a smooth experience for you and your students.
• Follow these recommendations to avoid common problems associated with Blackboard Learn tests: Testing Tips for Instructors
• Share tips for being prepared and getting connected with students: Testing Tips for Students

Final grades due December 14 at midnight

Final grades are due 12/14 at 11:59 p.m. Any missing grades as of the 11:59 p.m. deadline will result in grades of “N” being assigned as placeholders. Instructors will then be required to submit grade change requests to correct all “N” grades.

Helpful grading information:

• Entering Midterm or Final Grades in Blackboard Grade Center
• Importing Midterm or Final Grades from Blackboard into MyBama
• Assigning Non-Attendance Grade Reason in MyBama
• Non-Attendance Grading Information and Grading Help (from Registrar)

Reporting a non-attendance grade? Find the date the student last accessed your Blackboard course using the Performance Dashboard or by viewing the Last Access column in the Grade Center grid.

We’re here to help

Your colleagues in The Center for Instructional Technology provide training, support, workshops, webinars, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. You can reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532. Join us at an upcoming webinar or schedule a consultation with us.

Want more updates from CIT? Subscribe to our news updates and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Instructional Technology News – November 11

• November 11th, 2021
• in Instructional Technology News

Hello instructors,

Melissa from The Center for Instructional Technology here with some early November news and tips.

Email Address in Blackboard

Students who are also employees have both @ua and @crimson email addresses. These students can now specify which address they would like to use for Blackboard Learn communications. Students should use their @crimson email addresses for all academic and student-related communications. Additional information and steps for determining and changing the email address associated with a Blackboard account are available on our website: Email address in Blackboard.

Get ready for finals!

Preparing to offer a final exam via Blackboard? CIT encourages you to:

• Book an appointment for an online exam settings review to help ensure a smooth experience for you and your students.
• Follow these recommendations to avoid common problems associated with Blackboard Learn tests: Testing Tips for Instructors
• Share tips for being prepared and getting connected: Testing Tips for Students

Access to Crimson Google Accounts Will End May 2022

After the Spring 2022 semester, Crimson Google accounts will no longer be available to UA students and alumni. Individuals should export or migrate all content they wish to keep to OneDrive (current students) or a personal storage space (UA alumni and former students should export content). All content remaining in Crimson Google accounts will be deleted on May 16, 2022. Additional information, including suggested steps for migrating content, is available on the OIT website: Crimson Google Accounts

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra updates

Blackboard Collaborate Ultra has seen several updates this fall! We’re particularly excited about the new whiteboard, which offers better formatting, interaction with breakout groups, annotation persistence and more.  Users can also now adjust their recording playback speed, going faster to save time or slower to catch more of what is being said: Recordings for Participants

We’re here to help

Your colleagues in The Center for Instructional Technology provide training, support, workshops, webinars, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. You can reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532. Join us at an upcoming webinar or schedule a consultation with us.

Want more updates from CIT? Subscribe to our news updates and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Known Issue: Low speaker volume in Blackboard Collaborate when using iOS 15 and Safari 15

• November 9th, 2021
• in Known Issues

From Blackboard:

Collaborate – Low speaker volume in Collaborate when using iOS 15 and Safari 15
Date Published: Nov 08, 2021

Category: Product:Known Issues & Error Messages; Version:Web Conferencing
Article No.: 000076023

Product: Collaborate

Service Pack(s): Web Conferencing

Description: Collaborate users on iOS 15 and Safari 15 are experiencing low speaker volume that may make it hard to hear the Collaborate session.

Resolution/Workaround: Apple has confirmed a known issue with their WebKit and are planning a fix for an upcoming iOS 15 release.

Related Behind the Blackboard article: Collaborate – Low speaker volume in Collaborate when using iOS 15 and Safari 15

Real-time information about Blackboard status, as well as updates about schedules maintenance and past incidents, is available on the Blackboard status page.

Known Issue: Blackboard Learn Login Issue

• September 30th, 2021
• in Known Issues

CIT is aware that some users are experiencing issues with logging into Blackboard via the direct URL and through myBama. These issues with accessing and loading content are happening in Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Respondus Lockdown Browser, which relies on Safari or Chrome to function. This appears to be related to newer browser updates and happens more commonly on machines running older operating systems.

While a solution is being investigated, affected users might:

1. Run the browser checker to see whether Blackboard Learn supports your browser. Update to a supported browser if prompted.
2. If you are unable to update Safari/Chrome/Edge or updating doesn’t resolve the issue, use the Firefox browser. If your device is not compatible with the latest version of Firefox, you can install an older version. Firefox is also available in library and other campus computer labs.

Still experiencing the issue? Blackboard recommends updating your OS certificates OpenSSL versions 1.0.0 through 1.0.2:

1. Download these four pem files:

• Active
  • ISRG Root X1 (RSA 4096, O = Internet Security Research Group, CN = ISRG Root X1)
    • Self-signed: pem
    • Cross-signed by DST Root CA X3: pem
• Active, limited availability
  • ISRG Root X2 (ECDSA P-384, O = Internet Security Research Group, CN = ISRG Root X2)
    • Self-signed: pem
    • Cross-signed by ISRG Root X1: pem

2. Follow the steps to import the pem files into your browser. You will need to repeat the steps for each file:

• Windows:
  • Add a Root Certificate in Google Chrome  – The pem file is the certificate referred to in step 12. It has a different file name than the example in the screenshot.
  • Add a Root Certificate in Mozilla Firefox – The pem file is the certificate referred to in step 9. It has a different file name than the example in the screenshot. If you don’t see Options in the Firefox menu, look for Settings instead.
• Mac:
  • Add certificates to a keychain using Keychain Access on Mac – The pem file is the certificate file referred to in Step 2 (“Drag the certificate file onto the Keychain Access app”).

