Release Notes
Blackboard releases updates on a monthly basis. Each release contains new features or feature enhancements as well as maintenance items/bug fixes. Additional maintenance releases occur more frequently. For a full list of feature releases and bug fixes, visit Blackboard's Release Notes for Learn SaaS. Visit Monthly Release Notes 2023 and Monthly Release Notes 2022 to see features and updates in older versions.
- January 4, 2024 (v3900.82)
Instructors
AI Design Assistant - Authentic Assessment Prompt Generation
Instructors can generate assignment prompts that encourage students to engage in higher-order thinking, apply their learned knowledge, product authentic submissions that are evidenced, and emulate real-world situations.
AI Design Assistant- Generate Rubric Improvements
Improvements include column and row labels and the distribution of percentages/points for criteria.
Delegated Grading Improvements
Instructors can now use delegated grading in combination with anonymous submissions and tests.
Improved Attempt Display in Flexible Grading
When grading an assignment with multiple attempts, the attempt selected for display is based on the grading status and attempt aggregation model selected.
Sorting Controls in Students View for Assessments Graded Anonymously
Sorting controls to assessments graded anonymously have been added. Instructors can apply sorting options: submission date (oldest-newest, newest-oldest).
Enhanced Grid View
To improve usability and maximize the screen real estate of the gradebook grid view, several enhancements have been made.
Total and Weighted Calculations
Expanded gradebook functionality to support total and weighted calculated columns.
Category Information on the Gradable Items Page
To provide greater efficiency and clarity in the gradable items view, we have added a Category column. This column, along with the grading item icon, helps instructors more readily identify which category, if any, an item belongs. Instructors can sort this column ascending or descending alphabetically.
Attempt Logs for Enhanced Assessment Integrity
The attempt logs prove to be an indispensable tool for validating issues students may encounter during an assessment. The logs also help instructors identify signs of academic dishonesty.
Unused Files Management
The unused files tool helps instructors find and deletes course files that are not in use.
Batch Edit: Change to Specific Date and/or Time
Using Batch Edit, instructors can override the existing date and/or time for selected items. Instructors can adjust the due date time for all assessments using this option. The same feature also works on show on and hide after dates and times.
Instructors and Students
Grade Visible to Students in Gradebook when Item is Hidden by Release Conditions
Hiding content/assessments from students also hides the grade from the student view. Now, instructors can set the release conditions without concern of hiding grades.
- February 1, 2024 (v3900.84)
Instructors
Forms
A new forms assessment has been added. A form is not graded. Questions in a form do not have a correct or incorrect answer.
Likert Question Type
Likert questions help provide a quantitative measure of opinions and attitudes. The responses often range from strongly disagree to strongly agree. This question type is now available in the Form assessment type.
Rubric's Performance Level Descriptions: Display Choice Persists
Now, the rubric's grading interface stores the most recently used display option. This means that instructors who rely on performance level descriptions when grading don't have to turn them on each time they navigate to grade another submission. The performance level display option preference is stored on a per-user per-assessment basis.
Send Reminders from Gradebook: Improved Student Count for Instructors
Ultra has refined the scenarios that determine the students who will receive the reminder. This will make the recipient list more accurate.
Audio/Video Recording in Feedback: Usability Improvements
To ensure easy and clear access to this tool, we have exposed the Audio/Video option on the feedback toolbar. When in use, the recording window appears on the right side of the screen so that the instructor can view the student submission.
Missed Due Dates Included in the Course Activity Report
Instructors can now view the number of missed due dates for students in the Course Activity Report. Instructors can customize the missed due date alert in the Alert Settings.
Long Student Names Visibility in the Course Activity Report
Long names have been adjusted in the Course Activity Report. This change ensures that names are visible even on small devices. This helps instructors avoid confusion when viewing students with similar names.
Instructors and Students
Feedback on Override and Automatic Zero Grades for Tests and Assignments
Instructors can give feedback for overridden tests, assignment grades, and automatic zeroes. This option appears in the gradebook grid view, and the submissions list after the override or automatic zero is entered.
