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Curriculum and Instructional Support Center: Blackboard Updates

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If you need more help with Blackboard and the latest updates, submit a CISC Support Ticket.

Scroll through the latest Blackboard updates below on the left by selecting the black arrows on either side of the content or using the black dots located below the content.

Monthly Updates

PDF remediation options in feedback panel

Ally PDF Remediation is Now Available for Missing Title, Missing Language and Scanned PDF Files

Missing Title

Instructors can set a title using the input field and can select Apply fix to save.

Missing Language

Instructors can select from the dropdown of available languages and select Apply fix to save.

Scanned PDF

Instructors can select Preview and Apply to OCR the scanned document and generate a new preview of the result.

Before ultimately selecting Apply to save the changes, the instructor can choose to download the original scanned PDF to save for later if needed.

The blanks appear in-line with the question.

Improved student experience with fill in the blank question type

Enhancements to the student experience when answering fill in the blank questions in tests. Fill in the blank questions now display the blanks inline with the surrounding text, whether the question is presented as a sentence, paragraph, or table. We also added hidden ARIA labels to blanks to improve screen reader accessibility.

Messages now appear in chat-style bubbles, with the sender’s messages left-justified and the recipient’s messages right-justified—similar to popular messaging apps.

Improved Course Messages User Interface

Redesigned the Course Messages interface in Blackboard to deliver a cleaner, more modern messaging experience. Messages now appear in chat-style bubbles, with the sender’s messages left-justified and the recipient’s messages right-justified—similar to popular messaging apps like iMessage or Teams. The sender’s avatar is displayed next to their messages, making it easier to visually identify participants in the conversation. Your own avatar does not appear in your view but will be visible to others when you send messages.

This update improves clarity and usability, helping users quickly distinguish between sent and received messages. Time stamps are clearly displayed, and group conversations are visually separated for better organization. 

These enhancements are part of ongoing efforts to modernize communication tools and streamline the user experience.

Teaching Tidbits: Blackboard Ultra

The latest episode of Teaching Tidbits: Blackboard Ultra.

Previous Month Updates Recap

September Updates

  • Add and manage question titles in tests, forms, and banks

  • AVA - Use AI for Feedback Assistance

  • Display Time Limits More Clearly

  • Enhance document with block styling options

Teaching Tidbits Episode 45: September Updates

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