The TTU IT Division, working in cooperation with eLearning, the TLPDC, and Blackboard Managed Hosting, will upgrade Blackboard to a newer, more robust version starting on Friday, January 11th, at 11:00 pm and lasting no more than 12 hours. While many new features will be available, the navigation and user experience will not change. During this timeframe, TTU Blackboard services will be unavailable. Highlights of the new features that will be available to the TTU Blackboard Community:
- Attendance – For each class meeting, instructors can mark whether a student is present, late, absent, or excused. The attendance records for each student appear in a single column next to other grades.
- Clear a Multiple Choice Selection – Students are now able to clear a selection from multiple-choice questions. This lets students avoid a penalty when they’ve made an initial selection and negative points are associated with answer choices.
- Create Recording for Feedback – An instructor or grader can create personalized feedback recordings for individual gradable item attempts or manual gradebook items.
- Responsiveness and Mobile Optimization – A responsive design theme, including color selections, palettes, and navigation behavior, will be available to course designers.
Please note that eLearning will soon provide more detailed information about the new features, and updated training materials for faculty. We have collaborated with colleges and areas to select the best possible time for this semi-annual maintenance, resulting in the least amount of impact to instruction and semester preparation. Should you experience any issues outside of this maintenance window, please contact IT Help Central at (806) 742-4357 (HELP) or ithelpcentral@ttu.edu.