- March 7, 2024 (v3900.86)
Instructors
AI Design Assistant - Context Picker for Test Question Generation
Instructors can now select course items to help define questions. This option improves the alignment of generated questions to course content.
Goal Alignment to Journals
Instructors can now align goals to journals to ensure that the activity measures the desired learning outcomes. This helps to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of evaluation and feedback practices.
No Due Date Assessment Setting
To make the option for not having a due date more evident, a "No Due Date" option has been added to tests and assignments.
Last Used View State of Flexible Grading Side Panels Preserved
In flexible grading, instructors can collapse or expand the left panel and the right panel. To provide a better user experience, the last used state is now preserved in the browser.
Gradebook Item Statistics
Instructors can select a column in the gradebook to access summary statistics for any graded item. The statistics page displays key metrics such as: minimum and maximum value, range, average, median, standard deviation, variance, and the number of submissions requiring grading and the distribution of grades.
Text Grade Schema Converts to Points
In the Original course view, instructors can create text schemas that are unsupported in the Ultra course view. When converting courses, text schemas convert to a points schema. After conversion to Ultra, instructors can create and apply an alternate schema if desired.
Send Messages to Students from the Student Activity Report for Assessments on Small and Medium Devices and the Mobile App
Instructors using a small or medium device or the mobile app can send messages to students from the Student Activity report for assessments. This message option is in the ellipsis menu for each student.
Instructors and Students
Announcement Indicators and Mark as Read/Unread
There is now a number indicator next to the announcement tab in a course that signals the number of unread announcements available. Users can also mark announcements as read or unread.
- April 4, 2024 (v3900.89)
Instructors
AI design assistant - context picker for learning modules, assignments, discussions, and journals
The content picker for test questions now includes learning modules, assignments, discussions, and journals when generating content with the AI Design Assistant.
default question points value changed from 10 to 1
Any newly created questions will have a default point value of 1.
duplicate questions in assessments, form, and question banks
Instructors can now select Duplicate to quickly copy an existing question within the same assessment or in a question bank. This feature eliminates the need for manual duplication and simplifies the process of creating multiple questions with the same answer options.
likert answer options expanded to include 4 and 6
Instructors can now create Likert scale questions with 4 or 6 answer options. This allows for greater granularity in student responses.
auto-submitted indicator in attempt logs
The Attempt Log now indicates whether a submission is manual or automatic. This indicator provides instructors with deeper insights into student behaviors and to better track their progress.
overall grade information added to gradebook download
Instructors can now choose to include the Overall Grade for students in the downloaded gradebook. This additional date point helps provide a comprehensive view of student performance.
edit gradebook category for partner cloud content
Instructors can now edit the category information from the gradebook for third-party content and tools.
long names visible and sorting controls for the student activity report for assessments on small devices and mobile app
Long names have been adjusted in the Student Activity report for assessments. This change ensures names are visible on a variety of devices and helps instructors avoid confusion when viewing students with similar names.
self-enrollment group improvements
The maximum number of members per group has been reduced from 2 to 1 to allow for more use cases such as sign-up sheets and booking 1:1 slots with students.
individual date adjustments from batch edit
Instructors now have the option to change the due date and availability (Show on and Hide After) for any item.
Instructors and Students
student feedback remains visible to students regardless of release condition settings
In the past, when an instructor selected the option to hide content, students could view associated grades but not the feedback. Now instructors can set release conditions without any impact to feedback to students.
anonymous posts for discussions
The option has been added for instructors to allow anonymous posts in ungraded discussions. This feature provides flexibility for instructors. They can toggle anonymity on or off as the discussion progresses.
usability improvements for flexible grading
Several enhancements to Flexible Grading have been implemented to improve usability and efficiency.
add question feedback when grading by student in flexible grading
Instructors can now provide contextual feedback by student on all question types.
Students
persistent navigation for learning modules
The navigation bar is now sticky and remains visible as students vertically scroll through content within a learning module. Students no longer need to scroll back up to the top of content to access the navigation tools.