Instructional Technology News – September 23

• September 23rd, 2021
• in Instructional Technology News

Hello instructors,

Melissa from The Center for Instructional Technology here with a few reminders and tips in advance of the upcoming midterm grade entry deadline. Want more updates from CIT? Subscribe to our news updates and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Midterm grades due October 6 at midnight

Midterm grades are due 10/6 at 11:59 p.m. Instructors are required to submit midterm grades for all 100- and 200-level courses. Midterm grading should be used to submit grades assigned for non-attendance.

Helpful grading information:

• Entering Midterm or Final Grades in Blackboard Grade Center
• Importing Midterm or Final Grades from Blackboard into MyBama
• Assigning Non-Attendance Grade Reason in MyBama
• Non-Attendance Grading Information and Grading Help (from Registrar)

Reporting a non-attendance grade? Find the date the student last accessed your Blackboard course using the Performance Dashboard or by viewing the Last Access column in the Grade Center grid.

Testing tips for students

If you administer midterm exams via Blackboard Learn, you might share these testing tips with your students:

• Use a wired Internet connection.
• Close/quit other computer programs.
• Read the test instructions. Details may include a time limit, number of attempts, and backtracking options.
• Minimize use of the mouse scroll wheel. Scrolling the wheel may inadvertently change your answer.
• Save your answers. Click the Save Answer button for every question.
• Click Submit.

Additional tips for being prepared and getting connected: Testing Tips for Students

We’re here to help

Using Gradescope to evaluate handwritten assignments? Giving a test with Blackboard Learn? Looking to secure an exam with Lockdown Browser?

Your colleagues in The Center for Instructional Technology provide training, support, workshops, webinars, and consultations for these and other instructional technologies and technology accessibility. Request online support, email us at cit@ua.edu, call us at 205-348-3532, join us at an upcoming webinar, or schedule a consultation with us.

Instructional Technology News – September 14

• September 15th, 2021
• in Instructional Technology News

Attend Adobe Day, tweak your Blackboard Learn notifications, get started with Gradescope and Hypothesis, and more.

Adobe Day

Make plans to attend Adobe Day on Friday, September 17, in Gorgas Library. Guest presenters and panelists from across campus will dive into new Adobe offerings that utilize some of the most exciting trends in emerging technology: interactive design, on-the-go video storytelling, and more. Adobe Creative Cloud is available to all UA students, faculty, and staff.

Blackboard Learn

Notifications when and where you need them

In case you missed it, Blackboard Learn recently moved to the cloud! With the move came a new look and feature set, Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation. One of our favorite things about the new way to interact with Blackboard content is the Activity Stream, which captures activity across all your courses. The Activity Stream page is also where you can specify the types of activities for which you’d like to receive notifications (institution announcements, new messages, new gradable items, etc.) and how the notifications are delivered (Activity Stream page, email, SMS, push).

myBama logout troubleshooting

If you are getting logged out of Blackboard Learn when you access it via myBama, try closing the myBama tab after accessing Learn or logging into Blackboard Learn directly.

Heard about Hypothesis?

Whether you’re teaching with digital texts, news, blogs, journal articles, legislation, or other digital documents, you and your students can use Hypothesis to annotate course readings collaboratively.

Students in an edX course using Hypothesis to annotate a Wikipedia page

Here are some resources to help you get started with Hypothesis:

• UA CIT Hypothesis page
• See what teachers and students say about the power of collaborative annotation
• Examples of classroom use
• 10 Ways to Annotate with Students
• Annotation Tips for Students

Getting started with Gradescope

Gradescope helps you administer and grade all of your assessments, whether on paper, online, or both. Using Gradescope, instructors can apply detailed feedback with just one click; make rubric changes that apply to previously graded work; see question and rubric-level statistics to understand better what students know; and easily export grades and data. In addition, Gradescope works well for various answer types: paragraphs, proofs, diagrams, fill-in-the-blanks, multiple-choice and more.

Gradescope grading interface for a sample question and submission, showing the student submission on the left, the rubric on the right, and navigation actions at the bottom

Visit our website for additional information about Gradescope and steps for adding it to your Blackboard course.

Voicethread is out, Flipgrid is in

UA has transitioned to Flipgrid as our video discussion and collaboration tool. Flipgrid offers a modern, fun, and accessible video discussion option for UA instructors and students, ideal for engaging students asynchronously. If you previously used VoiceThread for recorded lectures, you can export that content, upload it into Panopto, then share it as a link in Flipgrid:  How to Export VoiceThread Content

We’re here to help

Your colleagues in The Center for Instructional Technology provide training, support, workshops, webinars, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. You can reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532. Join us at an upcoming webinar or schedule a consultation with us.

Want more updates from us? Subscribe to our news updates and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.