April 2024 Updates
These are the latest Blackboard updates, which will be live on our system from the 4th April 2024.
Click on the link below to view the relevant updates.
Instructors
AI Design Assistant – Context picker for Learning Modules, Assignments, Discussions, and Journals
The context picker for test questions to other generation workflows has now been expanded to:
- Learning modules
- Authentic assignments
- Authentic discussions
- Authentic journals
Default question points value changed from 10 to 1
The default point value has been changed from 10 to 1. Moving forward, any newly created questions will have a default point value of 1. This change helps reduce the need for manual adjustments.
Duplicate questions in Assessments, Forms, and Question Banks
The “Duplicate” option allows instructors to quickly copy an existing question within the same assessment (test, assignment, form) 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, allowing greater granularity in student responses. An even number of answer options also supports the creation of questions where students cannot select a neutral option.
Auto-submitted indicator in attempt logs
The Attempt Log indicates whether a submission is manual or automatic. This indicator provides instructors with deeper insights into student behaviours and allows instructors to better track their student 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 data point helps provide a comprehensive view of student performance.
Long names visible and sorting controls for the Student Activity report for assessments on small devices and mobile app
Long names in the Student Activity report for assessments have been adjusted, ensuring that names are visible on a variety of devices.
Also, instructors can now sort the student list by last name in small devices so they can organize the list easily.
Individual date adjustments from Batch Edit
It is now easier for instructors to make date adjustments for any item on the Batch Edit page. 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
Now, instructors can set release conditions without any impact to feedback to students.
In the past, when an instructor selected the option to hide content, students could view associated grades but not the feedback. We have corrected this to ensure that students can always review feedback.
Anonymous posts for Discussions
An option for instructors to allow anonymous posts in ungraded discussions has been added, providing flexibility for instructors as they can toggle anonymity on or off as the discussion progresses. Any existing anonymous posts keep their anonymity.
Usability improvements for flexible grading
All these enhancements target improved usability and efficiency.
The attempt selector has relocated, meaning that it is now nearer to the attempt grade pill to improve visibility and efficiency. This allows instructors to switch between a student’s attempts during grading.
The grading interface now displays a single grade pill. This provides a more intuitive grading workflow. The single grade pill also prevents accidental grade overrides.
Overriding the final grade is now an explicit grading option. The three-dot menu next to the attempt grade pill now includes an Override Final Grade option. When selected, an Override label appears above the grade pill. Here, the instructor can adjust the final grade for the submission.
Add question feedback when grading by student in Flexible Grading
Instructors can now provide contextual feedback by students on all question types. Question level feedback complements the existing capabilities of overall submission feedback and automated feedback for auto-graded questions.
Once students have submitted their tests and scores are posted, students can access the feedback. Students can access both overall feedback and question-specific feedback.
Calculations changed from using BigDecimal to BigFraction
The software library used to perform calculations in calculated columns and the overall course grade has now been changed.
Example: A course contains 3 assignments worth 22 points each. The student scores 13/22 on the first assignment, 14/22 on the second assignment, and 15/22 on the third assignment. An instructor creates a calculated column to calculate the average of these assignments.
Using the new software library, BigFraction, the average will calculate as 14/22.
With the former software library, BigDecimal, the average would incorrectly calculate to 13.99/22. The new software library ensures calculations compute as expected.
Students
Persistent navigation for Learning Modules
To improve students’ navigation in a learning module, we updated the navigation bar. Now the navigation bar is sticky and remains visible as students vertically scroll through content. Students no longer need to scroll back up to the top of content to access the navigation tools.