AI Initiatives

UMBC Shield and the black text UMBC Artificial Intelligence

The Division of Information Technology’s AI site will help the UMBC community with information on using artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), to support UMBC’s Administrative, Instructional, and Research efforts. This site has been created to help employees advance their use of GenAI.

We recommend that our UMBC community begin by visiting GenAI Tools, a page that highlights free resources and provides guidance on using GenAI while safeguarding UMBC institutional data safely.

For staff seeking support, we encourage people to look at Administrative AI, as a starting point. Our goal is to save folks time, improve the quality of their work, and increase productivity. We showcase tools that DoIT provides to support these objectives.

We have launched myUMBC Answers, an AI-supported search bar. We are seeking partners to expand this tool. The key to leveraging myUMBC Answers is providing validated and accurate content, such as annual FAQs or handbooks.

Faculty, are encouraged to explore Instructional AI and Research AI. The UMBC Center for AI in the College of Engineering is an excellent resource for AI-related research and innovation.  Stay informed by following the center’s social media chnnels on LinkedIn, BlueskyX, and Facebook.

Members of the UMBC community can subscribe to the UMBC AI Group to receive email about AI-related news and events. If you have news to share with the UMBC AI community or suggestions or comments on the site, please send them to umbc-ai@cs.umbc.edu.

AI News

Showing items tagged blackboard. Show All

June brings support for CSV upload of Ultra test questions

New location for Announcements, plus anonymous test grading

Creating many questions on a test can be a time-consuming process. Instructors might import questions using third-party tools or publisher test banks, if compatible or available. Beginning with...

Posted: June 1, 2023, 11:47 AM

Reminder: Blackboard Courses Scheduled for Server Retirement

Courses before Fall 2020 to be retired beginning 7/1

During Summer 2023, DoIT staff and Blackboard will archive our entire instance of Blackboard, which will save individually backed-up copies of every course and organization through SP2023. Courses...

Posted: June 1, 2023, 9:15 AM

More Departments Move to Fully Adopt Ultra for Fall 2023

Options support bulk Ultra course creation and conversion

Given UMBC will be migrating to Ultra by the start of Winter 2025, five more departments will fully adopt Ultra for Fall 2023, The following departments join Theater and Gender, Women's, +...

Posted: May 18, 2023, 12:46 PM

May 2023 Blackboard Tool Integration Upgrades

Updates to ALEKS, Library Reserves, Pearson, & Qwickly tools

Four Blackboard course tools--ALEKS, Library Reserves, Pearson, and Qwickly--are undergoing updates, taking a significant leap forward by transitioning to the latest Learning Tools...

Posted: May 16, 2023, 12:57 PM

Bb Course Roster Limited to Faculty, TA Roles Starting SU23

Tool access restriction protects student privacy

At the end of May 2023, access to the Blackboard course roster will be limited to certain roles in a Blackboard course. Currently, the course roster is visible to all users, which means anyone can...

Posted: May 15, 2023, 5:38 PM