- May 2, 2024 (v3900.91)
Instructors
supporting multiple performance criteria in release conditions
Instructors can now set more than one performance criteria per content item.
Reuse questions in Forms
Instructors can now select Reuse Questions when editing or creating a Form to streamline the creation process and save time and effort. Instructors can filter questions from existing Forms within the course.
Multiple attempts for Forms assigned to groups
Instructors can now assign a Form to a group and allow multiple attempts. When assigning forms to groups, enabling multiple attempts promotes dynamic, iterative learning experiences. Groups can now submit the Form, receive feedback, and submit another response.
Improved Gradebook navigation
To create a more intuitive navigation, we replaced the grid and list view buttons with text links. The options are now: gradable items, grades (gride view) and students.
Instructors and Students
add question feedback when grading a test by question
When grading by student or by question, instructors can provide contextual feedback. Instructors can add feedback to all question types. Question-level feedback promotes deeper understanding and personal growth among students. Question-level feedback also enhances overall submission feedback and automated feedback for auto-graded questions.
weighted calculation improvements
Instructors can now assign equal weights to items in the same category. The chose calculation method, whether proportional or equal, applies to all categories. In the past, weighted items in the same category had proportional weights that were based on possible points of each item.
landing page enhancements for blackboard learn mobile app
The landing pages (grades, messages, courses, organization) are now designed in a card layout. These enhancements are a part of a larger redesign of the Blackboard Learn mobile app landing pages to ensure uniform design, optimized user experience, and natural user flow across various devices and screen sizes.
- June 6, 2024 (v3900.93)
Instructors
AI Design Assistant - output language selector
To support multi-language use cases, the AI Design Assistant now includes a language selector. Instructors may use the language selector to set the desired language for generated content.
Printing for assessments
Instructors can now print assessments which provides a convenient solution for a variety of use cases. The print option is available in Forms, Tests, and Assignments with questions. Printing also provides the option to save as a PDF.
Streamlined point value editing for questions
When editing a question, instructions can now access and edit the point value field with just two clicks. This small change leaders to a smoother workflow and enhances the overall teaching and learning experience.
Post immediately when creating announcements
Instructors can now post announcements as part of the drafting and editing processes. This makes the process of creating and posting announcements simpler.
Prevent auto-assigning members within self-enrollment groups
Currently, at the end of the enrollment period, unassigned students are always distributed into groups. To improve the use of self-enrollment groups for optional activities, instructors can now opt-out of this behavior. Instructors can deselect the option, which does not enroll students who do not self-enroll by the end of the enrollment to any group. This option gives instructors more flexibility when managing self-enrollment groups.
Group members list available in the selected group
To improve and centralize member information, we have relocated the members list to the selected group page. This will now display as a member’s tab rather than a separate panel.
Filter out graded responses when grading by question
The Needs Grading filter now filters out graded student responses by default. Filtering this way helps instructors to focus on any remaining ungraded responses for a given question.
Grader Notes on student grades
Instructors can now add private grading notes to student grades. After a score is assigned, the new Feedback & Notes menu option is available. Grader notes form an important part of the academic record. These notes may serve as documentation for a grading decision or grade adjustment. Grader notes are private to graders and not visible to students.
Weighted calculation usability improvements
Responding to client feedback, Blackboard made two improvements for gradebook weighting:
- The label “0% per item” appeared for categories excluded from weighting. This caused confusion so it was removed.
- Blackboard updated the calculation rules panel to make it easier to understand the selected settings.
Instructors and Students
Landing page enhancements for Blackboard Learn Mobile app
To enhance usability and streamline user interaction in the mobile app, we added filters to the following landing pages: Courses, Organizations, and Grades.
Students
Improved visibility of new grades and feedback in the student gradebook
To ensure that students are aware of new grades in the course, an indicator has been added to the Gradebook tab. When there are new grades, the number of new grades appears on the tab.
Return a true/false question to an unanswered state
Students can now return a true/false question to an unanswered state after choosing an answer. This helps students better manage their time during a test