Here are the highlights of this month’s new and improved features in Blackboard Ultra. For more details, please follow the links below:

AI Design Assistant – Context picker for Learning Modules, Assignments, Discussions, and Journals

Last month, a feature called context picker was released which allows specific course items to be associated with particular tests, resulting in more focused questions generated by the AI Design Assistant. For this release, the context picker was extended to Learning Modules, Assignments, Discussions, and Journals, enabling the AI Design Assistant to auto-generate more relevant content associated with the item instructors select.

Default question points value changed from 10 to 1

Many instructors prefer assigning a value of 1 point to a test question. Responding to these requests, the default value has now been changed from 10 to 1.

Duplicate questions in Assessments, Forms, and Question Banks

Instructors often spend a significant amount of time adding questions to an assessment on Blackboard Ultra. The feature to duplicate questions is now available in the latest release. This saves time and reduces errors in creating questions, as there is no need to go through the same steps each time for similar questions.

Likert answer options expanded to include 4 and 6

Likert questions were recently introduced in Forms, originally with answer options limited to 3, 5, or 7. These odd numbers allow for a neutral option, though this may not be suitable for some questions. To add flexibility, options now include 4 and 6, letting instructors choose any number between 3 to 7.

Auto-submitted indicator in attempt logs

Attempt log of individual student can be accessible from each assessment from the Gradebook. Now events include “Auto submitted” which allows instructors to see if the submission was manual or automatic. This gives instructors more insight into student behaviors and enables them to track student progress more effectively.

Long names visible and sorting controls for the Student Activity report for assessments on small devices and mobile app

This modification improves the usability of the Student Activity report on small devices, while also promoting inclusivity.

Individual date adjustments from Batch Edit

The batch edit feature is accessible from the content page, located just below the "student preview". This tool allows instructors to modify visibility status and adjust due dates. For this release, an additional function has been added to allow editing the "show on" and "hide after" dates. With this update, instructors can alter these dates from a single page, eliminating the need to navigate through each content item.

To adjust the "show on" and "hide after" dates, click on the calendar icon at the right side of the item on the batch edit page. This new feature enhances convenience for instructors.

Student feedback remains visible to students regardless of release condition settings

When the release condition hides assessment items, grades given to the assessment are visible but associated comment weren’t visible. With this update, students can view comments given to the assessment that is hidden by its release condition. This behavior aligns better with what’s expected of the Gradebook.

Anonymous posts for Discussions

By default, discussion posts are not graded. Anonymity can sometimes lead to more engagement on certain topics. This release allows instructors to make non-graded discussions anonymous, offering greater flexibility.

Usability improvements for flexible grading

Several improvements have been made to flexible grading to minimize confusion. Previously, both the submission grade pill and overall grade pill were visible, making it easy for instructors to inadvertently override a grade. The updated version only displays the submission grade pill by default. It also allows instructors to easily navigate between different submissions by positioning the attempt pull-down menu to the left of the grade pill. To override a grade, instructors must intentionally click '...' to reveal the grading pill. These usability enhancements significantly reduce confusion among instructors.

Add question feedback when grading by student in Flexible Grading

General feedback is beneficial when instructors must provide overall comments on assessments. However, if there are multiple questions and each requires individual comments, it's more efficient to provide feedback at the question level. This month’s release includes this feature, enhancing usability for both instructors and students.

The full list of April updates is available on the Blackboard Help Center website.

The full article is also posted on BB Hub: New and Improved Features in Blackboard Ultra – April 2024 Update

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