November 2024 – 3900.104 Release

• Improvement to Resizing Blocks in Documents
• Course Access options in Course Settings
• Print Tests with questions from Question Pools and other improvements
• Indentations Added to Discussions
• Improved performance for assignment file submissions
• Batch Edit: Usability Improvement
• Download Option for Student Activity Log
• Skip Link to Course Information
• Learn mobile app rebranding
• Known Issues

Improvement to Resizing Blocks in Documents

To help with resizing blocks that are vertically tall, the resize handle has been modified. Now, instructors can resize a block by selecting the vertical edge of a block. It is not necessary to place the mouse directly over the handle.

Image 1. Resize handle in a Document

Course Access options in Course Settings

Instructors can now manage course access settings through the Course Settings page. Previously, course availability to students was listed as Open or Private. This state is now called Locked. Course availability and course completion have been clearly separated in Course Settings under Course Access:

• Locked – Course content is not available to students. Previously called Private.
• Complete – No changes can be made by students or instructors.

Image 1. Course Access section of Course Settings page

Enrolled students access Unavailable/Available displays at the top right of the Course Access section. This information changes in real time according to the Locked and Course Duration settings. This change makes it easier for instructors to understand the result of the combination of the course states.

Additionally, instructors can access Course Settings from the Courses page. Select the course three dot menu and choose Course Settings from the dropdown menu. This action navigates the instructor to the Course Settings page.

Image 2. Courses page with course edit menu dropdown displaying Course Settings

Print Tests with questions from Question Pools and other improvements

Instructors can now print tests that include questions from Question Pools. Additionally, the answer key and the corresponding test have been combined. This ensures that users always have an answer key that matches the test. The answer key  can be generated and printed ahead of the test. To ensure awareness the Answer Key has been labelled.

The system generates a different version of the answer key and test  each time a test is printed when the test:

• Randomizes questions or answer options
• Includes Question Pools
• Instructors can use the print option to save the answer key and test as a PDF.

Indentations Added to Discussions

To better distinguish between responses and replies, indentation has been added.

Image 1. Indented discussion replies

The delete option for the discussion topic has been removed. Instructors can edit discussion topics as needed.

Image 2. Edit option for Discussion Topic

Improved performance for assignment file submissions

In an effort to help reduce stress for students when submitting work, several improvements have been made to mitigate against file corruption and to ensure files are correctly attached during uploads. These updates include:

• Managing Multiple File Uploads: To prevent issues when uploading multiple files, students will now be required to wait for the first upload to complete before attaching additional files.
• File Size Limit Notification: A modal will display a message if a file exceeds the permitted size limit.
• Corrupted File Alerts: In the unlikely event of a student attempts to submit a corrupted file, a modal will notify them of the issue, and the system will alert the instructor.

Batch Edit: Usability Improvement

“Change dates to a specific date and/or time” is now the default option in Batch Edit. This is off the back of feedback from the wider community of it’s frequency in use. While this change is intended to simplify the process for users and helps instructors, be mindful of this new default setting.

Image 1. Edit Dates option in Batch Edit

Download Option for Student Activity Log

Instructors and administrators can review the Student Activity Log to troubleshoot or resolve academic disputes. The option to download the Student Activity Log as a CSV has been added. All filters applied to the log also apply to the CSV.

Image 1. Student Activity log with Download button

Skip Link to Course Information

A second skip link has been added to the Course Content page. In addition to the current skip link to tab directly into course items, users can now press the Tab key again to skip to course information. If users don’t use either skip link, they will tab into the course features.

Image 1. Skip link on Course Content page

Learn mobile app rebranding

For users of the Learn App please be mindful that it will now appear in their mobile device as the Blackboard App. Further to this change, it also has an updated:

• Splash screen
• App icon
• Name
• App description

Image 1. Rebranded logos and designs for the Blackboard App

Known Issues

The upcoming November release will look to fix a couple of known issues that have been reported. The first relates to Student Activity Report graphs not loading when accessed through the course gradebook. The fix has been tested on our Staging environment and all signs are positive. The current workaround when accessing these reports, is to refresh your browser as this forces the graphs to be generated.

The second issue relates to UTC times in Student Activity downloads. When downloading student activity data from the gradebook in CSV format timestamps are displayed in UTC format. This is a less readable format and also marks a time difference of 1 hour when in BST. From November’s release this will be fixed so that the times appear in both the export and the Learn UI with the same time and format.

Current, no fix: 

• 2024-10-11T07:02:43.113Z

After, fix applied:

• 2024-10-11 08:02:43

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