Please note this month’s new and improved features in Blackboard Ultra. For more details, please follow the links below:

Grading Multiple-Attempt Assessments

When grading submissions with multiple attempts, instructors no longer need to close an attempt then select a different attempt. It is now possible to navigate directly between a student’s attempts using a drop-down menu in the top-left corner of the page.

Gradebook Student List View – Sorting Controls

Instructors can now sort the Gradebook Student list view on the Overall Grade column to identify students with grades at a grade boundary, or to order students from highest to lower grade, or vice versa.

Course Activity Report Table Enhancements

The table has been updated to make it easier to:

• Select and message students
• Identify students who may be falling behind using the Days of Inactivity column
• View a student’s performance and engagement using the Student Overview
• Access more student information such as accommodations, name pronunciation, and personal pronouns

Rescheduling Announcements 

Instructors can now reschedule announcements without having to recreate them, by changing the show on and hide after fields to a future date.

Deactivating Post Activity in Discussions 

There is now a checkbox option in the Discussion Settings panel. When checked, participants cannot edit or delete discussion posts.

Need additional support? The IL Support Centre is here to help! 

It is with mixed emotions that I announce the departure of one of our long-standing community members, Vicki DiGiovanni, after more than 24 years of dedicated service to the College.

Vicki started at Humber 1998 as a part time customer service representative for the Registrar’s office. From there, she moved to the Digital Imaging Training Centre which ultimately became a unit within the School of Media Studies. In 2009, Vicki was hired as the Assistant to the Director of Student Access, Wellness and Development. Shortly after that, she was promoted to Manager of Student Access, Wellness and Development, which evolved to Manager, SWAC Services. 

Throughout her tenure at Humber, Vicki has been an instrumental member of our community, serving as a passionate and committed leader, mentor, and colleague. Her contributions have had a lasting impact on countless students and employees alike, and she will be deeply missed. Vicki’s commitment to student success has been exemplary, and her dedication to fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment has been unwavering. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Vicki for her many years of service to Humber College, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors. While we will miss her greatly, we are confident that she will continue to make a difference wherever she goes.

Leah State
Director, Student Wellbeing

As part of the Finch West Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project, crews will continue transmission watermain works.

Lane restrictions on Hwy 27 (south of Humber College Blvd) will be in effect 24 hours a day from Monday, March 13 through to Saturday, March 18. Lanes will be restricted to one northbound and one southbound.

We advise the Humber community to access North Campus through Hwy 427 and Finch Avenue to avoid the construction. Please allow yourself additional time for travel.

Please take extra care when navigating near work sites, and always make eye contact with the driver before crossing in front of any equipment or vehicle.

Please visit us at www.metrolinx.com/finchwestlrt for up-to-date information.

Thank you to all Humber and University of Guelph-Humber Support Staff who attended the 2023 Support Staff Professional Development workshops from February 27 to March 3. You continue to go above and beyond in your roles to support colleagues, students, and the community. Thank you!  

Our facilitators for the sessions reminded and taught us how we can:  

• Implement practical and effective leadership strategies daily 
• Create psychologically safe and healthy work environments to support mental health  
• Introduce sustainability values in our lives and create bees wax wraps 
• Harness conflict as a productive and enhancing tool for team building 
• Use proven techniques and strategies to manage stress and create a more balanced life 
• Apply helpful interpersonal skills to foster collaboration and relationship building 
• Assess our leadership capabilities and develop a personal plan for continued leadership development 

Thank you to our leaders, listed below, for their continued support and for participating in this event by opening workshops.  

• Ann Marie Vaughan, President and CEO  
• Guillermo Acosta, Senior Dean, Faculty of Media and Creative Arts 
• Melanie Spence-Ariemma, Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer, University of Guelph-Humber 
• Andrew Ness, Dean, International 
• June MacDonald-Jenkins, Senior Dean, Faculty of Social and Community Services and Principal of Lakeshore Campus  
• Diane Simpson, Principal, Humber International Graduate School 
• John Stilla, Senior Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Innovative Learning 
• Jason Seright, Dean, Indigenous Education and Engagement  
• Jason Hunter, Vice-President, Students and Institutional Planning and Interim Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness  

Lastly, a round of applause to the following attendees who were randomly selected to receive a prize. 

• Stephanie Montemarano, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness   
• Hardeep Saini, Financial Services and Planning 
• Shindi Gill, Office of the Registrar 
• Jada Fortella, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness 
• Mackenzie Kraeker, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness 
• Lynn Short, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology  
• Michelle Hamilton, Libraries 
• Ariel Lewis, Faculty of Social and Community Services 
• Marsha Duggan, Faculty of Social and Community Services  
• Miranda Moore, Office of the Registrar  

For those of you that missed the workshops, recordings for some of the sessions will be posted on the HROE website shortly and we will communicate once they are ready to be viewed. 

We look forward to next year’s Support Staff Professional Development Event.  

Questions? Please email us at oe@humber.ca​​.