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

Auto-captioning for video and audio feedback

The following feature has been added to improve accessibility and promote inclusivity. It also supports diverse language preferences, aligning with the user's chosen language.

• Automatic captioning is available for audio and video content used in assessment feedback and announcements.
• Auto-captioning also supports diverse language preferences.

Batch Edit support for recursive actions (items inside Folders and Learning Modules)

Batch edit actions now apply to all items inside of Folders and Learning Modules instead of selecting each item.

1. At the right of the Course Content area, select the three dots > Batch Edit.
2. You can expand and collapse Folders and Learning Modules to deselect or select items.
3. The following tasks can be performed faster: Shift Dates, Adjust Visibility, and Remove date/time release conditions.

Usability improvements have been made to the following features: Truncated Long Titles (preventing overlap with dates and times), Fixed Table Header (now follows when the page is scrolled), and Replaced Dropdown (of batch edit actions with buttons).

Copying Announcements

Instructors can now copy specific announcements or all announcements from another course. Copied announcements are set as drafts. Reusing content eliminates the need to create everything from scratch, saving time and effort in the content development process.

Flexible Grading support for tablets and other improvements

Flexible Grading (to grade by question or student etc.) is now available for tablet devices.

Improvements have been made to clearly indicate which student is selected. This is achieved by showing a purple outline around the selected student, and a gray outline when hovering over a student.

AI Design Assistant in Blackboard Ultra — Tool in Testing Stage in Innovative Learning Department

This fall, Innovative Learning will be testing a new feature within Blackboard Ultra called AI Design Assistant. Blackboard has included this feature to support instructors who wish to employ generative artificial intelligence (GAI) into their course creation process with the promise that this will build engaging course content. The AI Design Assistant can also help with content-based test generation, rubric creation, and royalty-free image sourcing. We in IL will test their claim, identify opportunities to ensure that the release of this tool is supported in the Humber community. We will communicate with you around the time of Reading Week to provide with further updates.

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

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

I am pleased to inform you of two recent additions to Humber’s Senior Administration Team.

Scott Briggs recently welcomed Barb McConvey, Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President, Digital Innovation and CIO succeeding Reva Harknett. Barb will also provide administrative support to the Digital Campus Committee and to members of the executive team.

Barb joined Humber as an Administrative Assistant in Information Technology Services in November 2022. Her role was to provide administrative support to two Digital Campus Plan initiatives: Enrolment & Admissions Rethinking and Digital Identity. In her time at Humber, Barb has become a trusted resource who prides herself on taking the initiative to get the job done.

Additionally, Jason Seright welcomed Adwoa Rascanu, Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President, Inclusion and Belonging. Adwoa will provide administrative support to the Office, and to members of the executive team, as they focus on the continued implementation of Humber’s EDI Framework and the braiding of Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing into curricula, teaching practices, and operational and decision-making approaches along with our leading work in Sustainability.

Adwoa is joining us from York University where she worked closely with the Dean of Libraries. She has also held various positions supporting C-level executives in the health sector. Adwoa is passionate about EDI work and this passion was a key factor for her wanting to join the college and be involved in our Inclusion and Belonging area.

We are thrilled to have both Barb and Adwoa join the Humber team!

Sincerely,

Nancy Brennan
Director, Office of the President and Board of Governors

Humber's COI Network comprises five COIs that focus on key areas of proven strength and industry sector growth, Technology Innovation, Creative Business Innovation, Innovation in Health & Wellness, Entrepreneurship, and Social Innovation.

COIs provide an experiential learning environment for Humber students and prepares them to become the innovative and strategic problem-solvers of tomorrow while providing all kinds of organizations the room to innovate and succeed—empowering them to meet the challenges of today’s economy through innovation.

Meet the COI Network Team

The COI Network brings together talented people with the insight, imagination and skills to put ideas into action. Our COI teams examine problems from many different angles, leveraging their diverse backgrounds and industry expertise to disrupt traditional thinking and design creative, user-centred solutions.

For more information on the COI Network, visit humber.ca/coi-network or reach out to Tyler Charlebois, Director, Centres of Innovation Network and Partnership Development. 

Did you receive an Accommodation Letter from Accessible Learning Services (ALS)? Unsure how to proceed? Review the steps below.  

• Send an email to the student to acknowledge receipt of the Accommodation Letter. 

• Carefully review the Accommodation Letter. If you identify an accommodation that you feel may conflict with the essential requirements of your course, contact Accessible Learning Services to discuss. 

• Advise the student that they are welcome to contact you to discuss the accommodations. 

• For Humber faculty, most of your students’ Accommodation Letters are visible on the Faculty Web Portal.  

To learn about the process for students writing with Testing Services, visit their website.

Visit our ALS Information for Faculty website to learn more about the Accommodation Letter process. 

Please email us at accessible-learning@humber.ca with suggestions for key accessibility-related topics that you would like us to address through the Communiqué.